Smoking during pregnancy carries many risks for the mother and the baby, and now a study shows for the first time differences in the movements of the fetus of a smoking mother and one who does not smoke.
We must continue investigating the causes of these movement differences, but they could indicate some delay in the development of the baby. Specifically, the study compared, through 4D ultrasound, the fetal movements of four babies of smoking mothers versus 16 non-smokers.
The study, published in the journal "Acta Paediatrica", is entitled "Ultrasound observations of subtle movements: a pilot study comparing fetuses of smoking and non-smoking mothers" ('Ultrasound observations of subtle movements: a pilot study comparing fetuses of smoking mothers and non-smokers'). Twenty mothers were observed at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough (United Kingdom).
Fetuses of smoking mothers showed a significantly higher rate of mouth movements compared to the fetuses of non-smoking mothers (after controlling for factors such as stress and maternal depression). As the pregnancy progressed, these differences between the smoking and non-smoking groups widened.
The differences between the two groups regarding the rate of facial touching remained constant and was not as significant. When the time of delivery is approaching, babies move less, which could indicate a delay in the development of their central nervous system.
The authors of the research point out that a larger study is needed to confirm these results and investigate specific effects, including the interaction of maternal stress and smoking. Once born, no differences were observed in infants, who were well and reflected a normal weight.
We do not know to what extent these mothers inhaled tobacco smoke, it probably would not be excessive since the babies were fine. But in any case, since the study has not focused on other side effects, we can conjecture about those fetal movements of pregnant smokers, which seem to indicate "disgust", nervousness?
