During your last month of pregnancy expect to gain an extra 2 to 3 pounds. Gaining too much weight during pregnancy can have its disadvantages. In addition to being hard to lose later, a mother who is overweight puts her baby at risk for birth defects or death. The mother also increases her chances of developing hypertension, gestational diabetes , or experiencing preterm labor. Doctors highly recommend that you stop smoking completely or put your habit on hold while pregnant.
Studies suggest smoking reduces the flow of oxygen and other nutrients to the developing fetus.
Nicotine impairs the absorption of calcium, vitamin C, and other vitamins and minerals necessary to a developing fetus. Pregnant women should not drink alcoholic beverages. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome affects children who are exposed to alcohol in their prenatal stage. More serious damage to the fetus can ultimately result in serious vision problems, difficulty with memory retention and retrieval, deafness or even death. Unfortunately, those are only a few of the potential effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.