The most common form of child abuse

"The woman's hands close around the baby's throat. Then she presses-slowly strangling the baby. The defenseless infant struggles. Just in time the woman relaxes her grip. The baby gasps for air but survives the assault. Before long, the woman grabs the tiny throat again, starting the torture all over. Again she lets go and leave the infant gasping..."

What you read just describes suffering like that experienced by an unborn child when abused by its smoking mother, says The New York Times. According to the studies, a mother who smokes regularly imposes a lifelong handicaps upon her child. It includes physical and mental dangers that may develop immediately or slowly. But really, how does a mother's smoking affects the unborn child? Imagine this, each cigarette puff introduces carbon monoxide and nicotine into the blood streams. Thus reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen and constricts the blood vessels in the placenta. The unborn child is now deprived of its normal oxygen which can damage the brain of course. What about those pack-a-day smokers? When a mother smokes 20 cigarettes a day, that is a hundred puffs a day, having a pregnancy of 270 days, the mother subjects the fetus to atleast 27,000 chemical insults and abused. Those babies may grow up having behavorial problems, impaired reading, and metal retardation.

What a sad reality very common these days. As women, may we always put in mind that we have the gift of carrying life within us. And being a mother is the most beautiful and fulfilling thing there is in this world. May we not threaten the lives of the innocent ones. So if you're pregnant, stop smoking cause it's really bad.