Low Birth weight and PILs smoking

[Whatsitcalled38]

We visit PILs quite alot, twice a week. They both smoke in the house very heavily.

Just been for our 20 week scan and baby is on the 5th percentile.

There's no way those things aren't connected is there?

I'm not a medical expert but I very much doubt that a couple of hours , twice a week , would affect your baby's birth weight.

When absolutely everyone smoked in the 60s and 70s , babies were born at usual weights. Hell, I was born at 10 pounds in 1964 and both my parents smoked.

Do they do the carbon monoxide breath test at your midwife appointments? They do at all of mine. That will tell you more about how much PIL smoking is impacting you than birth weight predictions.

Predicted birth weight is notoriously inaccurate. My daughter was predicted to be 'big' at all my scans and she was born on the 2nd centile!!

If your question is 'could my PIL smoking be impacting my baby's birth weight' the answer is invariably 'maybe'. You are unreasonable to say that there is 'no way' that your predicted low birth weight and PIL aren't connected though. If you don't like the smoking, stop going to visit (I would because I find the smell grim).

They could be unrelated but you should avoid your PILs until at least the baby is a few months old.

This is extremely bad for your health and the baby's health.

See this information from the CDC (American, and typically America is more pro comapny anti consumer than Britain so less likely to publish info that costs companies money)

www.cdc.gov/tobacco/secondhand-smoke/health.html

The opening points on this page are

" • There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS); even brief exposure can cause immediate harm.1,2,3
• Health problems caused by secondhand smoke in adults who do not smoke include coronary heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer, as well as adverse reproductive health effects in women, including low birth weight.1,3
• Secondhand smoke can cause sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), respiratory infections, ear infections, and asthma attacks in infants and children.1"

I feel so angry and guilty with myself.

Well don't, it could be any reason at all like traffic pollution for example.

Plus you're only 5 months so plenty of time left.

TBH I don't this it's impossible, but it's probably unlikely.

Ask to meet them outdoors somewhere and try not to worry.

I’d think it highly unlikely. But why sit in a house with smokers? (And who smokes inside nowadays?) Yuck. I wouldn’t do this at any time, let alone when pregnant.

It's really unlikely to have had that much of an affect. Have they had you on low dose aspirin? They're not very accurate. My baby charted as 25th centile on growth scan. Delivered on 80th centile 4 weeks later.

Are you and your DH small? What about the weights you and DH were born at? Some people make smaller babies! Even if 5th centile is right, if baby starts 5th and stays at 5th then theyre growing proportionally. Its if it keeps dropping they really worry. Was the fluid volume and blood flow readings in scan fine?

Personally I would stay away from their house for the rest of the pregnancy. And also when the baby is born. I found one French study where passive smoking was said to influence birth weight but I really don't know more about the subject.

It's a really tough situation, having PILs who act this way around you, whilst pregnant, is their fault. Have you spoken to DH about it and reducing the time you spend there? What does he say?

It shouldn't be all on you to take on this burden, he should be the one to talk to them about it.

It won't affect your baby (until about 40 years ago, women used to smoke while pregnant).

However, I would not visit someone who is smoking inside the house. And definitely won't take the baby there.
Invite them over yours or meet with them outside.

It's very strange to me that someone in 2024 would still smoke around a pregnant woman!

My mum chain smoked during both pregnancies. My brother and I were both of normal weight and have enjoyed good health for our sixty odd years each

I've never smoked nor will I. But I do think that recent health advice has led to really unhealthy paranoid anxiety and unwarranted guilt for pregnant women and new mums. And this fear mongering needs to stop.

In short, you have nothing to feel bad about, and your visits will have had no impact whatsoever on your baby

I sometimes wonder how my generation even exists at all. It was very unusual NOT to smoke in the 50s and 60s. I was the only one of my friends who didn't. My dad only smoked very occasionally, and used to get teased for not doing.

Yet here all we boomers and those born in the 1960s are.
The kind of fear that's promoted nowadays, if reasonable, would have lef to the loss of an entire generation.

Maybe your baby is just measuring small. There's no need to find a blame.

I don't think it would be that at twice a week. None of our family smoke at all and DD1 was born on the 5th centile and DD2 the 8th.

Very healthy pregnancies and straight forward births, home the same day both times. Some people just have small babies. Are you and DH slight? X

I wouldn't visit them anymore regardless

It's really knocked me. They're lovely people and have really welcome dust I to their family, they do loads for us and are so welcoming. It's just normal to them.

I feel so ashamed and guilty that I've allowed my child and my unborn baby in an environment I know isn't safe

I don’t know but it’s possible. You won’t be able to round there when baby is born, or even let them hold the baby really. Our HV said if anyone had been smoking, they had to wash their hands, change their clothes and wait 20 minutes.

@Whatsitcalled38 aw please don't beat yourself up, although I do agree with others that I would maybe focus on meeting them outside/somewhere with fresher air in future. How have your Co2 readings been at your appointments? I doubt a few visits during pregnancy would be enough to cause serious issues.

My little one also had a couple of measures below 5th centile at our 20wk scan. None of our family smoke and I've been healthy throughout. Yesterday I was just back for a scan in foetal medicine and my little man is still tracking 3rd centile but the consultant stressed several times what a healthy, happy baby he looked to be. Some babies are just small. I have a 3yr old DS who was actually born on 5th centile - however at the 20wk scan nothing was flagged as his measurements at that point were a higher centile and he never came up small on fundal height measurements. It did worry me a bit that this one was so small earlier on, but the likelihood is I just make smaller babies. Someone has to be on those lower centiles!

Have you been given a follow up appointment? They will probably want to check your placenta, and blood flow to little one. They might also offer a screen for some infections that can affect growth. My consultant reassured me on both of those fronts at our follow up scan (there are visual markers they can check for). Overall, even if there is a cause for slower growth etc, it's great they are keeping an eye on you. It's so easy to beat ourselves up - I asked if I needed to make any lifestyle changes/eat more calories etc and consultant just smiled and said "no, there's nothing you can do!"

Just for your health more generally though (and I think you mentioned an existing child too?) you really need to find ways in future to keep you all out of heavy smoky environments. You can use baby as an excuse to your in-laws regardless! 😊

@SnookyPook thank you, I don't know why it's hit me so hard, I'm feeling like such a failure of a mother. My CO has always been low, 2 max, yesterday's was 0. They're rescanning in 2 weeks. DP is confident, our due date got moved forward a week from when we know when we conceived and if it hadn't we'd be on the 50th centile. It's not even about his size, it's just brought put all these doubts that I'm not doing a good enough job for my children, I just keep breaking down crying, I've barely slept

I'm as sure as I can be that these things are not connected.

But make it clear that you won't be letting the baby visit their house. Or let them how of the baby at yours unless they shower and change first.

Just thought aswell, I've still been sleeping on my back. My hips are killing and I'm only comfortable on my back with a leg on top of DP. I didn't think you had to stop this early, but I think I was wrong.

Don't beat yourself up about this

Think more about what you do going forward

Have you spoken to them yet about rules/guidelines for after the baby is born?

They would have to not smoke for an hour before holding it, plus change clothes and wash - are they aware of this?

For my DM and DMIL this actually convinced them to give up smoking!

@Whatsitcalled38 the NHS guidance is to stop sleeping on your back from 28 weeks, so please try to stop worrying about that.