New research from Lancaster and Durham universities in the UK have found that smoking while pregnant can be reflected in unborn babies’ facial movements.
When examining the 4D scans of pregnant non-smokers and pregnant smokers, they found that babies whose mothers smoked showed a much higher rate of mouth movements than those whose mothers didn’t.
The images featured here show a foetus whose mother is a smoker (top) and a foetus whose mother is a non-smoker (bottom). We can see the foetus of the smoker looks distressed, its face almost twisted into a grimace, while the other foetus looks calmer and more serene.
“Technology means we can now see what was previously hidden, revealing how smoking affects the development of the foetus in ways we did not realise,” said Professor Brian Francis, of Lancaster University. “This is yet further evidence of the negative effects of smoking in pregnancy.”
As part of the study, 80 4D ultrasound scans were carried out on 20 foetuses, to assess mouth and touch movements. The scans were carried out at four different intervals between 24 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.
Please SHARE to spread awareness of the undeniably harmful effects of smoking while pregnant.
Image Sources: Durham University / Dr Nadja Reissland.
