According to new research at Durham and Lancaster Universities, there is significant differences between fetuses of mothers who smoke and mothers who do not smoke. Thanks to the information provided through those studies, additional examination in regards to how smoking affects the fetus, including the behaviors of the father, may be conducted in the UK.
The 2015 study was led by Dr. Nadja Reissland of Durham University’s Department of psychology. It used 4D scan technology to get a close look at the fetuses of mothers who smoked while they were pregnant. According to the scans, those fetuses tended to have higher rates of facial self touch and mouth movement when compared to fetuses of mothers who didn’t smoke.
These are significant differences because, as the study shows, “the fetal central nervous system, which controls movements in general and facial movements in particular, did not develop at the same rate and in the same manner as fetuses of mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy.” Thanks to technology, we can now see what is taking place inside the womb and it gives us the opportunity to view how smoking truly affects the unborn child.