Sara Fugledaldal Wiik leads the national midwifery organization Jordmorforbundet NSF. Now she and several other organizations are sounding the alarm about the consequences of the increasing use of snus among women.
More women are using snus
From 2016 to 2025, the percentage of women who use snus has increased from 6 percent to 11 percent. When women fail to break their addiction during pregnancy, it poses risks.
– There is a lot of nicotine in snus, and snus passes through the placenta when you are pregnant. This can have many consequences, says Sara Fugledaldal Wiik to TV 2.
Tobacco Facts has previously reported on Swedish research that snus increases the risk of serious conditions during and after pregnancy: miscarriage, healthy fetuses that die in the womb, children born prematurely, growth retardation, cleft lip and palate, children who die in the first year of life. Snus also carries a 300 percent increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (although despite the increased risk, it is very uncommon).
In Norway, it has also been discovered that children can be born with nicotine addiction.
“When a newborn experiences withdrawal, the infant is very anxious and grumpy,” says Sara Fugledaldal Wiik.
Affects development
Håkon Endal is a pediatric nurse and leader of the national association Barnesykepleierne NSF. As a pediatric nurse, he receives children who have extra support needs.
Children with nicotine withdrawal need a lot of comfort, Endal explains.
– The brain needs rest and development. There is an extreme amount of activity in the first few days, and if the body is busy with withdrawal, it creates problems later, he tells TV 2.
Many women who use snus manage to quit before, or at the beginning of, pregnancy. Not succeeding is very difficult for the woman. Jesper Hellberg has said this in a previous interview with Tobaksfakta.
"Pregnant women beat themselves up a lot when they don't succeed. At the same time, they should avoid the medications that are one of the legs of nicotine withdrawal," says Jesper Hellberg.
Footnote:
The report from TV2 does not state whether it is white or brown snus that is used. In Norway, white snus is not allowed to be sold, but it is known that it is used among young people.
Source:
https://www.tv2.no/nyheter/slar-alarm-nyfodte-med-abstinenser/18947669/
