FITNESS instructor Rachael Bailey has been helping people get in the best shape of their lives for decades. Her love for sports and fitness began at the age of 16 — back then she ran track and, as the years rolled by, she got her certification, worked as a fitness coach in gyms and founded Fitness Trekkers. When Covid-19 turned the world upside-down, and words like social isolation and quarantining became part of our daily routine, Bailey turned her garage into a gym and the workouts continued.
Fitness is not just her job and passion; it’s literally her lifeline that has helped her cope with pressing medical issues. From the time she was in her mother’s womb, Bailey was exposed to second-hand smoke and alcohol. She is still living with the effects almost 50 years later.
At age 19, she began experiencing episodes of fainting, blackouts and rapid heart palpitations, especially during periods of stress. When the symptoms became more frequent, she visited her GP who initially suspected anxiety attacks. Further tests conducted by a cardiologist confirmed she had mitral valve prolapse syndrome. In addition to her symptoms, Bailey also experienced chest tightness and shortness of breath. Tests later revealed that she also had emphysema.
Mitral valve prolapse is a heart problem involving the mitral valve which separates the upper and lower chambers of the left side of the heart. In this condition the valve does not close properly. Emphysema, on the other hand, is a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that causes permanent damage of the air sacs in the lungs which results in difficulty breathing.
While the exact cause of mitral valve prolapse is not known, smoking during pregnancy or exposure to second-hand smoke can harm the hearts of unborn babies. Drinking alcohol while pregnant is linked to a higher risk of heart conditions present at birth such as mitral valve anomalies. Smoking during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of a child developing emphysema and other chronic respiratory illnesses.
When she first discovered she had emphysema even though she had never smoked a cigarette in her life, Bailey was disheartened, but she was never resentful towards her mother. Instead, she chose to forgive her mother; having a positive outlook has allowed Bailey to move forward.
“I had to come to terms with the reality of living with the effects of someone’s choices. My mother’s actions aren’t something I agree with or endorse, but I do not harbour any resentment towards her. In life there are many situations that we face that we did not cause and that we feel we don’t deserve, yet we are left with the consequences. The key, I believe, is not to stay stuck, or let the past control our present and future,” she said.
After her diagnosis, Bailey had to learn to control daily stressors and the way she reacts to stressful situations. Another challenge is being mindful of her environment and the people around her — something as simple as the flu could affect her lungs and overall wellbeing.
“Because of my emphysema, my lungs are more prone to infections, which puts my body under stress and forces my heart to work harder while already managing mitral valve prolapse syndrome,”she explains.
To say that fitness has played an important role in Bailey’s journey would be an understatement. Not only has it strengthened her body and improved her lung function, it keeps her heart working as best as it can. Exercise has also helped her manage stress, stay positive and focused on what she can do instead of what she can’t, she said.
“I focus on seeing my glass as half-full instead of half-empty. Despite my physical challenges, my outlook on life has become stronger because of them,”she added.
The matter of maternal smoking and drinking is not given nearly the amount of attention that it deserves. A lot of people do not really understand how much smoking can impact not just themselves but the people around them, even their children, stressed Bailey.
“Many just think of it as a bad habit or something they are addicted to, but they don’t realise the long-term damage it can do to the body and the lives connected to theirs. If my experience can make one person stop and think twice, then it is certainly worth sharing,”said Bailey.
What do the medical experts say?
The lungs are responsible for replacing carbon dioxide in our blood with life-giving oxygen. Smoking cigarettes releases a number of particulates and noxious vapours into our lungs and causes increased inflammation in the lungs which interferes with oxygen transfer from the lungs to the blood, explained president of the Thoracic Society of Trinidad and Tobago Prof Terrence Seemungal. If you are a smoker and find out that you are pregnant, the best thing you can do is stop smoking, he said.
“Pregnant females are responsible for two lives: theirs, and their baby’s, and are urged not to smoke at all and not even have exposure to cigarette smoke from others (passive smoke exposure). There are several reasons for this. Smoking increases the risk of ectopic (tubal rather than uterine) pregnancy and miscarriage. Smoking also slows the baby’s growth in the womb, causing small-for-dates babies and also increases the risk of premature births. Some birth defects have also been linked to smoking, such as cleft palate and heart defects of the newborn,” said Seemungal; he added that several recent and past studies in the Caribbean and the Americas have supported these findings.
The TSOTT advises that women of childbearing age must not smoke at all or be exposed to cigarette smoke.
The dangers of any toxin or bad substance like smoke, alcohol or drugs getting into a pregnant woman’s body fall into several categories, said Dr Catherine Minto-Bain, a medical director and consultant gynaecologist at the Trinidad and Tobago IVF and Fertility Centre. These dangers include:
— Damage to the developing baby — abnormalities in the growing organs, and the development of the brain.
— Damage to the placenta that is feeding the baby.
“You damage this and the baby will be lacking in oxygen and food, so it will become growth-restricted, small, and struggle to stay alive and grow properly,”said Minto-Bain.
Toxins increase the risk of sudden foetal death and stillbirth and result in future health risks to the baby as it becomes a child and adult, she added.
“People are not aware of this, but the bad things the baby is exposed to in the womb can set in stone problems like diabetes, heart disease, etc., in that baby’s body that will cause poor health in childhood and adult life,” said Minto-Bain.
She stressed that it is not just the mother, but the dad and other people smoking around a pregnant woman who can cause these problems — albeit to a lesser degree.
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