Smoking while pregnant puts your baby at risk

It’s been upsetting to see lately a surge in mothers smoking whilst pregnant or in the same room as their newborn.. 

Protecting your baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life. It can be difficult to stop smoking, but it’s never too late to quit.

Every cigarette you smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, so smoking when you are pregnant harms your unborn baby. Cigarettes can restrict the essential oxygen supply to your baby. As a result, their heart must beat harder every time you smoke.

Effects of smoking whilst pregnant or from second hand smoke

• Women who smoke have more difficulty becoming pregnant and have a higher risk of never becoming pregnant.
• Smoking during pregnancy can cause tissue damage in the unborn baby, particularly in the lung and brain, and some studies suggests a link between maternal smoking and cleft lip.
• Studies also suggest a relationship between tobacco and miscarriage. Carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke can keep the developing baby from getting enough oxygen. Tobacco smoke also contains other chemicals that can harm unborn babies.
• Mothers who smoke are more likely to deliver their babies early. Premature delivery is a leading cause of death, disability, and disease among newborns.
• One in every five babies born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy has a low birth weight. Mothers who are exposed to secondhand smoke while pregnant are more likely to have lower birth weight babies.
• Both babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant and babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than babies who are not exposed to cigarette smoke.
• Babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant or who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth have weaker lungs than other babies, which increases the risk for many health problems.

Kick the Habit today

Call the NHS Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044 from 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.