Smoking During Pregnancy and Around Infants and Children

It is not healthy for any person to smoke. If you are pregnant and you smoke during your pregnancy, you may hurt your baby as well as yourself.

What are the dangers of smoking during pregnancy?

When you smoke, your lungs absorb the chemicals in the smoke. The chemicals can hurt the baby and placenta. For example, a powerful, cancer-causing chemical called NNK is passed to the baby if you smoke when you are pregnant. Other chemicals narrow the blood vessels that bringing blood to the uterus. This means the baby gets less oxygen and food from the mother's blood. As a result, the baby has a greater risk of being born at a birth weight that is lower than normal. The baby also has a greater chance of being born too early. Babies who are both underweight and born early have more problems during and after delivery. There is also a greater chance that the baby will be born dead.

Other problems for the baby that may be caused by smoking during pregnancy or after the baby is born are:

• sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS, or crib death)
• asthma
• learning and behavioral problems
• miscarriage (loss of the baby).

What are the dangers of smoking around children after birth?

The smoke from cigarettes, cigars, and pipes is unhealthy for a baby after birth. Infants and children who are exposed to smoke (passive smoking) are more likely to have more colds, lung problems, and ear infections.

When do I need to quit smoking?

If you are planning to get pregnant, you should quit smoking before you try to get pregnant. If you are already pregnant, you should quit smoking as soon as possible. If you are not able to quit completely, try to cut down to fewer than 5 cigarettes a day. Cutting down or stopping smoking during pregnancy reduces the risks. If you stop smoking early in pregnancy, the risks for your baby are about the same as for women who have not been smokers.

What help is available for quitting?

If you cannot stop smoking on your own, get help and counseling to stop smoking. Do not use nicotine replacement products such as nicotine patches or nicotine gum while you are pregnant unless they have been approved by your healthcare provider.

Things that you might try to help you stop smoking are:

• counseling by a healthcare provider or therapist trained in helping people quit
• joining a quit-smoking program
• hypnosis
• acupuncture
• medicines prescribed by your provider that are safe during pregnancy

You can also call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to find out what resources are available in your state to help you stop smoking.

Check with your health insurance company. They might cover some or all of the costs of treatment to stop smoking.

And remember that smoke from other people's cigarettes is also harmful. Family members and others should not smoke around you or around children.