Tobacco and Pregnancy

Women who smoke or are around smokers while pregnant expose their unborn children to a number of diseases and health risks.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SmokefreeWomen, American Cancer Society, and American Lung Association:

• Low birth weight and premature delivery. It is estimated that smoking in women during pregnancy causes low birth weight in at least 1 in 5 infants and increases the risk of having a baby too early. Approximately 14 percent of premature deliveries and 1 in 10 infant deaths are attributed to mothers who smoke.
• Secondhand smoke consequences. Secondhand smoke can cause seemingly healthy, full-term babies to have narrowed airways and reduced lung function. Secondhand smoke can also lead to an increased risk of diseases, including severe asthma, ear infections, colds, pneumonia and bronchitis.
• Higher mortality rates. Smoking during pregnancy increases an infant's risk of sudden infant death syndrome.