Healthy Living

 

 

 

 

 

Smoking - During Pregnancy

 

Effects of Smoking on Women, Unborn Babies and Children

Aside from the fact that cigarette smoking is seriously harmful to people who do it, it is also known to cause serious health problems for children and unborn babies. This is because when pregnant women smoke, they pass nicotine, carbon monoxide and other chemicals in tobacco smoke onto their unborn babies through their blood and placentas. The negative effects of cigarette smoking on women, babies and children can be serious and lifelong.

 

Risks and Effects of Smoking on Women

  • Lung cancer is one of the leadingcauses of cancer death. Compared to non-smokers women who smoke are about 13 times more likely to develop lung cancer.
  • Smoking causes about 80% of lung cancer deaths in women.
  • Smoking is an important cause of heart disease, stroke and diseases of the vascular system.
  • Smoking is related to chronic coughing and wheezing.
  • Smokers are more likely than non-smokers to have upper and lower respiratory tract infections.

 

Risks and Effects of Smoking during Pregnancy on Unborn Babies

  • Smoking mothers have a greater risk of miscarriages and are more likely to have difficulties giving birth.
  • Babies of smokers or mothers exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke during pregnancy are, on average, smaller at birth than babies of non-smoking mothers or mothers who were not exposed to second-hand smoke. Smoking mothers give birth to infants who weigh about 150 grams less at term than the babies of non-smokers. Cigarette smoke slows down babies’ growth rates.
  • Babies’ heart rates and breathing movements increase because of nicotine in mothers’ blood stream.

 

Risks and Effects of Smoking on Babies and Children

  • Babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to get infections and suffer with health problems. These babies are prone to illnesses and early death.
  • The chances of babies dying at birth or shortly afterwards are increased if mothers smoked during pregnancy. More than 18% of all deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) are due to maternal tobacco use.
  • Children of mothers’ who smoked during pregnancy may have learning difficulties, for example problems with learning how to read, write and do math.
  • Children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy tend to be slightly shorter than other children. They don’t grow to their full potential.
  • Nursing mothers who smoke may pass along harmful chemicals from cigarettes to their babies in breast milk. However, breast milk from mothers’ who smoke is still better for babies than formula.

 

Tips for Quitting Smoking or Reducing the Amount You Smoke

  • See your doctor and ask for help.
  • Join a stop-smoking program such as Quitnow www.quitnow.ca
  • Call your public health office, the BC Nurseline at 1-866-215-4700 or check the BC Health guide www.bchealthguide.org for information on local stop smoking programs.
  • Ask your partner, friends, and family not to smoke around you.
  • Buy yourself something special with the money you save.
  • If you find that you smoke to deal with stress, find other ways to relax such as pregnancy-safe exercise, reading, or meditating.
  • Focus on the health of your baby as a motivator!
  • Get some exercise! Replace your smoking with a healthy activity!

For Information about the Effects of Second-Hand Smoke on Babies, Children and Adults Visit our Second-Hand Smoke Link

For more information on smoking and pregnancy visit the following websites:

Health Canada
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/tobac-tabac/body-corps/preg-gros-eng.php

Government of Canada
http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/hp-gs/pdf/hpguide-eng.pdf

BC Health Guide
http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile30a.stm

Act Now BC
http://www.actnowbc.ca/EN/pregnant_women/smoking_during_pregnancy/

Baby’s Best Chance – Province of British Columbia
http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2005/babybestchance.pdf

http://www.actnowbc.ca/EN/pregnant_women/smoking_during_pregnancy/

 

 

Sources:

Health Canada. Pregnancy – More Facts: Pre- and Postnatal Smoking Issues.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/tobac-tabac/body-corps/preg-gros-eng.php#issues
Baby’s Best Chance: Parents’ Handbook of Pregnancy and Baby Care 6th edition (2005). Province of British Columbia: Ministry of Health.
Government of Ontario: Ministry of Health Promotion. Fact Sheet: Health Effects of Smoking.
http://www.mhp.gov.on.ca/english/health/smoke_free/fact_sheets/041505-tobacco_effect.pdf