Smoking

Smoking while pregnant not only damages your own health, but can also harm your baby. It has been linked to a variety of health problems including premature birth, low birth weight, cot death, miscarriage, and breathing problems/wheezing in the first six months of life.

If you stop smoking during pregnancy, you will have less morning sickness and fewer complications. If you're trying to give up smoking, also encourage those around you to do the same. Second hand smoke contains poisonous gases, tar and thousands of toxic chemicals which are harmful to you and your baby's health. The important role of partners, linked below, provides information on how partners can also help by giving up smoking.

The result supports that maternal smoking during pregnancy is causally associated with stillbirth risk. Smoking is a preventable cause of stillbirth, and smoking interventions is an important issue in antenatal care.0702

• Smoking cessation medication use among pregnant and postpartum smokers.(2008-01)
• The influence of maternal smoking habits on the risk of subsequent stillbirth: is there a causal relation?(2007-02)
• Stopping smoking can reduce the incidence of small for dates babies.⁰⁷⁰¹