What Do You Know About Smoking During Pregnancy?

Babies born to people who smoke in pregnancy are more likely to have:

• Clubfoot
• Opening in the lip (cleft lip)
• Missing fingers or toes
• Opening in the roof of the mouth (cleft palate)

Smoking does raise the risk for an ectopic pregnancy. This is when the embryo is implants in a fallopian tube or other place outside the uterus. It then can’t grow into a healthy pregnancy. It is also a danger to the pregnant person’s health.

Studies suggest that regular contact with secondhand smoke may slow down the growth of the baby in the womb. This makes it more likely for a person to have a baby with a low birth weight.

The average length of a pregnancy is 40 weeks. A preterm baby is born before 37 weeks. Cigarette smoke has about 2,500 chemicals in it that may harm a baby growing in the womb. Nicotine and carbon monoxide are 2 of these chemicals. They can keep food and oxygen from reaching the baby in the womb. This can lead to preterm birth or stillbirth.

They weigh an average of a half-pound less. They are also more likely to be born early. They often need special care after birth. Smoking nearly doubles a pregnant person's risk of having a baby who weighs less than 5.5 pounds. A baby of low birth weight who is born to a person who smokes is at higher risk for illness and death.

SIDS is the unexplained death of an infant. SIDS is the leading cause of death in babies under 12 months of age. Being around smoke is a risk factor for SIDS.

Parents should not smoke if they are breastfeeding. Nicotine can be passed on to a baby through breastmilk. It is a strong chemical that can harm a baby’s growth and health.

Babies born to people who smoke during pregnancy and after can have weaker lungs. These babies are exposed to secondhand smoke. This is smoke from a burning cigarette. It can also be smoke that a smoker breathes out. A baby’s lungs and airways are small. Breathing smoke-filled air makes it hard for a baby to breathe. It can cause lung problems such as asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis. It can also raise a child’s risk for chronic ear infections.