In one study, pregnant smokers who quit in the first trimester lowered their risk of delivering preterm and small-for-gestational-age babies to a level similar to that of pregnant nonsmokers. Quitting smoking before 15 weeks of pregnancy offers your baby the most benefits.
If you smoked before you knew you were pregnant, don't panic – just quit. One study found that a dad's smoking increased the baby's risk of birth defects including abnormalities of the limbs, heart defects, and neural tube defects such as spina bifida. In one long-term study, a mom's smoking before pregnancy was associated with a 40 percent increase in gastroschisis, where the infant’s intestines protrude through a defect in the abdominal wall.Īn expecting dad's smoking prior to conception can also be harmful to a baby. Smoking in early pregnancy deprives your developing baby of the oxygen they need to grow and develop – something babies do a lot of early in pregnancy.Įven smoking prior to conception can contribute to serious birth defects. What happens if you smoke in early pregnancy?
(After birth, too, the chemicals in secondhand smoke increase your baby's risk of SIDS.) According to one large analysis of infant birth/death records, 22 percent of SUIDS (sudden unexpected infant deaths) in the United States are directly attributed to maternal smoking during pregnancy. The risk of SIDs approximately doubles among infants whose mothers smoked during pregnancy. Low-birth-weight babies may have more trouble feeding and fighting infections, and some are more likely to have long-term health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, and developmental delays. Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of having a low-birth-weight baby by 1.5 to 3.5 times. Even babies who are born full-term may be born too small if their mom smoked during pregnancy. Babies who are born preterm are at increased risk for complications at birth and long-term impairments, such as vision and hearing problems, respiratory problems, and learning and behavioral impairments. Smoking during pregnancy doubles the chances that a baby will be born too early. Birth defects, such as cleft lip, cleft palate, and heart defects.Smoking during pregnancy increases your baby's risk of: To make matters worse, the red blood cells that carry oxygen start to pick up molecules of carbon monoxide instead. It's a little like forcing your baby to breathe through a narrow straw. Nicotine chokes off oxygen by narrowing blood vessels throughout your body, including the ones in the umbilical cord. Nicotine and carbon monoxide – two of the most dangerous compounds in cigarette smoke – work together to reduce your baby's supply of oxygen. Tobacco smoke contains chemicals that can harm babies before and after birth.
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