Health Topics for Pregnancy and Childbirth

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Department of Pediatrics

UI Family Care Center

Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders

Smoking During Pregnancy

Three words of advice about smoking while you are pregnant: Do not smoke. Smoking harms both the mother and the baby.

Smoking decreases blood flow in the mother and to the baby by causing the blood vessels to constrict or become narrow. Chemicals in smoke replace oxygen in the blood and move through the mother's blood stream to the baby. This means the baby gets less oxygen and food from the blood.

When you smoke during pregnancy, you are more likely to:

• have a miscarriage
• have a baby born too small or too early
• have a baby with learning problems or other health problems
• have a tubal pregnancy ( a pregnancy outside the uterus) and
• there is an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) during the first month after birth

The urge to have a cigarette is strong. Make a list of reasons to quit and re-read it. Instead of reaching for a cigarette:

• get a drink of cold water
• take a brisk walk
• snack on carrot or celery sticks
• chew gum or
• eat hard candy

If you are planning to become pregnant, you should quit smoking before you try to get pregnant.If you smoke, stop now. While you are pregnant, do not use nicotine replacement products like nicotine patches or nicotine gum unless they have been approved by your prenatal care provider.

Make a commitment to yourself to stop smoking and begin breathing clean air everyday. Encourage your family and friends to stop smoking; especially in your presence because of the dangers of secondhand smoke. Members of the family should not smoke around infants or children. Infants and children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to have chronic coughs, bronchitis, and ear infections. It is not easy to quit.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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