Smoke? You may have a harder time getting pregnant and be more likely to miscarry than non-smoking women.
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Smoking while pregnant:
- Affects the placenta—the source of your baby’s food and oxygen during pregnancy
- Lowers the amount of oxygen available to you and your growing baby
- Increases:
- Your baby's heart rate
- The risk that your baby will be born prematurely
- The risk that your baby will be born with low birth weight
- Your baby's risk of developing respiratory problems
- The chances of stillbirth
- The risk for certain birth defects like a cleft lip or cleft palate
- The risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)2
Pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to have low-birth weight babies.
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Babies exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to:
Children exposed to secondhand smoke can also have serious health problems, including:
- Frequent lower respiratory illness
- Wheezing and coughing
- More frequent and severe asthma attacks
- Ear infections7
Sources
- http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/TobaccoUsePregnancy
- http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/TobaccoUsePregnancy
- http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects
