Pregnant Smoking

Pregnant Smoking

Reviewed by Traci C. Johnson, MD on November 10, 2020
If your health isn't enough to make you quit smoking , then the health of your baby should be. Smoking during pregnancy affects you and your baby's health before, during, and after your baby is born. The nicotine (the addictive substance in cigarettes), carbon monoxide, and numerous other poisons you inhale from a cigarette are carried through your bloodstream and go directly to your baby. Smoking while pregnant will:
The more cigarettes you smoke per day, the greater your baby's chances of developing these and other health problems. There is no "safe" level of smoking while pregnant .
Secondhand smoke (also called passive smoke or environmental tobacco smoke) is the combination of smoke from a burning cigarette and smoke exhaled by a smoker.
The smoke that burns off the end of a cigarette or cigar actually contains more harmful substances (tar, carbon monoxide, nicotine, and others) than the smoke inhaled by the smoker. There is no safe level of secondhand smoke.
If you are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke while pregnant, you will have an increased chance of having a stillbirth, a low-birth-weight baby, a baby with birth defects, and other complications of pregnancy.
Babies and children exposed to secondhand smoke may also develop asthma , allergies , and more frequent lung and ear infections .
Smoke travels through vents and under doors. Even very brief exposure can make breathing problems worse for babies. Here are some things you can do to reduce your baby’s exposure while you’re pregnant and after your baby is born:
There are many smoking cessation programs available to help you quit smoking. Ask your health care provider for more information about these programs.
Here are some tips that may help you kick the habit:
Nicotine gum and patches release nicotine into the bloodstream of the smoker who is trying to quit. Although these products can reduce withdrawal symptoms and decrease cravings in smokers who are trying to quit, the safety of these products hasn't been adequately evaluated in pregnant women.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends that nicotine gum and patches be considered in pregnant women only after other nondrug treatments, like counseling, have failed and if the increased likelihood of quitting smoking, with its potential benefits, outweighs the unknown risk of nicotine replacement and potential smoking.
The benefits of not smoking start within days of quitting. After you quit, you and your baby's heartbeat will return to normal, and your baby will be less likely to develop breathing problems .
You may have symptoms of withdrawal because your body is used to nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes. You may crave cigarettes, be irritable, feel very hungry , cough often, get headaches, or have difficulty concentrating. The withdrawal symptoms are only temporary. They are strongest when you first quit but will go away within 10-14 days. When withdrawal symptoms occur, stay in control. Think about your reasons for quitting. Remind yourself that these are signs that your body is healing and getting used to being without cigarettes. Remember that withdrawal symptoms are easier to treat than the major diseases that smoking can cause.
Even after the withdrawal is over, expect periodic urges to smoke. However, these cravings are generally short-lived and will go away whether you smoke or not. Don't smoke!
If you relapse and smoke again do not lose hope. Of the people who quit, 75% relapse. Most smokers quit three times before they are successful. If you relapse, don't give up! Plan ahead and think about what you will do next time you get the urge to smoke.
Mayo Clinic: "Smoking and Pregnancy: Understand the Risks."
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: "Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs, and Pregnancy."
March of Dimes: “Smoking during pregnancy,” “Placental abruption,” “Placenta previa,” “Low-Birth Weight,” “Access to health coverage.”
CDC: "Tobacco Use and Pregnancy," “Birth Defects, Facts about Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate.”
Health Resources and Services Administration: “Very Low Birth Weight.”
Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford: “Very Low Birthweight.”
Office on Women’s Health: "Smoking;” “Preconception Health," "Smoking and How to Quit: Secondhand Smoke."
National Cancer Institute, Smokefree.gov: “Health Consequences of Smoking,” “Myths about Smoking and Pregnancy,” “Pregnancy.”
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, BeTobaccoFree.gov: "Tobacco Use Before, During, and After Pregnancy."
WinnipegHealthRegion.ca: “When smoke gets in your eyes ... and throat ... and lungs: Protect your health, avoid second hand smoke.”
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WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

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Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for yourself and your baby—no matter where you are in your pregnancy. Get prepared to quit for two.
For your health and your child’s, stay smokefree after your baby is born. There are resources that can help.
SmokefreeMOM is a mobile text messaging program that provides 24/7 tips, advice, and encouragement to help pregnant women who want to quit smoking.
Becoming smokefree before or during pregnancy is important for your baby’s health. It’s also important for your health.
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Smoking anytime during your pregnancy is dangerous. Quitting is the best thing you can do for you and your baby. Here are some common myths about quitting and pregnancy.
Quitting smoking – at any point during your pregnancy – is one of the best things you can do for your baby. Learn how you can become smokefree during your pregnancy and after your baby arrives.
Myth #1: I’m pregnant and have been smoking, so there is no point in stopping now.
Fact: Quitting smoking at any stage of your pregnancy has health benefits for you and your baby. Even after just one day of not smoking, your baby will get more oxygen. This will help your baby’s lungs develop well. Quitting now also lowers your chances of having a baby with low birth weight.
Myth #2: Quitting smoking will be too stressful on my baby.
Fact: Quitting smoking doesn’t put extra stress on your baby. It’s one of the best things that you can do for your health and your baby’s health during pregnancy—and after the baby is born. By quitting smoking now, you will be protecting your infant from the dangers of secondhand smoke and reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
Myth #3: Smoking fewer cigarettes or switching to e-cigarettes during pregnancy is OK.
Fact: There is no safe amount of smoking. Every puff of a cigarette releases harmful chemicals that will reach your baby and affect your health too. E-cigarettes are also not harmless. Although there is still much to learn about e-cigarettes, pregnant women should not use them. The nicotine in e-cigarettes is harmful for developing babies.
Myth #4: Smoking relaxes me, and being relaxed is better for me and my baby.
Fact: Smoking may make you feel calmer, but it hurts your body more than it helps. The relaxed feeling is only temporary and whatever is causing your stress will likely return. Smoking speeds up your heart rate and increases your blood pressure. It also increases the carbon monoxide in your bloodstream, which means your baby gets less oxygen.
Myth #5: There is nothing wrong with having a small baby.
Fact: Smoking during pregnancy increases the chances of having a low birth weight baby. Babies with low birth weight are more likely to have serious health problems than normal weight babies. These problems can affect your baby’s health now, throughout their childhood, and into adulthood.
Myth #6: The only way to quit smoking is cold turkey.
Fact: Pregnant women have other ways to quit smoking besides cold turkey, which is quitting without any preparation or counseling. Smokefree Women offers many resources that can help you quit . Try signing up for a text message program, like SmokefreeMom . While some smokers try medications to help them quit, the risks of using them while pregnant are not fully known. If you’re having trouble quitting after trying different methods, be open with your doctor about your challenges and ask if medication may be right for you and your baby.
Myth #7: I smoked during my last pregnancy and had a healthy baby, so this next baby will be healthy, too.
Fact: Every time you smoke during pregnancy, you put your baby’s health at risk. If you smoked and had a healthy pregnancy in the past that does not mean your next one will be healthy, too.
Myth #8: I smoke, so I should not breastfeed my baby.
Fact: According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, mothers who smoke are encouraged to quit smoking, but can breastfeed their baby if they continue to smoke. Breast milk is good for your baby. It provides your baby with what he or she needs for healthy growth and development. Not smoking while you are breastfeeding your baby, waiting to smoke until after you breastfeed, and making your car and home smokefree are important ways to protect your baby from the effects of nicotine and secondhand smoke.
Fact: Quitting smoking at any stage of your pregnancy has health benefits for you and your baby.
Quitting smoking is the most important step of baby prep. Get free texts from SmokefreeMOM for support as you quit.
Fact: Quitting before your baby is born gives your baby a better chance of having a healthy birth weight.

Tobacco, Nicotine, and E-Cigarettes Research Report

Introduction

What is the scope of tobacco, nicotine, and e-cigarette use in the United States?

How does tobacco deliver its effects?

Is nicotine addictive?

What are the physical health consequences of tobacco use?

What are the effects of secondhand and thirdhand tobacco smoke?

What are the risks of smoking during pregnancy?

How many adolescents use tobacco?

What are electronic cigarettes?

Other Tobacco Products

Are there gender differences in tobacco smoking?

Do people with mental illness and substance use disorders use tobacco more often?

What are treatments for tobacco dependence?

How can we prevent tobacco use?

What research is being done on tobacco use?

References

Where can I get further information about tobacco/nicotine?

Tobacco, Nicotine, and E-Cigarettes Research Report
What are the risks of smoking during pregnancy?

APA Style
MLA Style
AMA Style

Smoking during pregnancy is linked with a range of poor birth outcomes—including:
Health and developmental consequences among children have also been linked to prenatal smoke exposure, including:
Unfortunately, smoking by pregnant women is common. In 2014, 8.4 percent of women smoked at any time during pregnancy, with those aged 20 to 24 who were American Indian or Alaska Natives having higher rates, at 13 percent and 18 percent, respectively. 66 One fifth of women who smoked during the first 6 months of pregnancy quit by their third trimester. Overall cessation rates were highest for those with the highest educational attainment and private insurance. 66 Therefore, there is a clear need to expand smoking cessation treatment to younger women and to those of lower socioeconomic status (see Box: " Smoking Cessation for Pregnant Women ").

NIDA. 2021, April 12. What are the risks of smoking during pregnancy?. Retrieved from https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/tobacco-nicotine-e-cigarettes/what-are-risks-smoking-during-pregnancy on 2022, September 13

NIDA. "What are the risks of smoking during pregnancy?." National Institute on Drug Abuse , 12 Apr. 2021, https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/tobacco-nicotine-e-cigarettes/what-are-risks-smoking-during-pregnancy Accessed 13 Sep. 2022.

NIDA. What are the risks of smoking during pregnancy?. National Institute on Drug Abuse website. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/tobacco-nicotine-e-cigarettes/what-are-risks-smoking-during-pregnancy. April 12, 2021 Accessed September 13, 2022.
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