Can Smoking Harm Unborn Babies?
YES, smoking whilst pregnant does ensure that there is a greater risk of low birth weight babies being born, along with the other associated dangers that are well advertised about the general health risks when you smoke. One of the other proven effects is that when the mother has smoked during her pregnancy there is a greater risk of that child suffering from a cot death. The chance of a cot death is 12.5% greater if there were 20 or more cigarettes smoked per day. It has been suggested that if all pregnant women gave up smoking almost straight away then the number of still births and cot deaths would go down by 10% overall. Not only does smoking during pregnancy have an effect on the unborn child it can also caused medical complications for the mother. The problems can any including, miscarriage, premature labour and birth, vaginal bleeding, placental abruption and in some cases ectopic pregnancy. If a mother cannot quit completely and still need to smoke 2 or 3 a day, then any proble
