Smoking and Pregnancy

Smoking before and during pregnancy is the single most preventable cause of illness and death among mothers and infants.

Women who smoke are:

• More likely to have difficulty conceiving and have higher odds of being infertile.
• More likely to experience premature rupture of membranes, placental abruption and placenta previa during pregnancy.
• At greater risk of stillbirths, miscarriages and ectopic pregnancy.
• More likely to have complications during delivery.

Babies born to women who smoke during pregnancy:

• Have a greater risk of being born prematurely.
• Are more likely to be born with low birth weight increasing their risks for illness or death. The more women smoke the higher the risk of low birth weight.
• Are more likely to die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
• May have congenital malformations such as cleft palate.
• Are more likely to have lungs problems, more colds, coughs and middle-ear infections.
• May have learning problems.
• Are more likely to smoke when they get older because they see their parents smoking.