It's well-documented — and plastered on cigarette packs — that smoking during pregnancy isn't just hazardous to your health but to your baby's health too.
So where does that leave expectant moms who were smokers before they got pregnant? Here's all the info you need on why smoking cigarettes is never safe during pregnancy, the effects it can have on you and baby, and steps you can take to quit so that neither of you is in danger.
Is smoking cigarettes ever safe during pregnancy?
Happily, there's no clear evidence that any smoking you've done before pregnancy — even if it's been a habit spanning 10 or more years — will harm the baby you're now busy making.
But research shows that smoking during pregnancy can have serious consequences.[1]
Specifically, smoking around the time of conception increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy, and continued smoking can up the chances of a wide variety of pregnancy complications, including abnormal implantation or premature detachment of the placenta, premature rupture of the membranes, and early delivery.
There is also strong evidence that a baby's development in utero is adversely and directly affected by a mom's smoking. In effect, when a mom lights up, her fetus is exposed to a slew of toxic chemicals. Its heartbeat speeds up, and worst of all, because of insufficient oxygen, it can't grow and thrive as it should.[2]
The most widespread risks for babies of smokers are low birthweight, shorter length at birth and smaller head circumference, as well as cleft palate or cleft lip and heart defects.
The effects of tobacco use, like those of alcohol use, are dose-related: Tobacco reduces the birthweight of babies in proportion to the number of cigarettes smoked. So cutting down on the number of cigarettes you smoke may help some.
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But cutting down can be misleading, because a smoker often compensates by taking more frequent and deeper puffs and smoking more of each cigarette. This can also happen when a smoker switches to low-tar or low-nicotine cigarettes.
In short, even the occasional cigarette is too much smoke exposure for your fetus. If you're addicted to lighting up, investigate ways to kick the habit.
Staying smoke-free is also critical after your baby is born. Potential risks for babies of smokers include:
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)[3]
- Apnea (breathing lapses)
- Long-term physical and intellectual deficits, especially if parents continue to smoke around them
- Being hospitalized more often in their first year of life
- Lowered immune system
- Respiratory diseases
- Ear infections
- Colic
- Tuberculosis
- Food allergies
- Asthma
- Short stature
- Obesity
- Problems in school, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Abnormal aggressive behavior as toddlers, and behavioral and psychological problems as young adults
- For girls, gestational diabetes if they become pregnant later in life
- Being smokers themselves
The dangers of secondhand smoke during pregnancy
Even if you don't light up yourself — but your partner or others around you do — your baby's body is going to pick up nearly as much contamination as it would if you did.
Cigars and pipes can be potentially even more harmful because they aren't inhaled in the same way, and the smoke that they release may contain higher concentrations of carcinogens and smaller particles that can lodge in the lungs.
The bottom line? Stay away from second-hand smoke, and ask smokers not to do it around you.[4]
What if I smoked cigarettes before I found out I was pregnant?
Be sure your doctor knows you smoked before you conceived and early on in the pregnancy, but don't be too worried. The good news is that if you stop smoking early in your pregnancy, you may be able to radically reduce the risk of harm to your baby.
The most important thing to do now is to get serious about your health and prenatal care — and that includes quitting smoking. So get some help nixing that nicotine fix.
Tips for quitting smoking when you're pregnant
If you're like many smoking women, quitting will never be easier than in early pregnancy, when you may develop a sudden distaste for cigarettes.
Otherwise, there is plenty of help for smokers who want to kick the habit. Among the strategies that have made quitters out of smokers are hypnosis, acupuncture and relaxation techniques.
If you're comfortable with a group approach to quitting — which builds in support — consider programs run by Nicotine Anonymous, the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society and Smokenders.
Or seek support online from other pregnant women who are trying to call it quits. Check out smokefree.gov or cdc.gov for more information and help.
Should you try nicotine replacement therapy (nicotine patches, lozenges or gums) or Chantix (a prescription drug used to curb cravings) when you're expecting? Ask your practitioner. Your doctor can help come up with an individualized plan for you depending on your specific circumstances.
Are e-cigarettes a safe alternative?
Despite little research on electronic cigarettes during pregnancy, most experts recommend against puffing on those, either.[5]
E-cigarettes, which claim to have significantly fewer toxins and less nicotine than traditional cigarettes, still contain enough to potentially affect not only your baby but also your own health.
Plus, since the regulations are evolving, it's hard to know just how much nicotine you're exposing yourself (and your baby) to — even from e-cigarettes that are marked "nicotine-free."
Additives and flavorings used in many e-cigarettes may also be questionable when you're growing a baby. Ultimately, until more is known — and more regulation is in place — you're better off staying away from e-cigarettes.
Quitting smoking won't be easy, but deciding to give your baby a smoke-free environment both in utero and out is one of the most important things you can do — for both of you.
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