SMOKING AND
PREGNANCY
Fact Sheet - 8/98
Cigarette smoking during pregnancy can cause serious health problems to an
unborn child. Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to premature labor,
breathing problems and fatal illness among infants. An estimated 430,700
Americans die each year from diseases caused by smoking. Smoking is responsible
for an estimated one in five U.S. deaths and costs the U.S. at least $97.2
billion each year in health care costs and lost productivity.
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Smoking during pregnancy is estimated to account for 20 to 30 percent of
low-birth weight babies, up to 14 percent of preterm deliveries, and some
10 percent of all infant deaths. Maternal smoking during and after pregnancy
has been linked to asthma among infants and young children.
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In 1995, 14 percent of mothers were reported to have smoked during pregnancy,
a 5 percent decline from the 1989 level.
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Smokers inhale nicotine and carbon monoxide, which reach the baby through
the placenta and prevent the fetus from getting the nutrients and oxygen
needed to grow. Secondhand smoke also adds a risk to pregnancy. Breast milk
often contains whatever is in the woman's body. If the woman smokes, the
baby ingests the nicotine in her breast milk.
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Reducing frequency of smoking may not benefit the baby. A pregnant woman
who reduces her smoking pattern or switches to lower tar cigarettes may inhale
more deeply or take more puffs to get the same amount of nicotine as before.
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The most effective way to protect the fetus is to quit smoking. If a woman
plans to conceive a child in the near future, quitting is essential. A woman
who quits within the first three or four months of pregnancy can lower the
chances of her baby being born premature or with health problems related
to smoking.
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Pregnancy is a great time for a woman to quit. No matter how long she has
been smoking, her body benefits from her quitting because it lessens her
chances of developing future tobacco-related health problems, such as lung
and heart disease, and cancer.
For more information call the American Lung Association at 1-800-LUNG-USA
(1-800-586-4872), or visit our web site at
http://www.lungusa.org.
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