Effects of Smoking on Unborn Babies.

• Research has shown that women’s smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of pregnancy complications, premature delivery, low-birth-weight infants, stillbirth, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

• The nicotine in cigarettes may cause constrictions in the blood vessels of the umbilical cord and uterus, thereby decreasing the amount of oxygen available to the fetus. Nicotine also may reduce the amount of blood in the fetal cardiovascular system.

• Nicotine is found in breast milk.

• Babies of mothers who smoked during pregnancy have lower birth weights. Low birth weight is a leading cause of infant deaths, resulting in more than 300,000 deaths annually among newborns in the United States.

• In general, pregnant smokers eat more than pregnant nonsmokers, yet their babies weigh less than babies of nonsmokers. This weight deficit is smaller if smokers quit early in their pregnancy.

• Smoking by the mother causes SIDS. Compared with unexposed infants, babies exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are at twice the risk for SIDS, and infants whose mothers smoked before and after birth are at three to four times greater risk.

• Mothers’ smoking during pregnancy reduces their babies’ lung function.

• In 2001, 17.5% of teenaged mothers smoked during pregnancy. Only 18% to 25% of all women quit smoking once they become pregnant.

• Children and adolescents who smoke are less physically fit and have more respiratory illnesses than their nonsmoking peers. In general, smokers’ lung function declines faster that that of nonsmokers.

• Smoking by children and adolescents hastens the onset of lung function decline during late adolescence and early adulthood.

• Smoking by children and adolescents is related to impaired lung growth, chronic coughing, and wheezing.

Source: United States Surgeon General's Office

Quit smoking tips for pregnant.

Tip 1. make a list .List all the reasons why you want to quit and then keep the list close by for when you are thinking about lighting up.Your main reason will be the healthy of the baby.

Tip2.understand why you smoke .Monitor your smoking for a few days using a simple chart .It's quick and easy way to recognize your smoking triggers.

Tip3.Find healthier substitutes for smoking.Once you figure out why u smoke , you'll be able to recognize trigger situations and opt for something other then a cigarette. Here is what I mean : e.g. Why am I smoking? -cause it is really enjoyable with my morning coffe..apropriate substitute -change my routine by drinking tea insted .

Tip4.change your environmental and routine .making a few little changes around your house and in your day can make it easier to quit. Here are some things u can do : eat breakfast in a different place/get rid of all the cigarettes and ash trays in your home , car or workplace /don't let people smoke in ur home.

Tip5.Learn from the past.If you've tried to quit before and couldn't use that experience to make ur next attempt a succes .

Tip6.Quit date .Now it's time to pick ur quit date ANy less-stressful day in the next 3 weeks will do .Be sure to mark it on ur calendar.You are much more likely to start on your quit day if it's written down.

Tip7. Motivate yourself with positive thoughts.!! (teh healthy of your baby)

Don't forget !! Quitting is a process and there are many ways to get about it .You can also visit http://www.pregnets.org/ for more info!
Hope this helps!And wish you a healthy non-smoking pregnancy!