Secondary Smoke and Pregnancy

What are the risks of secondary/passive smoke to the unborn baby? What to do if you live or work in a smoking environment during your pregnancy.

Dec 1, 2006 Brenda Lane

Although more is known about the direct effects of smoking on the baby if the mother smokes, how does secondary smoke affect the baby?

Effects on the baby when mother smokes

Smoking has been shown to cause low birthweight in babies. Some experts believe that since smoking constricts blood vessels, it can decrease the amount of oxygen getting to the baby. Women who smoke also increase their risk of miscarriage, placental abruption and pre-term birth.

Smoking during pregnancy pre-disposes the baby to SIDS. In fact, if the mother smokes, she increases her baby's risk of SIDS by three times. Smoking can also cause respiratory problems such as asthma, which can affect the baby even if the mother quits smoking after her baby is born.

What if the mother lives with a smoker?

Secondary smoke can also be a factor if you live with or spend a lot of time with someone who smokes. Risks from secondary smoke include increasing the chance of having a low birthweight baby. Research also shows that secondary smoke doubles the baby's risk of SIDS.

A smoking environment leads to more health problems for the child. Children who live in a smoking environment suffer from more illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia as well as chronic respiratory problems such as asmtha. If either of the parents smoke, it greatly increases the chances that the child will become a smoker when they are older. Obviously the risk of lung cancer is also higher in families who are affected by secondary smoke.

What should mothers do to prevent effects of secondary smoking?

As inconvenient as it might be for a heavy smoker, mothers should be adamant about protecting their baby from the effects of secondary smoking in the home. Smoking should not be allowed in the home at all or in the presence of infants or children. Mother should request to be seated in non-smoking areas in restaurants. If other patrons violate the non-smoking section, speak up politely and ask the server to be seated elsewhere or to ask the other patron to refrain from smoking in the non-smoking section.

There are fewer more important priorities than the health of our unborn babies and long-term health of our children.

Are you affected by secondary smoke? What have you done to manage it? Tell us.

For more about other substances to avoid, see the complete series.

The copyright of the article Secondary Smoke and Pregnancy in Pregnancy & Childbirth is owned by Brenda Lane. Permission to republish Secondary Smoke and Pregnancy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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Comments

Nov 6, 2008 7:41 AM
Guest :
don't smoke near infants, or children it can cause birth defects and imitation
Nov 6, 2008 10:19 PM
Guest :
I didn't think about this until recently---
When I was talking with my mom the other day about wondering how/why people are born with Asperger's Syndrome (which is what I have, she pointed out that -even after having told me this before- when she was pregnant with me, nearly everyone at her work heavily smoked, and she could not escape it. There could be (though no exact reason for the cause is known at the moment) a connection between secondary smoke & a pregnant woman and Asperger's.
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