Do pregnant mothers who smoke cigarettes affect the baby?

Answer 1

It isn't like you're out of the woods once you get that plus sign on the pregnancy test. The stakes get even higher then. Smoking pregnant can boost the risk of miscarriage, and can negatively effect fetal development, such as slowing the baby's growth rate. In addition, writes John Martin for Fertility Neighborhood, smoking pregnant can cause blood vessels in the uterus and placenta to narrow, and can negatively affect the blood pressure and heart rate of both the mother and developing fetus.

"Smoking pregnant … causes considerable damage to the fetus and to the infant during the initial growth phase," said Knut-Olaf Haustein, MD, with the Institute for Nicotine Research and Smoking. "A smoking mother puts her child at considerable risk, not only of higher incidence of miscarriage, premature ablatio placentae (premature separation of the placenta from the uterine wall prior to delivery), and reduced weight at birth, but also of deformities." source: http://www.conceivingconcepts.com/learning/articles/smoking.html

Answer 2

Breastfeeding is the least of your worries.

The most common side effects of smoking while pregnant are low birth weights, premature delivery, miscarriage and stillborn death. Premature babies and low birth weight babies have an increased risk for serious health problems. The baby can suffer from Asthma, frequent ear infections and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Birth defects that may be increased when the mother smokes include: cleft lip, cleft palate, clubfoot, limb defects and some types of heart defects. Babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant are three times more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than babies from nonsmoking mothers.

Answer 3

No. It says directly on the pack that smoking is bad for fetal developement.

Answer 4

Pregnant women who smoke are more likely to give birth to low-weight babies, and smokers have increased rates of heart disease and respiratory problems.

Answer 5

YES.