For many women, smoking is a brief escape from the pressures of everyday life. But it’s important to remember that smoking is bad for your health, and smoking during pregnancy can harm your unborn baby. Show It’s not easy to stop smoking, even when you’re expecting a baby. In fact, 10.5% of women were smokers at the time of birth in the UK in 2016/2017 (NHS Digital, 2017). But giving up is one of the most beneficial things a pregnant woman can do to improve her baby’s health, growth and development. Knowing the effects of smoking during pregnancy doesn’t necessarily make giving up any easier but there are plenty of sources of support available. Many women feel more motivated to stop smoking when they become pregnant. And it’s worth boosting that motivation with any support you can get from family and friends, or from specialist health workers. If your partner smokes as well, it can really help to stop together. Effects of smoking during pregnancySmoking even one cigarette exposes you and your baby to over 4,000 chemicals (NHS, 2017). It also means less oxygen and important nutrients can reach your baby through the placenta (RCOG, 2015). If you smoke or are exposed to smoke, you’ll have increased levels of the poisonous gas carbon monoxide (CO) in your body than those who don’t. That means the amount of oxygen your baby receives will be restricted (RCOG, 2015). Because of this reduced oxygen supply, your baby’s heart is under strain every time you smoke (NHS, 2017).
The harmful effects of smoking while pregnant can include:
(NICE, 2010; RCOG, 2015; NHS, 2017) Longer term effects of smoking while pregnant on childrenSmoking while pregnant can have further-reaching implications for your child. Babies and children whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are at increased risk of:
(NICE, 2010; RCOG, 2015) When a woman stops smoking during pregnancy, all the risks described above decrease (RCOG, 2015). How to stop smoking when pregnantStopping smoking in pregnancy at any time has a positive impact on your baby’s life as well as your own. The sooner you stop, the more it benefits you and your baby (NHS, 2017). Research shows that more women quit smoking when they’re pregnant than at other time in their lives. Up to 45% of women who smoked before they got pregnant suddenly stopped ahead of their first antenatal appointment (Coleman et al, 2015). Pregnant women who smoke during pregnancy are referred to a specialist midwife or stop smoking adviser for support. This will happen even if they quit up to two weeks beforehand. Support usually takes the form of one-to-one appointments to help you deal with cravings for cigarettes and other withdrawal symptoms (RCOG, 2015). If your partner or close family members also smoke, they can support you by joining you in giving up. This can really help boost your motivation to quit. Because it’s so important you both stop, they should be given support too (RCOG, 2015). Your midwife and GP will be very supportive if you decide to stop smoking. There are several other sources from where you can get help and support, including:
(RCOG 2015). Passive smoking and pregnancyEven if you don’t smoke, people smoking around you – secondhand smoke or passive smoking – can seriously affect you and your baby’s health. There are many risks to unborn babies exposed to passive smoking, some of which are:
(RCOG, 2015; NHS, 2017). To keep yourself and your baby safe, ask smokers to smoke outside the house or car and try to remain away from them while they are smoking (RCOG, 2015). Use of stop smoking aids when you are pregnantSome products can make it easier for you to quit. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) comes in several forms, including patches, chewing gum, lozenges or mouth spray. These deliver ‘clean’ nicotine and are considered safe. They can really help if you’re trying to give up. Nicotine replacement therapy doesn’t contain any poisonous substances like carbon monoxide or tar, but provides some nicotine to help you cope with the withdrawal symptoms (RCOG, 2015). That means it’s better to use NRT to help you give up rather than smoke during pregnancy. During NRT, the dose of nicotine is reduced slowly. When smokers are considered able to stop without suffering too much from withdrawal symptoms, the dose is stopped (Coleman et al, 2015). The use of electronic cigarettes is also increasing as an alternative to tobacco smoking. Yet it’s not always clear what’s in them, and they might contain other damaging substances besides nictoine. So using electronic cigarettes is not advised during pregnancy as the long-term risk to your unborn baby is unknown (RCOG, 2015). Last reviewed and updated in March 2018 Further informationOur support line offers practical and emotional support with feeding your baby and general enquiries for parents, members and volunteers: 0300 330 0700. We also offer antenatal courses that are a great way to find out more about birth, labour and life with a new baby. The NHS Smokefree helpline is open 9am-8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am-4pm at weekends. The helpline on 0300 123 1044 offers help, support and advice on how to stop smoking during pregnancy and can provide details of local support services. You can find more information on the effects of smoking and support on quitting to smoke on the NHS Smokefree pages. Smokefree also offers information specifically for dads. QUIT is the UK charity that helps smokers to stop and young people to never start. Information on smoking in pregnancy is available as is information specifically for young smokers. Quitbecause offers information specifically for young smokers.
NHS Digital. (2017) Statistics on women’s smoking status at time of delivery, England – quarter 4, 2016-17. Available at: https://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB24222 [Accessed 1st March 2018] NHS. (2017) Stop smoking in pregnancy. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/smoking-pregnant/ [Accessed 1st March 2018] RCOG. (2015) Smoking and pregnancy. Available at: https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/patients/patient-information-leaflets/pregnancy/pi-smoking-and-pregnancy-2.pdf [Accessed 1st March 2018] NICE. (2010) Smoking: stopping in pregnancy and after childbirth. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph26/chapter/2-Public-health-need-and-practice [Accessed 1st March 2018] Coleman T, Chamberlain C, Davey M, Cooper SE, Leonardi-Bee J. (2015) Pharmacological inteventions for promoting smoking cessation during pregnancy. Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group. Available at: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010078.pub2/full [Accessed 1st March 2018] Protecting your baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life. It can be difficult to stop smoking, but it's never too late to quit. Every cigarette you smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, so smoking when you are pregnant harms your unborn baby. Cigarettes can restrict the essential oxygen supply to your baby. As a result, their heart must beat harder every time you smoke. Stopping smoking will help both you and your baby immediately. Harmful gases, such as carbon monoxide, and other damaging chemicals will clear from your body. When you stop smoking: Stopping smoking now will also help your baby later in life. Children whose parents smoke are more likely to suffer from asthma and other serious illnesses that may need hospital treatment. The sooner you stop smoking, the better. But even if you stop in the last few weeks of your pregnancy this will benefit you and your baby. If your partner or anyone else who lives with you smokes, their smoke can affect you and your baby before and after their birth. You may also find it more difficult to stop if someone around you smokes. Secondhand smoke can also reduce your baby's birthweight and increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as "cot death". Babies whose parents smoke are more likely to be admitted to hospital for bronchitis and pneumonia during their first year. To find out more about quitting and to get support, your partner can call the NHS Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044 from 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday. You can use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) during pregnancy if it will help you stop smoking and you're unable to stop without it. It's not recommended that you take stop smoking tablets such as Champix or Zyban during pregnancy. NRT contains only nicotine and none of the damaging chemicals found in cigarettes, so it is a much better option than continuing to smoke. It helps you by giving you the nicotine you would have had from a cigarette. You can be prescribed NRT during pregnancy by a GP or an NHS stop smoking adviser. You can also buy it over the counter without a prescription from a pharmacy. NRT is available as:
If you have pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting, patches may be a better solution. NRT patches should be used for no more than 16 hours in any 24-hour period. The best way to remember this is to remove the patch at bedtime. Before using any of these products, speak to a midwife, GP, a pharmacist or a specialist stop smoking adviser. By getting this specialist advice you can be sure that you're doing the best for your baby and for you. Call the NHS Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044 from 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday. Remember, you are twice as likely to be successful at quitting if you get some support from a trained adviser. Liquorice-flavoured nicotine productsPregnant women are advised to avoid liquorice-flavoured nicotine products. Although there is no known risk with small amounts of liquorice flavouring, the manufacturers advise caution. This caution is based on information about the adverse effects associated with excessive amounts of liquorice root. As other flavours are available, pregnant women are advised to choose an alternative, such as fruit or mint. Find out more about stop smoking treatments. E-cigarettes are fairly new and there are still some things we do not know. However, current evidence on e-cigarettes indicates they are much less risky than smoking. Cigarettes deliver nicotine along with thousands of harmful chemicals. E-cigarettes allow you to inhale nicotine through a vapour rather than smoke. By itself, nicotine is relatively harmless. E-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, the 2 main toxins in cigarette smoke. Carbon monoxide is particularly harmful to developing babies. The vapour from an e-cigarette does contain some of the potentially harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke, but at much lower levels. If using an e-cigarette helps you to stop smoking, it is much safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke. Unlike nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), such as patches or gum, e-cigarettes are not available on an NHS prescription. If you want to use an e-cigarette, you can still get free expert help from a stop smoking adviser. Call the NHS Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044 for more information, or ask a midwife to refer you. Find out more about using e-cigarettes to stop smoking. The NHS Smokefree helpline offers free help, support and advice on stopping smoking and can give you details of local support services. You can also sign up to receive ongoing advice and support at a time that suits you.
NHS Smokefree helpline: 0300 123 1044 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday. To find your nearest NHS Stop Smoking service talk to:
NHS Stop Smoking services can offer 1-to-1 or group sessions with trained stop smoking advisers and may have a pregnancy stop smoking specialist. They can also offer advice about dealing with stress, weight gain and support the use of NRT (such as patches or gum), if appropriate, to help you manage your cravings. Find out more about the effects of smoking in pregnancy, and getting support to quit, at Start4Life. Find more advice on how to stop smoking. Find stop smoking services near you. Sign up for Start4Life's weekly emails for expert advice, videos and tips on pregnancy, birth and beyond.
In this video, a midwife explains how smoking can harm your baby. |
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