If you smoke and are pregnant, or planning to get pregnant, giving up smoking is the single most positive thing you can do to help and protect your unborn baby. Smoking in pregnancy will harm your baby in the womb and also long after it is born.

Why is it harmful to smoke during pregnancy?

While your baby is in your womb all its nutrients and oxygen come via the placenta.

The particles in tobacco smoke contain toxic substances that change your blood's ability to work in a healthy way and that damage placental function. The baby is also exposed to the toxins.

When you smoke, some of the oxygen in your blood is replaced by carbon monoxide and so your blood will contain less oxygen than normal. Less oxygen in your blood deprives your baby of oxygen which is essential for healthy growth and development.


If you smoke in pregnancy:

• Your baby is more likely to grow slowly in the womb and to have a birth weight lower than average.
  Small babies are at increased risk of many illnesses. They are more likely to have difficulties during labour and birth.
• You have an increased risk of early miscarriage.
• You baby is more likely to be born prematurely.
• You have an increased risk of placental problems such as placental abruption – when the placenta separates from the womb.
• The risk of your baby being stillborn is greater. 
• Your baby is twice as likely to die from cot death.
• Your baby is more likely to have respiratory problems throughout his or her life.

You can call the NHS Pregnancy Smoking Helpline      0800 169 9 169
Lines are open daily from 12 noon to 9pm.

They offer:

• confidential support and advice from a trained advisor who understands the different issues that pregnancy brings,
• details of your local NHS stop smoking service,
• free information pack and self-help guide,
• a call back service to give on-going support throughout the pregnancy.

This service is available in England.

If you live in Northern Ireland please call the Northern Ireland Smoking Helpline on 0800 85 85 85.

If you live in Scotland please call the Scotland Smoking Helpline on 0800 84 84 84.

If you live in Wales please call the Wales Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0 169.

You can also go to the GOSMOKE FREE website which has special advice for stopping smoking in pregnancy, including ideas for how Dads can help too.