Women smoking in pregnancy

What happens if a woman smoked during pregnancy?

Smoking in pregnancy can lead to some of the following:

  • haemorrhaging during pregnancy, premature birth and cot death.
  • There is a greater risk of vomiting, infections and thrush.
  • Each cigarette smoked reduces the blood flow through the placenta of about 15 minutes causing the baby's heart rate to increase.
  • The carbon monoxide from an inhaled cigarette can reduce the oxygen carrying capacity of the foetus by about 40%. This can affect growth rate of a baby. Babies of smoking mothers are an average a little lighter at birth.
  • Infants of smokers are twice as likely to suffer from serious respiratory infection than the children of non-smokers.
  • Smokers are more complications in pregnancy and labour.
  • Children whose parents smoke are more likely to become smokers themselves.