Smoking (anything) affects the baby

Smoking and pregnancy and smoke and babies don’t go together. A baby whose mother smokes during pregnancy is affected by that smoke. Smokes enters the blood and the mum and baby's is the same.

 

Even if the pregnant woman doesn’t smoke but her partner is a heavy smoker, the child is more likely to have health problems. If there's a smoker in the household, the baby is likely to:

• have low birth weight (struggling to catch-up right from day-one)

• get ear infections

• develop asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia

 

If both parents smoke, the baby is eight times more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) also known as cot death.

 

If either parents are a heavy smoker, the baby is more likely to cry a a lot - which makes it hard for the parents to like their child. And a baby who cries all the time puts stress on couples.

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If her partner quits smoking, the pregnant woman is more likely to quit, too.

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Help for smokers:

• Quitline: 088 778 778 or text 4006

• Smoke Free - Auahi Kore