Each breath of air that you breath is shared with your baby. Whether you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant it is beneficial to you and your baby to quit smoking and avoid exposure to tobacco. Pass on the good things in life, not a nicotine addiction.

Cigarette smoking is a well known cause of slow fetal growth. Pregrant women who continue to smoke can nearly double the risk of going into pre-term labor and/or having a low-birthweight baby. Babies that are born premature or with low-birthweight can face serious health problems such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation and learning problems, as a newborn and through adulthood.

Pregnant women should avoid other people's cigarette smoke. Secondhand smoke can lead to low birth weight.

Smoking and Fertility

 Smoking can also cause reproductive problems even before pregnancy. Studies are showing that women who smoke have more trouble conceiving than women who are non smokers. It is expected that once a woman stops smoking fertility returns to normal.

Staying Smoke Free After Delivery
Parents should refrain from smoking in their homes and they should ask anyone else who cares for their baby not to smoke around the newborn. Babies that come into contact with cigarette smoke are more likely to develop pnuemonia, bronchitis and ear infections. There is also an increase risk of asthma and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Info from:

March of Dimes-www.marchofdimes.com

Center for Disease Control and Prevention-www.cdc.gov