Smoking
Cut smoking in pregnancy - dads too! Smoking in pregnancy is dangerous and 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's never too late to stop smoking.
Stopping smoking will benefit both you and your baby immediately. If you stop smoking:
- you will have less morning sickness and fewer complications in pregnancy
- you are more likely to have a healthier pregnancy and a healthier baby
- you will reduce the risk of stillbirth
- you will reduce the risk of cot death
- your baby is less likely to be born too early and have to face the additional breathing, feeding and health problems which often go with being premature
- your baby is less likely to be born underweight and have a problem keeping warm: babies of women who smoke are, on average, 200g (about 8oz) lighter than other babies, and may have problems during and after labour and are more prone to infection
The sooner you stop smoking, the better. But stopping even in the last few weeks of your pregnancy will benefit you and your baby.
Even if you did smoke when they were pregnant, you should still try not to expose your baby to smoke after birth as this can help reduce the risk of cot death More than 17,000 children under the age of five are admitted to hospital every year because of the effects of second-hand smoke - so get your partner or anyone else you live with to stop smoking too.
Getting help with stopping smoking
Be honest with your midwife and health visitor and ask for advice on stopping smoking. Also ask for details of your nearest NHS Stop Smoking service; they can offer one-to-one or group sessions with trained stop smoking advisers and may even have a pregnancy stop smoking specialist.
Or call the NHS Pregnancy Smoking Helpline is open from 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and from 11am to 5pm at weekends. The helpline offers free help, support and advice on stopping smoking when you're pregnant.