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Smoking & Your Baby

Do not smoke during your pregnancy and do not allow your baby to be exposed to secondhand smoke after birth. Cigarette smoking and environmental smoke exposure collectively represent one of the most lethal health hazards for women and infants. Smoking has been shown to dramatically increase a woman’s risk of complications during pregnancy and birth and to decrease an infant’s chances of survival and good health.

Babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are at 2-3 times higher risk for SIDS and stillbirth, and that risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked. Exposure to second hand smoke after birth also puts your baby at increased risk for SIDS and other respiratory illness. In addition, low birth weight births, preterm deliveries and perinatal deaths are linked to smoking during pregnancy. Smoking is the most important modifiable cause of poor pregnancy outcome.

If you do smoke, you are not alone. Approximately 20 percent of all women in the United States smoke, according to the 2002 National Health Interview Survey and the 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Studies reveal that nationally, 11.4 percent of pregnant women smoke and in some states, as many as 27 percent of pregnant women smoke. Also, many non-smoking pregnant women are frequently exposed to secondhand smoke from their partners, spouses or co-workers.

If you need help quiting smoking, the following resources are available to you.

www.cdc.gov/tobacco

www.americanlegacy.org

www.helppregnantsmokersquit.org

www.smokefreefamilies.org

Arizona Smokers Helpline/ASH
www.ashline.org
800-556-6222

California Smoker's Helpline
www.californiasmokershelpline.org
800-NO-BUTTS

Colorado Quitline
co.quitnet.com
800-639-QUIT

Connecticut QuitLine
www.ctquitline.org
866-END-HABIT

Florida Quit-for-Life Line
877-U-CAN-NOW

Massachusetts Try To Stop Smoker's Quitline
www.trytostop.org/support/quitline.asp
800-879-8678

Minnesota Group Health Quit Line
English 877-270-7867
Spanish 877-266-3863
TYY 877-777-6534

Nebraska Toll-Free Quit Line
www.hhs.state.ne.us/tfn/ces/
cesindex.htm
866-NEBQUIT

New York State Smokers Quitline
www.nysmokefree.com
888-609-6292

Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline
www.health.state.ok.us/program/tobac/
866-PITCH 'EM

Oregon QUIT Smoking Hotline
www.Oregonquitline.org
877-270-7867

Pennsylvania Free Quitline
877-724-1090

South Dakota Quitline
866-SD-QUITS

Tennessee S.M.A.R.T. Moms
800-884-9301

Utah Quit Line
888-567-TRUTH (8788) (English)
877-2NO-FUME (Spanish)

Washington State Quitline
www.quitline.com
877-270-STOP

Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line
877-270-STOP (7867)
877-2NO-FUME (266-3863) (Spanish)
877-777-6534 (TTY)