If you smoke and you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, you are strongly advised to stop smoking. This is to benefit your health, and the health of your baby. Seek help from your practice nurse or GP if you find it difficult to stop smoking.

Why is smoking harmful in pregnancy?

Tobacco smoke contains poisonous chemicals which pass into the baby's blood. Smoking when you are pregnant increases the risk of:

• Miscarriage.
• Slowing the growth of the baby leading to a low birth weight.
• Premature labour leading to the baby being premature ('prem').
• Stillbirth.

Even after the birth, children of smoking parents have an increased risk of developing chest infections, asthma, 'glue ear', and sudden infant death syndrome (cot death).
Of course, there are many other risks with smoking such as the increased risk of developing chest and heart disorders.

When should I stop smoking?

You and your baby will get most benefit, and the risks will be most reduced, if you stop before you become pregnant. Planning to become pregnant is a good incentive to stop smoking for many women who smoke, and is often a good time to persuade partners to stop too. However, your baby will still gain some benefit if you stop at any point during pregnancy.

Read on for top tips on how to stop smoking

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