Cigarettes contain about 4000 toxic chemicals in them (scary huh!) and every time that you inhale you are bringing them into your body. They reach the baby through the placenta and are also very toxic for your baby.

The main problem is that smoking damages the blood vessels (which is the reason it can cause heart attacks and stokes) and therefore harm the blood vessels of the baby and the placenta. The longer you smoke the more damage it does to the placenta and the more likely it is that your baby will be starving for food and oxygen. This the reason that many babies of smokers are smaller and stressed, and can be born prematurely.

Heavy smoking can cause such damage to the placenta that it becomes detached from your uterine wall and cause the death of your baby (and serious risk for you too). In fact smoking is estimated to be responsible for around 10% of all perinatal infant deaths.

Another major concern is that the baby grows addicted to the nicotine chemical. While the brain is developing in the third trimester studies have shown a link between smoking late in pregnancy and attention deficit disorder (ADD) and other learning disabilities. While the link is not yet conclusive, it is probably wise to avoid risking your baby’s brain to nicotine to be on the safe side.

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