Smoking Dangers Continue After Babies Are Born

Everyone knows the facts on smoking and its dangers during pregnancy. But once the baby is born, it's still not safe to start smoking again.

Infants Prone to Smoking Diseases

A study in the archives of "Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine" shows that mothers who smoke while breastfeeding pass harmful levels of nicotine to their babies. That's not all. Another study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 1994, showed that mothers who smoke even ten cigarettes a day cause their children under five to have positive blood tests for nicotine and cancer-causing compounds.

"When I was nursing, I tried to sneak a smoke now and then," says Hannah Hayes of Chicago. "But the effect of nicotine was so obvious. My baby would scream for hours and be really squirmy and antsy. I quickly stopped."

Watch Out for Third-Hand Smoke

According to the journal "Pediatrics" cited in a recent BBC health report, poisons in cigarette smoke cling to clothing and hair. Professor Jonathan Winickoff of Massachusetts General Hospital urges pregnant women to avoid smokers, even when the smokers are not lighting up. "The chemicals in cigarettes are known to significantly increase the risk of serious pregnancy complications," he explains. Babies and toddlers are also at risk of poisoning from third-hand smoke. Toxic particles in cigarette smoke can stick to tables and chairs where little ones can inhale them or lick them.

Cold Turkey and Lifestyle Changes Are Best "Quit Smoking" Tips

Hayes quit smoking cold turkey, the preferred method for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding says nutritionist Kim Truesdale, who, with health educator Dolly Waters, helps prenatal and breastfeeding mothers in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, quit smoking. Because breastfeeding mothers pass whatever they ingest on to their babies, these educators don't recommend using nicotine patches or medications. "We encourage mothers to make attitude and lifestyle changes instead," says Waters, "because this has the greatest effect."

Adapted from an article by Phyllis Edgerly Ring.