'What exactly are the dangers of smoking in pregnancy?'

our online advisors reply:

Smoking while pregnant carries all sorts of dangers to the pregnancy and the baby. To start with, smoking increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and problems with the placenta. It can also result in low birth weight, which makes a baby more susceptible to other problems. Babies whose mothers smoked during the pregnancy are at greater risk of developing respiratory diseases like asthma and are much more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome, which is also known as cot death.

The concentration of nicotine in the baby's blood is the same as in the mother's blood. Many people don't realise this, but it can mean that the baby suffers from withdrawal symptoms after birth. It's worth remembering that mother and baby can be affected by other people's smoke too, even if they don't smoke themselves.

The www.babyworld.co.uk site has a page about smoking in pregnancy, which has more details of the dangers and what causes them.

The earlier an expectant mother stops smoking the better. But even after six months your friend's baby would benefit. This is because a big problem with smoking is the reduced oxygen level in the baby's blood and the levels return to normal quite quickly when the mother stops smoking. Of course, stopping would be good for your friend's own health too.

Doctors and midwives are so concerned that pregnant women stop smoking that the NHS has set up a special free helpline to support pregnant women who want to quit. The number is 0800 169 9 169 (daily, midday to 9pm). The helpline can also help find local stop smoking support services, though you can also search for these on the website www.givingupsmoking.co.uk.

It sounds like you want your friend to stop smoking, but I wouldn't suggest that you put too much pressure on her. Cigarettes are very addictive and habit-forming and smokers often find it very hard to quit. Simply nagging her, or trying to frighten her with the information in this answer, is unlikely to help much. You can't force her to stop smoking, but encouraging and supporting her will be a great help if she decides she does want to quit. Our own article on how to quit smoking has some useful advice too.

I'm not sure what general information your friend has about how she can look after herself – and her baby – during the pregnancy. She might like to have a look at the National Childbirth Trust site (click on 'pregnancy').

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