Quit Smoking

Are you thinking of getting pregnant?

If you smoke cigarettes, this is the best time to quit !

Facts:

• Smoking can cause infertility in females.
• Preliminary evidence suggests that smoking may also affect male fertility.
• Women who smoke and use oral contraceptives increase their risks of having a stroke or heart attack.
• Women who smoked during previous pregnancies and had healthy babies are not guaranteed that their next baby will be healthy if they continue to smoke.
• Women who stop smoking before getting pregnant lower their risk of infertility, miscarriage, and placenta previa.
• When a pregnant woman smokes, poisonous chemicals from her cigarette get into the placenta and keep the unborn baby from getting the food and oxygen it needs to grow.
• Many pregnant women are tempted to cut down the number of cigarettes they smoke instead of quitting. Cutting down can reduce risks but quitting is the best thing a women can do for her and her baby.
• An estimated 10 percent of infant deaths are caused by smoking during pregnancy.
• A woman who quits as late as the second trimester of pregnancy lower her baby's chances of being born too small or with health problems (It is never too late to quit).
• No matter how long a woman has been smoking, both she and the baby benefit from her quitting. The sooner the better.
• Maternal smoking increases the chance of having a low birth weight baby (weighing less that 5 1/2 pounds) at birth. These babies are 40 times more likely to die during the first month of life than larger babies.

• A low birth weight  (LBW) baby may not weigh enough to be healthy. Some may be full term but small, while others may be born prematurely. LBW babies mean a longer hospital stay, higher hospital bills, an increased risk of death in the first year of life, and possible lifelong physical disabilities.
• LBW babies have twice as many colds and respiratory infections and more ear infections than lager babies.

Benefits for your baby:

Quitting smoking:

• Increases the amount of oxygen your baby will get
• Increases the chances your baby's lungs will work well
• Lowers the risk that your baby will be born too early
• Increases the chances of having a normal weight, healthy baby
• Increases the chances your baby will come home from the hospital with you
• Your baby will cough and cry less
• Your baby will have fewer colds and ear infections
• Your baby will be healthier
• Breast Milk will be free of cigarette chemicals
• Lowers the risk of the baby dying before or after birth

Benefits for you:

Quitting smoking during pregnancy:

• Gives you more energy and helps you breathe easier
• Saves you money that you can spend on other things
• Makes your clothes, hair, and home smell better
• Makes your food taste better
• Your skin and nails won't be stained, and you will have fewer wrinkles
• Lowers the risk for stroke, heart attack, throat cancer, lung cancer, osteoporosis (weak bones) and arteriosclerosis (clogged blood vessels).
• Lets you feel good about what you have done for yourself and your baby

Community Cradle has a Smoking Cessation Program

for Pregnant Women, and Parents of Young Children. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION . CONTACT US AT 518-426-1153 OR SEND US AN e-mail .

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR HELP:

• Seton Health Smoking Cessation Program: 518-268-6165
• The American Lung Association at: 518.465.2013 or visit their web site:   www.alany.org

• The Capital District Tobacco-Free Coalition in Albany, NY at: 518.233.1106 or visit their web site: www.smokefreecapital.org
• The New York State Smokers Quitline: 1-866-NYQUITS (1-866-697-8487) or visit: www.nysmokefree.com
• St. Peters Hospital in Albany, NY: 518-268-6164
• TeensHealth "Smokeless Tobacco"
  

* Content based on "Need Help Putting Out that Cigarette?" a publication by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Smoke Free Families. July 2001.

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