I smoked through my entire pregnancy

Smoking during pregnancy is linked with a range of poor birth outcomes—including:

• Low birth weight and preterm birth^58,59
• Restricted head growth⁶⁰
• Placental problems⁶¹
• Increased risk of still birth⁶²
• Increased risk of miscarriage^62,63

Health and developmental consequences among children have also been linked to prenatal smoke exposure, including:

• Poorer lung function, persistent wheezing, and asthma, possibly through DNA methylation⁶⁴
• Visual difficulties, such as strabismus, refractive errors, and retinopathy⁶⁵

Unfortunately, smoking by pregnant women is common.

In 2014, 8.4 percent of women smoked at any time during pregnancy, with those aged 20 to 24 who were American Indian or Alaska Natives having higher rates, at 13 percent and 18 percent, respectively.⁶⁶ One fifth of women who smoked during the first 6 months of pregnancy quit by their third trimester.

Overall cessation rates were highest for those with the highest educational attainment an

is it bad to smoke when pregnant

is it dangerous to smoke while pregnant