Moms quit for two: quitting smoking matters before and during pregnancy

Tobacco and nicotine use can cause serious health problems before you get pregnant, during pregnancy and after your baby is born. If you are planning to have a baby, quitting is one of the best things you can do to stay healthy and help your baby develop properly.

Smoking increases pregnancy complications

Smoking makes it harder to get pregnant because it affects hormone levels and can damage reproductive organs. This often leads to trouble conceiving or causes complications very early in the pregnancy.

If you continue to smoke while pregnant, you face much higher risks of dangerous conditions. These include ectopic pregnancy (where the egg grows in the wrong place), problems with the placenta and heavy bleeding during delivery. Smoking can also cause your water to break too early, which leads to premature birth.

Smoking while pregnant interferes with how a baby grows and develops

Chemicals in cigarette smoke can enter the placenta and harm a baby’s developing organs. This increases the chances of low birth weight, slow growth and problems with the lungs and brain. Smoking during pregnancy also raises the risk of birth defects, including cleft lip, and makes stillbirth and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) more likely. Even secondhand smoke can cause many of the same dangers.

Quitting at any point in the pregnancy leads to better health outcomes

The good news is that quitting smoking at any time helps. While stopping before you get pregnant offers the most protection, quitting during pregnancy still improves the amount of oxygen your baby receives and lowers the chance of serious birth complications.

For more information, call the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) and take that first step toward changing your life. Individuals under age 24 can visit LiveVapeFree.com. Additional information on tobacco and vaping, as well as resources for those looking to quit, can be found at medinahealth.org. If you need a health care provider, call the Health Department at 330-723-9688 (option 1).

The Medina County Health Department has protected your health since 1918. Services are partially supported by your property tax health levy. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.