Smoking during pregnancy may mean that after the child is born it will have more colds and other lung problems. These children may also be slower learners in school. They may be shorter and smaller than children of nonsmokers. They are more likely to smoke when they get older because they see their parents smoking. Even after the baby is born, her smoking can hurt the baby.
Babies have very small lungs and airways which get even smaller when they breathe smoke-filled air.
Smoking can make it hard for the baby to breathe. It can cause lung problems like bronchitis and pneumonia that could put the baby back in the hospital. Babies of smokers also get more colds and coughs and middle-ear infections. Mothers should also ask people like family, friends, baby-sitters and daycare workers not to smoke in any areas near the baby. She can ask for help from her doctor or nurse and from family and friends.