Many people smoke commercial tobacco for many different reasons. Pregnancy is often a time when families consider their lifestyle choices. If you smoke, you might be wondering how it can affect the health of your pregnancy, breastfeeding/chestfeeding and your children.   This article is referring to commercial tobacco use and gives a brief statement about ceremonial tobacco.

Tobacco and Fertility

Research shows that smoking:

• can reduce fertility, making it difficult to conceive.
• may negatively affect hormone production.
• and exposure to tobacco smoke can harm the reproductive system
• can damage the DNA in sperm

Tobacco and Pregnancy

When you are pregnant, your unborn baby is connected to you by your placenta. Your placenta sends what you eat, drink and breathe to your unborn growing baby. When you smoke cigarettes or breathe in secondhand smoke during pregnancy, the nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar are passed on to your baby. This can: 

• cause harm to your placenta. Your baby will get less food and oxygen than they should. 
• cause babies to weigh less at birth. This makes them more susceptible to infections and other health problems. 
• reduce blood flow which affects your unborn baby’s heart, lungs, digestive system and brain. 
• increase your risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. 
• increase the risk of your baby being born prematurely (early). 
• increase the risk for Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID).

Tobacco and Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding 

The healthiest choice for your baby is to breastfeed/chestfeed and for you to avoid tobacco use. If you can’t stop or cut down, breastfeeding/chestfeeding is still recommended. Breastmilk/chestmilk gives your baby immunities to help fight illness. It can also help lessen some of the negative effects of tobacco on your baby. 

If you choose to smoke while breastfeeding/chestfeeding, follow these tips to help protect your baby:  

• Try to cut down. For support with quitting or cutting down visit Smoker’s helpline, Tobacco Has No Place Here, NUQUITS and/or talk to your health care provider or public health nurse. 
• Don’t smoke right before or during breastfeeding/chestfeeding. This way there won’t be as much nicotine in your milk and your baby won’t be exposed to secondhand smoke. 
• Wait as long as possible between smoking and breastfeeding/chestfeeding. 
• Keep your home smoke free. Smoke outside, away from your baby and other children. Don’t allow anyone else to smoke near your baby. 
• Protect your baby from thirdhand smoke. Wash your hands and change your clothes after you smoke and before you hold your baby.  

Tobacco and Parenting 

Parents who smoke cigarettes need to be aware of the risks to their children. These include: 

1. Poisoning:

Nicotine is very poisonous. The amount in only one cigarette butt is enough to poison a child. Other forms of nicotine that are poisonous to a child are:

• cigarettes,
• cigars,
• chewing tobacco,
• pipe tobacco,
• nicotine gum and patches
• and liquid nicotine used for electronic cigarettes (vaping).

2. Secondhand Smoke:

Secondhand smoke is the combination of smoke that comes from a cigarette and smoke breathed out by a smoker. When a non-smoker is around someone who is smoking, they breathe in the secondhand smoke. 

Babies and children are smaller and breathe faster than adults, so they take in more of the harmful chemicals from secondhand smoke. 

Risks to babies and children:

• Secondhand smoke can harm a child’s behavior and ability to think things through. 
• Babies who breathe in secondhand smoke have a higher risk for dying from Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID).
• Babies and children exposed to secondhand smoke have more colds, pneumonia, bronchitis, croup and ear infections.
• They are also more likely to develop asthma. 

Secondhand smoke is harmful to everyone, including your pets. 

3. Thirdhand Smoke:

Thirdhand smoke is the remaining nicotine and other chemicals left on indoor surfaces by tobacco smoke. Thirdhand smoke clings to these and other surfaces long after smoking has stopped: 

• Clothes 
• Furniture 
• Drapes 
• Walls  
• Bedding 
• Carpets 
• Dust 
• Vehicles  

Children and non-smoking people can be at risk for health-related problems when they inhale, swallow or touch surfaces containing thirdhand smoke. Infants and young children are more at risk because they like to touch and put things in their mouth to learn about their world.  

4. Fires and Burns

Children can get a burn from:

• Butt’s that have been tossed
• A lit cigarette
• From playing with lighters and matches

Be sure to store all smoking gear (lighter, matches) out of reach from children.

Every year there are smoking related house fires. To prevent fires:

• Don’t smoke in bed or if you are feeling drowsy.
• Install smoke alarms outside all sleeping areas and on each level of your home. Test them monthly by pressing and holding the test button.
• Make sure you have a fire extinguisher and know how to use it.

Creating Smoke Free Spaces:

Make your house and vehicles smoke free.  

Know the law-it is illegal to smoke in your vehicle with children under the age of 16 present. 

Click here for more tips from Health Canada on making your house and vehicle smoke free. 

Smoke outside - either take your child outside with you or plan to have someone watch them while you go out for a smoke (a neighbour, a partner or a child who is over 12). 

If you use cigarettes to cope with stress, anxiety depression or other mental health symptoms, the best choice is to seek other supports. For help and more information, visit: 

• Quit Smoking with your Manitoba Pharmacist – a program that offers eligible people assessment and counselling and a subsidy for tobacco cessation products. 
• Smoker’s Helpline, Tobacco Has No Place Here, NUQUITS and/or talk to your health care provider or public health nurse. 
•  If you do not have a health care provider, Family Doctor Finder can help. 

 

The Benefits of Quitting

Your body will start to feel the benefits of quitting on day one! 

20 Minutes after quitting 

Your blood pressure and pulse return to normal. 

After eight hours 

You can breathe easier and your oxygen levels return to normal 

After 24 hours 

Your lungs start to clear out the mucus. 

After 48 hours 

Your sense of taste and smell start to come back. 

After one year 

Your risk of having a heart attack is cut in half. 

After 10 years 

Your risk of dying from lung cancer is cut in half. 

For more information:

• Quit Smoking with your Manitoba Pharmacist
• Smoker’s helpline 
• Tobacco Has No Place Here, NUQUITS
• Manitoba Health-Smoking Control and Cessation