Protecting your baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life. It can be difficult to stop smoking, but it's never too late to quit.

What are the risks from smoking in pregnancy?

Babies in the womb can be harmed by tobacco smoke as it reduces the amount of oxygen and nutrients that pass through the placenta from you to your baby. Smoking while pregnant can lead to increased health risks for your baby including:

  • Being underdeveloped or have a low birth weight
  • Miscarriage or still birth
  • Premature birth
  • Ectopic pregnancy
  • Cot death
  • Respiratory (lung) problems such as asthma, chest infections and pneumonia
  • When you stop smoking both you and your baby will reduce these risks and quickly feel the benefits.

What are carbon monoxide tests?

During your first antenatal appointment you will be asked if you, or anyone living in your household, smokes and if so how much.

At each appointment you will be asked to have a breath test to measure your level of exposure to CO carbon monoxide (CO). This is a poisonous gas that restricts the amount of oxygen getting to your baby, and levels are higher in women who smoke and in passive smokers. This is so you and your family can be supported to stop smoking as early as possible.

What should I do if I smoke?

There is no safe level of smoking for you or your baby. The earlier you stop smoking the better it will be to you both, but stopping at any time during pregnancy is beneficial.

Reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke is a good step, but you and your partner will be advised to stop completely and will be offered support of specialist stop smoking services.

Is my baby still at risk if people around me smoke?

If you are around people who smoke, you will be exposed to second hand smoke – this is called passive smoking. This is still dangerous for you and your baby as you are inhaling harmful toxins. Unborn babies exposed to smoke in this way have increased risk of premature birth, still birth and their growth being affected.

Babies and children should always be in a smokefree environment. Try to avoid smoky places and being near smokers – and ask those that do smoke to do it outside and not near you.

What are e-cigarettes and vapes and can I use them when I am pregnant?

E-cigarettes or vapes are battery powered devices that deliver nicotine through inhaled vapour. They don’t contain tobacco, so you aren’t exposed to tar or carbon monoxide which are the main toxins found in cigarettes. The vapour from an e-cigarette does contain some of the chemicals found in cigarette smoke but at much lower levels. Little research has been conducted into the safety of e-cigarettes and e-liquids in pregnancy. It is not known whether the vapour is harmful to a baby in pregnancy. If using one helps you to give up smoking, it is less harmful for you and your baby than continuing to smoke.

What is NRT and can I use it when I am pregnant?

Nicotine is what you get addicted to when you smoke. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products can help you tackle your dependence on nicotine. NRT is a medicine that still provides nicotine but in lower doses and without the tar and damaging chemicals present in cigarettes, so is a safer option than continuing to smoke. It is available as:

  • Skin patches
  • Chewing gum
  • Inhalers
  • Oral strips and lozenges
  • Nasal and mouth sprays

Although you can use NRT when you are pregnant, before using any product we suggest you speak to your midwife, GP, a pharmacist or a specialist stop smoking adviser who may be able to offer access to the products for free.

If you want to know more about smoking cessation, here is a list of useful links. There are some excellent resources to help you quit.

Find more information on the NHS website Stop smoking in pregnancy

Find your local stop smoking service

Contact Hertfordshire Stop Smoking Service on 0800 389 3 998 (free from landline) or 01442 453 071, text SMOKEFREE to 80818 or send an email to healthimprovementservice@hertfordshire.gov.uk

Call the NHS Smokefree helpline – 0300 123 1044. Open 9am-8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am-4pm at weekends. The helpline offers free help, support and advice on stopping smoking, including when you are pregnant, and can give you details of local support services.

Visit the NHS website Quit smoking - Better Heath

Protect you and your baby. The sooner you stop smoking, the better. But even if you stop in the last few weeks of your pregnancy this will benefit you and your baby. If you need any further support, please reach out and contact our team.

Contact us

Email: westherts.matstopsmoking@nhs.net

A healthy diet is important for all of us, all the time, however it is especially important if you’re planning a pregnancy or are currently pregnant. A healthy diet will support your baby to grow and develop.  Eating a nutritious diet can improve general wellbeing, reduce the risk of conditions including heart disease, stroke, some cancers, diabetes, and osteoporosis (thin bones) and help you manage your weight.

Our diets should contain a wide variety of different foods, to help us get the wide range of nutrients that our bodies need. This is illustrated by the UK’s healthy eating model: The Eatwell Guide.

Food to avoid in pregnancy: visit the NHS Have a healthy diet in pregnancy web page.

Taking folic acid reduces the risk of problems in the baby’s development in the early stages of pregnancy. It is recommended that you take 400mcg of folic acid every day – from before you’re pregnant, if possible, until 12 weeks of pregnancy, unless you are diabetic and then you need to take 5mg daily.

It is also recommended that you take a daily vitamin D1 supplement.

Avoid vitamin A in pregnancy as this could be harmful to your baby, for example liver, pate.

Being at a healthy weight before pregnancy increases the chances of your pregnancy and baby being healthy. Being overweight in pregnancy can increase the risk of gestational diabetes, the chance of caesarean and the risk of other pregnancy complications.

If you have a raised BMI please see the following links for further information:

All adults should do some type of physical activity every day. The more active and fit you are in pregnancy the easier it will be for you to adapt to your changing shape and weight gain. If you are already very active, you do not need to reduce the amount you exercise. You will find it beneficial if you can:

  • aim to be physically active every day. Any activity is better than none, and more is better still.
  • do strengthening activities that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least 2 days a week (for example pregnancy yoga or aqua aerobics).
  • do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week.
  • reduce time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity.

For further information look at the NHS website about keeping well with exercise during pregnancy.

Carbon monoxide screening is a simple breath test at every midwife appointment can ensure you’re not being exposed to dangerous levels of Carbon Monoxide which may harm you and your baby.