Pregnancy Smoking Statistics
Doctors may have differing opinions on what it is safe or not safe to do during pregnancy. But if there is one thing they are all in agreement on is that smoking during pregnancy is dangerous.
There is no doubt that smoking during pregnancy is one of the most harmful things an expecting mother can do to her baby. This is not anecdotal, the facts back it up. Here are some pregnancy smoking statistics to help you truly understand just how dangerous smoking during pregnancy really is.
You may be surprised to learn that smoking during pregnancy is more prevalent in developed countries. In the United States alone approximately18% of expecting mothers smoke. Worldwide a staggering one million babies per year are born to mothers who smoked during their pregnancy.
According to the U.S. Public Health Service, if all pregnant women in this country stopped smoking, there would be an estimated:
-11% reduction in stillbirths
-5% percent reduction in newborn deaths
The smoke in cigarettes contains more than 2,500 chemicals. Even though it is not clearly understood which of these chemicals is damaging to babies it is known that both nicotine and carbon monoxide play a role in causing damage to developing babies.
Here are some more frightening pregnancy smoking statistics from the 2004 Surgeon General's Report on Smoking:
There is no doubt that smoking during pregnancy is one of the most harmful things an expecting mother can do to her baby. This is not anecdotal, the facts back it up. Here are some pregnancy smoking statistics to help you truly understand just how dangerous smoking during pregnancy really is.
You may be surprised to learn that smoking during pregnancy is more prevalent in developed countries. In the United States alone approximately18% of expecting mothers smoke. Worldwide a staggering one million babies per year are born to mothers who smoked during their pregnancy.
According to the U.S. Public Health Service, if all pregnant women in this country stopped smoking, there would be an estimated:
-11% reduction in stillbirths
-5% percent reduction in newborn deaths
The smoke in cigarettes contains more than 2,500 chemicals. Even though it is not clearly understood which of these chemicals is damaging to babies it is known that both nicotine and carbon monoxide play a role in causing damage to developing babies.
Here are some more frightening pregnancy smoking statistics from the 2004 Surgeon General's Report on Smoking:
- Research has proven that smoking during pregnancy greatly increases the risk of pregnancy complications such as: premature delivery, low birth weight babies, stillbirth, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
- 11.9% of babies born to women who smoked suffered from low birth weight Less than five and a half pounds). Low birth weight is one of the leading causes on infant mortality. It results in over 300,000 infant deaths annually in the United States.
- Smoking during pregnancy leads to SIDS. Babies born to mothers who smoked while pregnant and after are three to four times more likely to die from SIDS.
- Despite these scary statistics only 18% to 25% of women quit smoking when they become pregnant.
So, as you can see the cold hard facts prove that smoking cigarettes is one of the worst things an expecting mother can do. If you are pregnant, and a smoker, do not allow your baby to become a pregnancy smoking statistic. It is recommended that women quit smoking prior to becoming pregnant but it is never too late to quit smoking during pregnancy. Quitting smoking is hard but you can do it using the right method. Learn the safest and most effective way to quit smoking while pregnant by visiting our home page http://www.quitsmokingpregnancy.info
