Smoking or vaping: pregnancy
If you or your partner smokes or vapes, it can be harder to get pregnant.
If you smoke or vape while you’re pregnant, your baby smokes or vapes too.
If you inhale other people’s smoke or vapour while you’re pregnant, this smoke or vapour passes to your baby.
Smoking or vaping when pregnant: harmful for your baby
Cigarette smoke and vapour contain toxic chemicals like nicotine. These chemicals can increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth or low birth weight in your baby.
Nicotine and other harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke and vapour can damage your baby’s brain and lungs and increase risks for asthma, childhood illness, and cleft lip and palate.
Sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) is strongly linked to smoking cigarettes or using vapes containing nicotine during pregnancy or after birth.
Quitting smoking or vaping: good for you and your baby
Smoking or vaping might reduce how much breastmilk you make and put harmful substances in your breastmilk. But even if you smoke or vape, breastfeeding is still best for your baby.
It’s never too late to quit. For example, one hour after you quit, the risk of pregnancy complications and your baby’s risk of illness goes down.
If you’re finding it hard to quit, call Quitline on 137 848 for help.