Smoking in Pregnancy

Protecting your baby from smoke is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life. Every cigarette you smoke in pregnancy harms your unborn baby. The cigarette smoke restricts the essential oxygen supply to your baby so their heart has to beat harder.
It’s never too late to stop smoking.

Risks of smoking during pregnancy can include miscarriage, preterm birth, still birth, and low birth weight.
Even after the birth, children of smoking parents have an increased risk of developing chest infections, asthma and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

If you’re finding it hard to stop smoking, seek out the help you need to help you quit.
Cutting out cigarettes is one of the single most important things you can do for your baby’s health.

For more information go to www.Quit.ie

Passive smoking

Passive smoking can affect babies in the womb. If you breathe second-hand smoke, the chemicals in the smoke can make their way to your unborn baby.
Second hand or passive smoke can cause low birth weight and cot death.

Alcohol during Pregnancy

Research shows that alcohol passes via the placenta to your baby and there is no proven safe level of alcohol consumption during the pregnancy term.
Heavy or frequent drinking can seriously harm the development of your baby, both mentally and physically.
Cutting out alcohol altogether during pregnancy takes away any possible risk of damage to your baby from it.

Medicine and Drugs

Do not take any medication in pregnancy, unless prescribed by your doctor.
Any drug may affect you or your baby including those you get on prescription, medication you buy over the counter and a number of herbal remedies.
Any form of illegal drugs while you are pregnant is highly dangerous for you and your baby. Drug abuse can result in miscarriage, pre-term birth, low birth weight or stillbirth, or your baby may be born with a drug dependence and suffer serious withdrawal symptoms.

Physical/Domestic Abuse

Physical abuse poses a serious threat to not only your safety but to the safety of your unborn child. If you are subjected to any form of domestic violence in your relationship, talk to your doctor or to someone who can help you.

For more information go to www.womensaid.ie