The California Environmental Protection Agency (CAL/EPA) has identified tobacco smoke and nicotine, a chemical in tobacco smoke, as developmental toxins, which means that there is evidence that the substances are harmful to unborn children. Smoking by pregnant women limits the amount of nutrients and oxygen that reach the unborn child. Effects of smoking while pregnant may include miscarriages, still births, low infant birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome. Children born to smoking mothers may also suffer more colds and other lung problems, and may have learning difficulties, and behavioral problems. The same type of problems can also occur if a pregnant woman does not smoke herself, but is around others who smoke. Babies exposed to cigarette smoke may experience more colds, lung problems, and ear infections. Woman should not smoke while breast feeding because the chemicals in cigarette smoke can enter the breast milk. Agencies such as the March of Dimes and American Lung Association offer suggestions to help pregnant women stop smoking.

Source: http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/common/smoking.html

• Smoking makes it harder for a woman to get pregnant.
• Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely than other women to have a miscarriage.
• Smoking during pregnancy causes major health problems for mom and baby. For example, smoking is one of the causes of problems with the placenta*—the source of the baby's nutrition and oxygen during pregnancy.
• Smoking during pregnancy can cause a baby to be born too early and have low birth weight—making it more likely the baby will become sick or die.
• Smoking during and after pregnancy is one of therisk factors of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
• Babies born to women who smoke are more likely to have a cleft lip or cleft palate—types of birth defects.