Quit smoking for a happier baby

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Give up smoking and your unborn child will be happier!

If you are trying to quite smoking whilst pregnant, you need to be aware of this latest research which may provide you with additional motivation.

According to the latest research, published March 13th, 2008, in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, babies born to non-smokers are generally happier, with regular eating and sleeping patterns. Interestingly, babies born to mothers who had recently stopped smoking were even happier than those born to parents who had never smoked or had stopped smoking a long time previously. A reason for this apparent anomaly was provided by Dr Kate Pickett from the University of York. She stated that "women who are strongly motivated to give up smoking in pregnancy are very positive about the decision and the outcomes for the baby".

Dr Pickett's research is the first of its kind, to look at the behaviour of babies from non-smokers versus smokers. The study had a sample size of 18,000 nine month old babies from the UK, of which 4000 mothers continued to smoke whilst pregnant. It was found that the babies of mothers who smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day during pregnancy were the unhappiest and most difficult. Whereas mothers who quit smoking had the best behaved babies.

Dr Pickett said: "We know that children in later life suffer adverse effects from passive smoking in the womb, so it's not surprising to find subtle signs of behaviour differences in the first few months of life." It was the mothers themselves who rated the moods of their babies. This is a real incentive to pregnant mothers who smoke to give up! (Note: Don't take Champix whilst pregnant unless advised to do so buy your doctor. It is safest not to take any drugs whilst pregnant as their effects on your unborn child can be unpredictable.)

Amanda Sandford, of ASH, the anti smoking campaign group, said that about 33% of women are smokers when they fall pregnant - about half give up and the other half continue to smoke during pregnancy. It is well established that chemicals from cigarettes negatively affect the brain of the developing foetus. Cigarette smoking whilst pregnant is also linked to babies with low birth weight (low birth weight means that they have been developmentally disadvantaged in the womb). It is also a cause of birth defects and is associated with an increased incidence of cot death.