Smoking is a habit that can be damaging to any individual, so it goes without saying that it poses a higher risk to a pregnant woman and her unborn baby.
If you are still smoking when you fall pregnant, it is important that you stop.
Here is why: If you smoke during your pregnancy you increase your risk of miscarriage.
There is no exact reason as to why this is, but it is thought that it is due to smoking reducing placental function.
Smoking replaces oxygen in the blood stream with carbon monoxide and as the placenta relies on oxygen from the blood stream in order to function fully, smoking will impact on how it can help your baby develop.
Later in to pregnancy the toxins from smoke can cause pre-term labour.
Smoking reduces the production of Collagen III, a hormone that is needed to develop the membranes of pregnant women.
It also stimulates higher levels of prostaglandin, the hormone that is produced just before going in to labour.
The combination of these two factors contributes towards a higher risk of pre-term labour.
Baby's that are born to mothers who smoke during their pregnancy are more likely to have a low birth weight, under-developed organs and respiratory diseases.
There appears to be a direct correlation between smoking and sleep apnoea, as well as smoking and SIDS.
Second hand smoke can also have the same effects, so it is important that your partner stops with you in order to completely minimise any health risks.
Avoid standing too near to those who smoke and request that those close to you refrain from subjecting you to passive smoking.
Remember, although it is better that you stop altogether, if you are really struggling a gradual decrease in the amount of cigarettes you smoke until you manage to stop is better than nothing.
Try talking to your midwife or another health professional about local support groups and pregnancy friendly treatments you can receive in order to quit altogether.