• Your baby may be born too small, even after a full-term pregnancy. Smoking slows your baby’s growth before birth.
  • Your baby may be born too early (premature birth). Premature babies often have health problems.
  • Smoking can damage your baby’s developing lungs and brain. The damage can last through childhood and into the teen years.
  • Smoking doubles your risk of abnormal bleeding during pregnancy and delivery. This can put both you and your baby in danger.
  • Smoking raises your baby’s risk for birth defects, including cleft lip, cleft palate, or both. A cleft is an opening in your baby’s lip or in the roof of her mouth (palate). He or she can have trouble eating properly and is likely to need surgery. 
  • Babies of moms who smoke during pregnancy—and babies exposed to cigarette smoke after birth—have a higher risk for SIDS.