Tobacco Use Before, During, and After Pregnancy

• Can smoking affect fertility?
• Is it harmful to smoke while pregnant?
• I am pregnant and I smoke. Is it too late to quit?
• Shouldn’t it be easy for me to quit now that I’m pregnant?
• Is it harmful to smoke again after my baby is born?
• I smoke. Can I breastfeed my baby?

Can smoking affect fertility?

Women who smoke may have a harder time getting pregnant and are more likely to miscarry than non-smoking women. Quitting smoking before getting pregnant is best. 

Is it harmful to smoke while pregnant?

It is never safe to smoke. Smoking while pregnant:

• Affects the placenta—the source of your baby’s food and oxygen
• Lowers the amount of oxygen available to you and your growing baby
• Increases:

Additionally, children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are at greater risk of:

• Behavioral problems, including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Learning disorders
• Becoming smokers

Pregnant women who smoke should quit – if not permanently then at least through their pregnancy.

Infographic text-only version.

I am pregnant and I smoke. Is it too late to quit?

If you are pregnant, it is never too late to quit smoking. There are benefits to quitting smoking at any stage of your pregnancy. Quitting as soon as possible will help protect you and your baby from some health problems, such as low birth weight.

Shouldn’t it be easy for me to quit now that I am pregnant?

No. Quitting smoking is hard for most women. Women who were smoking when they got pregnant often have to make more than one attempt to quit for good.  Learn more about quitting.

Is it harmful to smoke again after my baby is born?

You might think it is safe to start smoking again after your baby is born, but your baby is not out of harm's way. Babies who are around cigarette smoke:

• Have weaker lungs than other babies
• Are more likely to have health problems such as infections and more frequent asthma attacks
• Are at increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Learn more about secondhand smoke.

Protect your baby.

• Do not allow anyone to smoke near your child.
• Do not smoke or let others smoke in your home or car.
• Use childcare providers who do not smoke.
• Do not eat in restaurants that allow smoking.
• Do not take your child to other indoor public places that allow smoking.
• Teach children to stay away from secondhand smoke.

I smoke. Can I breastfeed my baby?

Yes, you should breastfeed. Breast milk is good for your baby. However, smoking may make it difficult to breastfeed because it:

• Changes your breast milk
• Disrupt your baby’s sleeping patterns
• May cause you to have problems releasing milk

For your health and your baby’s, you should quit smoking.

Learn more about:

• Tobacco use and pregnancy from this Centers for Disease Control (CDC) page
• Why you should quit smoking if you're pregnant from this CDC resource
• The myths about smoking and pregnancy from this National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), page
• Quitting while pregnant from this NCI page
• Pregnancy, relationships, and smoking from this NCI page
• Protecting your family from secondhand smoke in this NCI page