When a woman who smokes starts to think about having children, she needs to think about quitting smoking. Women who smoke during their pregnancy take a huge risk with their unborn baby's health. When she smokes during pregnancy, so does her baby. If your health isn't enough to make you quit smoking, then the health of your baby should be. If she is willing to take such risk with her potential baby's health, maybe she's not ready.

Why am I so harsh on the subject? Smoking during pregnancy affects your baby's health before, during, and after your baby is born. There is a greater chance that she will lose the baby during pregnancy. The baby could also be born too early, before the lungs are ready, so he or she will have trouble breathing. The baby will be smaller and more likely to need special care and stay longer in the hospital. Some may die either at birth or within the first year.

Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals; the worst of these chemicals are nicotine and carbon monoxide. When a women smokes during pregnancy, the toxins gets into their bloodstream. This is her baby's only source of oxygen and nutrients. A shortage of oxygen can have devastating effects on her baby's growth and development. Smoking during pregnancy doubles the chances that a baby will be born too early or weigh less than 5 1/2 pounds at birth. Smoking also more than doubles the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth.

Undersize babies tend to have underdeveloped bodies. Their lungs may not be ready to work on their own, which means they may spend their first days or weeks attached to a respirator. After they're breathing on their own (or even if they did from the start), these babies may have continuing breathing problems -- because of delayed lung development or other adverse effects of nicotine. Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are especially vulnerable to asthma, and have double or even triple the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Not to mention stunting a baby's growth in the womb can have negative consequences that last a lifetime.

Smoking during pregnancy can have lifelong effects on your baby's brain. Children of pregnant smokers are especially likely to have a learning disorder, behavioral problems, and relatively low IQs. Recent animal studies suggest that nicotine in the womb can program a baby's brain for a future addiction.

Cutting Down vs. Quitting? The more cigarettes you smoke per day, the greater chances of developing these health problems. There is no "safe" level of smoking while pregnant. The only way to really protect her baby is to quit. Cutting down is better than doing nothing but it does not eliminate your problems just decreases them a little. A smoker's body is especially sensitive to the first doses of nicotine each day, and even just a few will significantly tighten blood vessels. A few cigarettes a day are safer than a whole pack, but the difference isn't as great as you might think.

When to Quit? NOW! If you're pregnant don't wait any longer. The best time to quit is when a woman is planning to get pregnant before becoming pregnant or soon after she finds out that she is already pregnant. If she does quit before 16 weeks, her baby will probably weigh the same as the baby of a woman who has never smoked. If she quits within the first three or four months of her pregnancy she can lower her baby's chance of being born too small and with lots of health problems. Even if a woman quits at the end of her pregnancy, she can help her baby get more oxygen and have a better chance of making it. It's never too late to quit, but the earlier the better for both the mother and her baby!

How to Quit? Even though you're aware of the dangers of smoking, it's not always easy to give up the habit. The pull of nicotine can overwhelm your good intentions.

1 She can ask for help from her doctor for different ways to quit.

2 Make a list of her reasons for wanting to quit, for herself as well as for her baby.

3 Talk to family and friends. Support can make all the difference.

4 Ask people who smoke not to smoke around you.

5 Do not go to places where many people are smoking such as bars or clubs, and smoking sections of restaurants.

6 Set a Quit-Date; the sooner the better. If a woman is not ready to set a date, she can begin to cut down on smoking.

7 She can try the four D's: Delay, Deep Breathe, Drink Water, and Do Something Else.

8 Keep mints or gum (preferably sugarless) on hand for those times when you get the urge to smoke.

9 Drink less caffeinated beverages; caffeine may stimulate your urge to smoke. Also avoid alcohol, as it may also increase your urge to smoke and can be harmful to your baby.

10 Stay active to keep your mind off smoking and help relieve tension: take a walk, exercise, read a book, or try a new a hobby.

11 Change your habits connected with smoking. If you smoked while driving or when feeling stressed, try other activities to replace smoking.

12 I think the best way for a pregnant woman to quit is to think of her baby being born healthy.

How Does Secondhand Smoke Affect Pregnancy? If you are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke, you increase your and your baby's risk of developing lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, allergies, asthma, and other health problems.

Babies exposed to secondhand smoke may also develop reduced lung capacity and are at higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Smoking after the Baby is Born. It makes no sense at all for her to go back to smoking! Even after the baby is born, her smoking can hurt the baby.

Babies have very small lungs and airways which get even smaller when they breathe smoke-filled air. Smoking can make it hard for the baby to breathe. It can cause lung problems like bronchitis and pneumonia that could put the baby back in the hospital.