No Butts! Smoking and Pregnancy

A woman who smokes should stop during the nine months she is pregnant.

• The organs and tissues of an unborn baby do not develop well because oxygen cannot be carried by the blood of a smoking mother and her unborn baby.
• Babies born to smoking mothers are smaller than babies of non-smoking mothers.
• Low birth weight babies are more likely to die at birth.
• The presence of tobacco smoke has been found in new born babies.
• Babies born to mothers who smoke get sick more often. They develop slower than babies of non-smoking mothers. They may also not do well in school in the early years.

PREGNANCY AND SMOKING

If a pregnant woman smokes there is a higher risk of:

• miscarriages
• start of labour before the time
• bleeding for the mothe
• rreduced breastmilk

• The poisons in cigarettes can pass through breast milk of the smoking mother to her baby.
• Babies of mothers who smoke during pregnancy also get more coughs, colds, bronchitis and pneumonia than other babies.
• Children whose parents smoke get more serious chest illnesses like bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia than children whose parents do not smoke.
• Children of smoking parents inhale the same amount of nicotine as if they themselves smoked the cigarette.
• Do not take your child into the smoking area of a restaurant.
• Many studies have shown that children are more likely to smoke if one or more parents smoke.
• Parents who smoke should be aware of the dangers of tobacco and should do everything possible to encourage their children not to start smoking. Children should be provided with information about tobacco and the marketing tactics of the tobacco industry. Provide them with information about the immediate and long-term health effects of tobacco use and the addictiveness of the product.
• Children often use women as their role-models. Mothers especially influence smoking behaviour.No person should smoke in a house, car, taxi, train or bus when children are present.

A woman who can stop smoking for nine months to protect her unborn baby
can stop smoking for life to protect herself!

• Why do you want to stop smoking? Write down the reasons.
• When do you feel like smoking? List the situations and then change the regular times and places (eg if you smoke after a meal then leave the table immediately after eating).
• Tell your family and friends that you are quitting so that they will not offer you cigarettes.
• Do not ask anybody to lend you a cigarette.
• Find someone who also wants to stop so that you can support each other.

NOW QUIT!

• Stop suddenly. Just frumble up the cigarettes.
• Cut down the number of cigarettes each day until you have stopped.
• Delay the first cigarette of the day for two hours, then longer and longer until your first smoke is in the evening. Quit the next day.
• Do something else instead of smoking.
• Keep your hands busy by playing with a key-ring, pen etc.
• Save the money you would have spent on cigarettes and buy yourself a reward for winning against tobacco.

THE CAPE TOWN NO-TOBACCO FORUM TASK GROUP consists of

DEPARTMENTE VAN GESONDHEID DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ISEBE LEZEMPILO