Smoke-free pregnancy
Quitting smoking is the most important step you can take to improve your health and protect the health of your unborn baby. A smoke-free space is best for you and your developing baby.
Smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy creates serious health risks for both you and baby.
You may have heard that quitting smoking during pregnancy can be harmful.
- If you are pregnant, stop smoking if you can. Quitting smoking is always the best choice you can make.
- If you can’t quit, consider smoking fewer cigarettes to reduce the harm to you and your baby.
- It is never too late in your pregnancy for you to quit smoking.
- Quitting at any time will improve your health and the health of your baby.
- If you smoked and had a healthy pregnancy in the past, there’s no guarantee that your next pregnancy will be healthy.
- Staying smoke free after you have your baby is just as important as not smoking during your pregnancy.
Support to quit Making the decision to quit smoking or cut down during your pregnancy can be hard and supports are out there.
- If you want help to quit smoking, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or other health care provider.
- You can also call the Newfoundland and Labrador Smokers’ Helpline at 1-800-363-5864 to connect to a smoking cessation counsellor.
- Start by trying to quit smoking without nicotine products.
- You can consider nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) if other options do not work.
- Products, such as lozenges, gum, inhalers, and patches have nicotine that may help you quit smoking, but you should talk to your health care provider before using them to make sure they are right for you.
Vaping and Pregnancy
You may wonder if e-cigarettes or vapes can help you quit smoking while pregnant, but e-cigarettes and other products having nicotine are not safe to use during pregnancy.
Smoke-Free Spaces
It is also important to supply a smoke-free home for you and your baby.
- You and your baby can be exposed to second hand and third hand smoke by breathing in the smoke from another person and from the chemicals that stay on clothes, furniture, skin, etc. that have been exposed to smoke.
- Being in a smoke-free space lowers the chances of your baby dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and they will be less likely to have ear infections and breathing problems.
Breastfeeding
You may be wondering if you can still breastfeed if you haven’t stopped smoking or even if you have cut back. Breastfeeding is one of the best things you can do for your baby. Visit the Smokers’ Helpline to learn more and get tips.
Cannabis and Pregnancy
Cannabis is also known as marijuana and comes from the cannabis plant.
- It has more than 700 chemical mixtures.
- There are risks to both you and your unborn baby and there is still a lot to learn.
- It is safest to not using cannabis when pregnant and breastfeeding.
- Taking cannabis during pregnancy can affect your baby’s developing brain.
- Using cannabis during pregnancy can affect your child’s development later in life.
- Just like alcohol, there is no known safe amount of cannabis to use during your pregnancy (Health Canada, 2018).
If you would like help to reduce or stop using cannabis before, during or after your baby is born, ask your health care provider for information and support.