Women who smoke cigarettes during pregnancy give birth to infants who are more “jittery, excitable, stiff and difficult to comfort” than infants of women who do not smoke at all during pregnancy, according to a study published in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics.

According to the study, the more a woman smokes during pregnancy, the more stress signs her infant displays. The researchers observe that the infants’ symptoms indicate postnatal nicotine withdrawal, similar to the withdrawal that infants of women who use crack cocaine or heroin during pregnancy experience after birth.

The study is the first to determine the effect of tobacco exposure on infant neurobehaviour. It demonstrates the importance of smoking cessation programs, especially for women of childbearing age. Smoking during pregnancy has been identified as the single largest modifiable risk factor in developed countries.
(Source: Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 3 June 2003)