Home > Family & Friends > The Benefits of Quitting Smoking and Staying Quit

Why Quit?: The Benefits of Quitting Smoking
and Staying Quit

A lot of changes happen when your family member or friend is pregnant and then brings a new baby home. This time of change is the perfect time for pregnant women and new moms to quit smoking. There are many ways that you can support her, including quitting smoking yourself. If you are a smoker and decide not to quit, it is very important not to smoke in the same room or in the car with pregnant women and babies.

When pregnant women and new moms stay smoke free and stay away from second-hand smoke, here are the benefits for their babies and for them:


Benefits for Baby During Pregnancy:

• Increases the amount of oxygen the baby will get.
• Increases the chances that the baby's lungs will work well.
• Lowers the risk that the baby will be born too early.
• Increases the chances of having a normal-weight, healthy baby.
• Increases the chances that the baby will come home from the hospital with his or her mom.

Benefits for Baby After Being Born:

• Helps keep the baby healthy
• Reduces the number of ear infections the baby will have
• Reduces the chance that the baby will have asthma
• Helps prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• Helps prevent colds and serious illnesses like bronchitis and pneumonia
• If the baby was born too early, quitting smoking and staying smoke free is very important – premature babies are more susceptible to the problems listed above.

Benefits for Pregnant Women and New Moms:

• Gives her more energy and helps her breathe more easily
• Saves her money that she can spend on other things
• Makes her clothes, hair, and home smell better
• Makes her food taste better
• Lets her feel good about what she's done for herself and her baby.
• Increases her choices of family planning methods
• Helps prevent heart disease and cancer, the leading causes of death in women
• Helps prevent colds and serious illnesses like bronchitis and pneumonia