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Smoking and Pregnancy

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When a pregnant woman smokes or breathes in second-hand smoke the chemicals inhaled by the mother are passed on to the baby. This can lead to a baby who:

  • is born underweight
  • arrives too early
  • is slower to grow
  • has problems fighting off illness
  • is at risk of SIDS – sudden infant death syndrome, (when a baby suddenly stops breathing), or
  • is still born

Low birthweight is associated with heart disease, type 2 diabetes and being overweight in adulthood. A recent Australian study has also found that children of mothers who smoked during their pregnancy are also at risk of heart attack or stroke later in life (Ayer, Belousova et al. 2011).


How many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women smoke while pregnant?
Between 46% and 67% (about the same level as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders generally) compared to 16% of non-Indigenous women (van der Sterren 2010).

Further reading

CEITC website section on Pregnancy as a motivator to quit

CEITC fact sheet What do we know about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and smoking during pregnancy

Quit Victoria’s fact sheet Smoking and pregnancy