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Smoking in pregnancy raises the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, cleft lip, and SIDS. Here’s how quitting and folic acid each help.
If you smoke and you’re pregnant or hoping to be, two steps matter most: quit smoking, and get 400 mcg of folic acid every day. They do different jobs, and one doesn’t replace the other.What smoking does during pregnancy
According to the CDC, smoking while pregnant can:- Slow your baby’s growth, so your baby may be born too small even after a full-term pregnancy
- Make it more likely your baby is born too early
- Damage your baby’s developing lungs and brain, with effects that can last into the teen years
- Double your risk of abnormal bleeding during pregnancy and delivery
- Raise your baby’s risk of cleft lip, cleft palate, or both
- Raise your baby’s risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), along with smoke exposure after birth
It’s never too late to quit
The best time to quit is before you get pregnant. But the CDC says quitting at any point in pregnancy helps. When you stop, your baby gets more oxygen after just one day, grows better, and is less likely to be born too early. Quitting is hard, and you don’t have to do it alone. Free help is available:- Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for free coaching
- Text QUITNOW to 333888
- Visit Smokefree Women from the National Cancer Institute
Where folic acid fits in
Folic acid’s main job in pregnancy is helping prevent neural tube defects, which are serious birth defects of the brain and spine such as spina bifida. These defects happen in the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before you know you’re pregnant. That’s why the CDC recommends that everyone who could become pregnant get 400 mcg of folic acid every day, starting at least one month before pregnancy. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends a daily supplement with 400 to 800 mcg of folic acid. Folate matters for your baby’s growth, too. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements notes that low folate during pregnancy has been linked to low birth weight and preterm birth. The folic acid advice is the same whether or not you smoke. More isn’t better. Adults shouldn’t get more than 1,000 mcg of folic acid a day from supplements and fortified foods, according to the NIH, unless a doctor prescribes more. The higher 4,000 mcg dose is for people who had a past pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect, and it should be taken only under a doctor’s care.What partners can do
A smoke-free home protects your baby before and after birth. The CDC says babies exposed to cigarette smoke after birth have a higher risk of SIDS, and children who aren’t around smoke have fewer coughs, ear infections, and asthma attacks. If your partner smokes, quitting together can make it easier for both of you.The bottom line
- Quit smoking, ideally before pregnancy. Quitting at any point still helps.
- Get 400 mcg of folic acid every day if you could become pregnant.
- Ask your doctor before taking more than 1,000 mcg of folic acid a day.
