1. What precisely are the effects of drinking and smoking on baby development during pregnancy?

2. SMOKING WHILE PREGNANT
“Cigarette smoking is un- equivocally the largest and most important known modi- fiable risk factor for low birth weight and infant death."

3. NICOTINE
Two components that cause harmful effects: carbon monoxide and nicotine.
These two substances are able to be transported over placental membranes
Carbon monoxide decreased oxygen delivery to the fetus
Nicotine cardiovascular and central nervous system effects

4. NICOTINE EFFECTS
Increase in spontaneous abortions seen in smoking women.
Low birth weight
increase in perina- tal (after 20 weeks gestation) and neonatal (in the first 28 days of age) mortality in smoking women.

5. Placental problems, such as: preterm delivery, fetal dis- tress, maternal coagulopathy and ischemic injur y to other organs
Attention deficit hyperactiv- ity disorder (ADHD) have been identified in the children (mental retardation)
Childhood cancer

6. DRINKING WHILE PREGNANT
Alcohol is a toxin. When you drink alcohol, it rapidly reaches your baby across the placenta, via your bloodstream

7. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
Babies with FAS tend to have:
Facial defects
Born small and to carry on being small for their age
Learning difficulties
Poor coordination
Behavioural problems

8. Problems with your pregnancy
Miscarriage
premature birth.
TOO MUCH DRINKING  Increase the risk of your baby being stillborn

9. Some hard facts about smoking during pregnancy
Common! – currently, % of pregnancies in the USA/ Europe
Higher in young women: 45% of pregnant under-20’s smoke
40% of emergency room asthma visits from children live with smokers
Smoking doubles the incidence of premature birth, doubles the chance of stillbirth, doubles the chances of asthma or cot death
Smoking increases the rate of cleft palate and deformities by 25%

10. Some hard facts about smoking while pregnant
The foetus gets a higher dose of nicotine than the mother – and the nicotine targets the baby’s brain
Nicotine damages the placenta and severely decreases blood flow to the baby
Passive smoking increases the rate of stillbirth by 23% and increases the incidence of birth defects by 13%

11. Some hard facts about alcohol during pregnancy
Alcohol is the number one cause of mental retardation in children
Brain damage is permanent – memory, attention deficit, frontal cortical immaturity
Recommended maximum limit of alcohol in pregnant women is 1 – 2 units of alcohol per week
How much alcohol is a single unit?