Tobacco.org

Program urges expectant mothers to stop smoking permanently 

One of the greatest gifts a mother-to-be can give her child is to quit smoking. However, the majority of them return to smoking shortly after they give birth. They are often unaware that exposing their infant to second-hand smoke can be just as harmful as smoking while pregnant.

Now, the National Cancer Institute is sponsoring the "Forever Free for Baby and Me" program to help women stay smoke-free after their pregnancy. The program, conducted as part of a research study through the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Fla., is offering to mail pregnant women who quit smoking information to help them stay smoke-free for good.

"The word has gotten out that smoking during pregnancy is harmful to the unborn child. Consequently, more women than ever have quit smoking during their pregnancy," said Dr. Tom Brandon, director of tobacco research and intervention at the Moffitt Center. "Unfortunately, the public health community has not yet succeeded in spreading the word about the dangers of exposing a newborn to secondhand smoke."

It increases the child's risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, asthma, colic, pneumonia, middle-ear infection, hyperactivity and other avoidable health problems. Such exposure causes the death of an estimated 5,600 babies per year in the United States.

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