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Smoking Pregnant Women Be Warned - The Latest Research Shows Links to Stillbirth
By Tracey Edwards

It's the ultimate taboo - smoking while pregnant, but so many women still light up a cigarette when they are expecting, often using the old excuse that it's a myth that it's bad for the baby.

They might say that they've had a healthy child before or that it's a ploy by the anti-smoking brigade, but the facts are in and the latest research will prove that smoking has lots of health risks to both the mother and the baby.

More frighteningly, the study has found a strong link between the increased risk of stillbirth with those that smoke compared to those who don't.

The risk factor increased even further if the women also smoked with her second or third child, showing a 35% risk of the baby dying before being born, compared to nonsmokers. Heavy smokers (those that smoked 10 or more cigarettes per day) increased that risk by a whopping45%!

The good news is that the study showed a significant reduction in stillbirths in women that had quit smoking. In fact the research showed that with second or subsequent pregnancies, the risk of having a stillborn was the same as someone who had never smoked atall.

The study followed over half a million women nationwide through first, second and subsequent pregnancies between 1983 to 2001.

Today it does seem that women are getting the message. In 1983 nearly 31% of women smoked during pregnancy compared to only 10% today, and everyday that number is decreasing as more and more women learn about the health risks for both them and thebaby.

As smoking is such a preventable risk factor, and since we now know that their is evidence of harm or even death to the unborn child, it makes giving up an even easier decision for women.

For advice or tips on how to quit smoking while pregnant Click Here

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracey_Edwards
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