You have a new baby, and you didn’t smoke throughout your pregnancy – hopefully. But now that the baby is born, you are really craving that cigarette. If you don’t smoke, perhaps other people who live in or visit your home smoke. Does smoking affect your new baby’s health?
Second Hand Smoke is Deadly
Through years of research and gathering data, we know that smoking is bad for you – and everyone around you. Second hand smoke is just as deadly. When you smoke, you are releasing toxins and carcinogens into the air around you – and beyond.
Your baby is breathing those toxins and carcinogens in as you smoke and after you have finished smoking. Furthermore, if you are breastfeeding and smoking – even if you are not smoking in the vicinity of the baby – you are essentially feeding your baby toxins. Even if you were careful, and your smoking did not affect your baby’s health, it affects your health, and could shorten your life, depriving your child of a parent early in life. Overall, smoking has a profound effect on your new baby.
Cigarette Smoke Lingers
You may think that you are protecting your baby if you smoke in rooms of your home where the baby is not located. This offers very little protection for your child for two reasons: Smoke lingers and smoke also travels. If you smoke in your den, and your baby is in the den hours later, he or she could still be affected by the second hand smoke. If you smoke in the den, and your baby is in his or her room, with the door open, that smoke can still move from room to room. If you are a smoker, you won’t smell it – but other non-smokers in the house will.
If You Must Smoke
If you must smoke, make sure that you do it outdoors – and never when the baby is in the vicinity. Even outdoors, your baby could be exposed to second hand smoke, which is why so many cities and states are currently passing laws regarding cigarette usage even outdoors. These laws are designed to protect the general public, and primarily target smoking near entranceways and in public areas, such as parks. In some places, it is even illegal to smoke in a private vehicle if a child is in the car as well.
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