Smoke-Free Pregnancy (Tobacco and Cannabis)
Tobacco and Pregnancy
Quitting smoking is the most important step you can take to improve your health and protect the health of your unborn child. A smoke-free environment is best for you and your developing baby.
Smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy creates serious health risks for both you and baby.
You may have heard that quitting smoking during pregnancy can be harmful. This is a myth!
- If you are pregnant, stop smoking if you can. Quitting smoking is always the best choice.
- If you can’t quit, consider smoking fewer cigarettes to reduce the harm to you and your baby.
- It is never too late in your pregnancy to quit.
- Quitting at any time will improve your health and the health of your baby.
- Staying smoke free after you had your baby is just as important as not smoking during your pregnancy.
Support to quit
- If you want help to quit smoking, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or other health care provider.
- You can also call the Newfoundland and Labrador Smokers’ Helpline at 1-800-363-5864 to get connected to a smoking cessation counsellor.
- Start by trying to quit smoking without nicotine products.
- You can consider nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) if other options do not work.
- Products, such as lozenges, gum, inhalers, and patches have nicotine that may help you quit smoking.
Vaping and Pregnancy
You may wonder if e-cigarettes or vapes can help you quit smoking while pregnant, but e-cigarettes and other products having nicotine are not safe to use during pregnancy.
Smoke-Free Spaces
It is also important to supply a smoke-free home for you and your baby.
- You and your baby can be exposed to second hand and third hand smoke by breathing in the smoke from another person and from the chemicals that stay on clothes, furniture, skin, etc. that have been exposed to smoke.
- Being in a smoke-free space lowers the chances of your baby dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and they will be less likely to have ear infections and breathing problems.
Cannabis and Pregnancy
Cannabis is also known as marijuana and comes from the cannabis plant.
- It has more than 700 chemical mixtures.
- There are risks to both you and your unborn baby and there is still a lot to learn.
- It is safest to not using cannabis when pregnant and breastfeeding.
- Taking cannabis during pregnancy can affect your baby’s developing brain.
- Using cannabis during pregnancy can affect your child’s development later in life.
- Just like alcohol, there is no known safe amount of cannabis to use during your pregnancy (Health Canada, 2018).
If you would like help to reduce or stop using cannabis before, during or after your baby is born, ask your health care provider for information and support.
Services related to this information:
- Smokers’ Helpline Newfoundland and Labrador – 1-800-363-5864
- 811 HealthLine (Newfoundland & Labrador) – Call 811 or 1-888-709-2929 / TTY 1-888-709-3555
- Mental health and addictions services