It’s really easy to look up the effects of smoking during pregnancy, but usually it focuses on potential problems and not on the infant’s addiction and withdrawal. I did find this blog entry from a nurse. It’s not a scientific study with controls or a large enough sample to be anything more than anecdotal evidence, so keep that in mind.
I’ve also heard of doctors advising women not to attempt to quit when they are pregnant because the stress could be more harmful to the baby than the cigarettes. However, I think women are encouraged to cut back on the smoking drastically. I have a friend who smoked two or three cigarettes a day when she was pregnant, and her son was born healthy, with no withdrawal symptoms. He was also bigger than average. I’d imagine the amount a pregnant woman smokes would make a difference. The heavier the smoker, the more the baby will be affected.
This article talks about a study that found people whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were more likely to become addicted to nicotine later in life than babies whose mothers did not smoke while pregnant. It would be difficult to prove that smoking during pregnancy increased those odds, since even kids who grow up with smokers but weren’t exposed to nicotine in the womb are also more likely to be smokers later in life.
Now for my own anecdotal evidence. :) Both of my parents smoked, but my mom says she quit each time she was pregnant. She managed to hide the fact that she smoked for many years, and I didn’t catch on until I was in high school. My dad always smoked around us, in the house and in the car. My brother and I didn’t think much of it, but it was sometimes annoying. Neither of us had health problems growing up that you’d associate with second-hand smoke. My brother now smokes quite a bit. I don’t. I did go through a “smoking when drinking” phase in college, but fortunately never smoked enough to become addicted.
My mother-in-law smoked through both of her pregnancies. My husband and his sister are quite healthy, and as far as I know neither of them had health problems when they were babies or kids. I don’t know how much my mother-in-law smoked, but I do know my husband and his sister were smallish babies: under six pounds. Edited to add: My sister-in-law never smoked, but my husband did for years. He first quit when we were expecting our daughter, and after backsliding a few times finally managed to kick the habit for good. He never smoked at home after we had children. I don’t understand how anyone could, now that the effects of it are so well-known.
There are a lot of well-documented risks associated with smoking while pregnant, as well as exposing infants and children to second-hand smoke. I hope the women you see have at least cut way back on the smoking and will refrain from smoking around their babies. It’s one of the biggest risk factors for SIDS. :(