Second Hand Smoke

According to the Mayo Clinic, women who are exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy are at higher risk of having babies of slightly lower birth weight. This can cause a host of health problems for the baby, such as cerebral palsy or learning disabilities. Women who actively smoke during pregnancy expose their developing baby to passive smoke — the chemicals may pass through the placenta — and put them at risk of lower birth weight. Scientists are studying the link between secondhand smoke and growth delays and congenital malformations. A developing fetus exposed to secondhand smoke may also be at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). But evidence that post-birth exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of SIDS is inconclusive. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/secondhand-smoke/CC00023