By stopping smoking before – or as soon as – you get pregnant, you can have a safer pregnancy and a healthier baby.
And stopping smoking once your baby is born will still help protect them against:
- sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
- breathing problems
- ear infections and hearing loss
- behavioural problems
Find out more about the effects of passive smoking on children
Keeping your baby safe if you smoke
If you're finding it hard to quit smoking, it's important not to stop breastfeeding. Breastfeeding will still protect your baby from infections and provide nutrients they cannot get from formula milk.
If you or your partner smoke, making your home completely smoke-free will help protect your baby's health. You may need to ask friends and family not to smoke near your baby, too.
Avoid smoking before breastfeeding your baby to limit the amount of nicotine in your breast milk.
If you or your partner smoke, it's important not to share a bed with your baby (co-sleep). Co-sleeping with your baby is known to increase the risk of SIDS.
Support with quitting smoking
You're up to 3 times more likely to stop smoking successfully with NHS support.
Your midwife, health visitor or GP can give you details of your local NHS stop smoking service.
You can also find your nearest NHS smoking support service online, or call the NHS smoking helpline on 0300 123 1044.
Find out about quitting smoking on the Better Health website
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and breastfeeding
A small amount of nicotine from NRT products passes into breast milk, but the amount from NRT is lower than from smoking.
NRT is also a safer choice than exposing your baby to secondhand smoke.
NRT increases your chance of quitting smoking, especially if you also have support from your local NHS stop smoking service.
It's available free with a prescription while you're pregnant and for 1 year after your baby is born. It comes in a variety of formats, including patches, gum, lozenges, nasal spray and inhalators.
Stop smoking medicines, such as bupropion, cytisinicline, and varenicline, are not usually recommended if you're breastfeeding.
E-cigarettes, vaping and breastfeeding
While using an e-cigarette (vaping) is safer than smoking, it is not completely risk-free. As well as nicotine, e-cigarette liquid and vapour can contain toxic substances, although these are mostly at much lower levels than in cigarette smoke.
At the moment, e-cigarettes are not available for free with a prescription like some other stop smoking treatments. If you're breastfeeding, it's best to use NRT products for help with quitting smoking and staying smoke-free.
However, if you do choose to use an e-cigarette to help you stay smoke-free, it's still better to carry on breastfeeding as the benefits will outweigh any potential harm. It's best to vape after breastfeeding your baby.
Find out more about how to quit vaping on the Better Health website