Question: does smoking effect a baby's heart?

Kate Kuyt answered on 15 Jun 2018:

The simple answer is yes!

When a baby is in a mum’s stomach and growing it gets everything it needs to live from her. So if the mum smokes the all the dangerous chemicals get into her blood and travel to the baby and its blood too. One thing these chemicals do is mean that the blood cannot carry as much oxygen to all the organs, this means the heart has to work much harder.

Once the baby is born the chemicals from smoke can ‘stick’ to mum’s (or dad’s) clothing or hair and when they cuddle the baby the nay will breath in some of these chemicals.