The Australian: Mums-to-be still light up
By Jen Kelly
February 20, 2003
"MOST women who smoke don't quit the lethal habit while pregnant, risking permanent damage or death to their unborn children. In the wake of alarming new figures, Australian health experts warn pregnant and breastfeeding smokers are seriously endangering the lives of their babies.
Large warnings on cigarette packets saying "Smoking when pregnant harms your baby" have failed to convince most expectant mums to quit. Researchers from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found while 26 per cent of all women smoked, the figure barely dropped among women who were pregnant or breastfeeding. "It shows 23 per cent of women smoked while they were pregnant," researcher Mark Cooper-Stanbury said." [This article doesn't differentiate between the risks of smoking while pregnant and smoking while breastfeeding. Nor does it address the risk to the baby of the mother continuing to smoke and switching to formula. This lack of differentiation also happens when we talk about alcohol and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. - JC]


"There wasn't much change in smoking behaviour for those women who were smoking while they were pregnant or breast-feeding."