Vidcast: https://youtu.be/mIwQOTwREXY

A mother smoking before and during pregnancy increases the risk that her child will die unexpectedly during infancy. Seattle Children’s Hospital pediatricians and the data jockeys at Microsoft Corporation collaborated to analyze the CDC’s infant death data covering almost 21 million births and close to 20,000 episodes of infant death.

The risk of unexpected infant death skyrocketed by a factor of nearly 2.5 times with any maternal cigarette smoking, even one cigarette a day, during pregnancy. The chance that her infant might die increased by 7% for each cigarette from 1 to 20 per day. Even mothers who smoked within 3 months before becoming pregnant and quit once pregnant had a 47% increased chance of an infant death.

This study adds the precision of huge numbers to previous investigations that have already associated maternal smoking with sudden infant death. If you are even thinking about becoming pregnant, you and anyone with whom you live should stop smoking at least 3 months before you begin trying to conceive.

If you have smoked before or during pregnancy and even if you haven’t, once your child is born take extra precautions and diligently follow Sudden Unexpected Infant Death prevention recommendations. These include: using a bare crib without covers, pillows, or bumpers; positioning your baby on the back to prevent obstructed breathing; and never fall asleep with your baby in your bed or chair.

An infant death is one of the worst tragedies any parent can endure. Know that prevention is within your power and act on that knowledge.

Tatiana M. Anderson, Juan M. Lavista Ferres, Shirley You Ren, Rachel Y. Moon, Richard D. Goldstein, Jan-Marino Ramirez, Edwin A. Mitchell. Maternal Smoking Before and During Pregnancy and the Risk of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death. Pediatrics, 2019; e20183325 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2018-3325

https://sids.org/what-is-sidssuid/reduce-the-risk/

#smoking #SIDS #SUID