a) When a woman smokes during her pregnancy, how does the tobacco smoke harm the
baby?

The baby inside of a pregnant woman who smokes receives all of the poisons from the cigarettes through the placenta (including carbon monoxide). These poisons prevent the unborn baby from getting the food and oxygen needed to grow resulting in an increased risk of miscarriage, prematurity, low birth weight and respiratory defects in the newborn infant. (see slide 29)

b) How can you tell that the baby may have been affected from the mother's smoking
when it is born? Can you find examples in the Video?

Willy May: "I smoked during my pregnancy. My baby was born with asthma, respiratory breathing problems and he was very sick". (see Video Script pg 48)

Valerie: "I had previous miscarriages. I don't know if it's from the smoking. I had a small premature baby that did make it. He had breathing problems. He breathed like he had asthma. He was born at 2 pounds 4 ounces. He was a very small baby"! (see Video Script pg 48).

If a woman quits smoking prior to her pregnancy, her baby will probably have a birth weight that is similar to a woman who has never smoked. If she quits within the first three or four months of her pregnancy, she can still lower her babies risk of being born too small and with lots of respiratory health problems. Even if a woman quits smoking toward the end of her pregnancy, she can still help her baby get more oxygen and have a better chance of survival. Also, pregnant women who are closely exposed to their partners sec-ond hand smoke have a greater chance of having low birth weight babies with health problems. If a mother smokes and breast-feeds, her baby is exposed to the tobacco poi-sons in her breast milk and may be harmed. A mother who smokes also sets a bad exam-ple for her child as he/she is growing up since children of parents who smoke are more likely to smoke themselves. She also exposes them to the considerable hazard of second hand smoke (see question 18 on pgs 28-29).

*14. Surgeon General's Warning: Smoking causes serious health problems in teens.
What are they and can you find examples in the Video?

Most youths think that smoking only causes health problems in adults and don't realize that smoking also causes serious health problems in teenagers and pre-teenagers. 1) It slows down the growth and development of the lungs so that youths who smoke never achieve maximum lung function; 2) It causes cough and phlegm production and increases respira-tory illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis and infections; 3) It increases carbon monoxide in the blood which robs the blood of oxygen; 4) As a result of 1-3, youths who smoke have decreased breathing ability, energy, endurance and athletic ability; 5) Smoking changes the fat content in blood to favor early heart disease. Autopsies on youths in their 20's who died in traffic accidents revealed that those who smoked were more likely to already have