Chorevia

Day 117 of 280 · 16 weeks + 5 days

Secondhand smoke

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 4 sources · Plain-text version

Sixteen weeks and five days. Today is about the air around you: where smoke gets in, what it does, and one plan for each place.

Size this week
about the size of an avocado
Length this week
around 11.6 cm from head to bottom
A woman with a small bump in a loose cardigan on a back porch at dusk, arms folded against the cool air, a man beside her leaning on the rail, the kitchen window lit behind them.

Sixteen weeks and five days. Today isn't about anything you do. It's about the air you breathe, and who else in your life shares it.

Your baby

One whole dark-green avocado on a plain white linen cloth, soft daylight.

Around 11.6cm from head to bottom, about the size of an avocado (NHS). The nervous system is still developing, and it's what lets the arms and legs move: the hands can form fists and may punch around inside the womb (NHS).

Your body

In the NHS, a routine carbon monoxide test is part of midwife appointments (NHS). It's routine, not an accusation.

The CDC is plain about why it matters. Smoking in pregnancy slows fetal growth, so a baby may be too small even at full term; it roughly doubles the risk of abnormal bleeding during pregnancy and delivery, and it raises the risk of preterm delivery (birth before 37 weeks), stillbirth, cleft lip and cleft palate, and sudden infant death syndrome (CDC). Secondhand smoke counts on its own: breathing it during pregnancy can cause lower birth weight and may cause preterm delivery, and babies exposed to it face a higher risk of SIDS, ear and lung infections, and reduced lung function (CDC). "Stop smoking" sits on the NHS's to-do list for this week, next to giving up alcohol and cutting back on caffeine (NHS).

Try today

  1. The secondhand-smoke sweep

    Time: 10 minutes

    1. List every place you breathe smoke in a normal week: the car, the porch, a relative's house, the break area at work.

    2. Next to each, write one plan: smoking happens outside and away from you, the car stays smoke-free, you take a different seat at the family dinner.

    3. Give the list to the people it names. The CDC's facts on secondhand smoke (CDC) do the arguing so you don't have to.

    4. Keep the list where your partner can see it.

    Make it work:

    You're not policing anyone's habit. You're asking for clean air for a few months, and most people say yes when the ask is specific.

Watch for

  • Normal

    nosebleeds, which are on the NHS's list of common symptoms this week (NHS).

    Call your provider

    about any bleeding from the vagina; the NHS says to seek advice for any bleeding (NHS), and smoking roughly doubles the risk of abnormal bleeding in pregnancy (CDC).

  • Normal

    urine infections are common enough to be on the same list (NHS).

    Call your provider right away

    for pain when urinating (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    headaches (NHS).

    Call your provider

    if headaches get worse or don't go away with rest and acetaminophen, because they can signal preeclampsia (MedlinePlus).

For you

If someone in your house smokes, this part is for them. The CDC says the best time to quit was before trying to get pregnant, the next best is as early in pregnancy as possible, and quitting at any point helps (CDC). That last clause is the one that matters now.

If you're the one who smokes, nothing here is a verdict. "Quitting smoking is important to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby," the CDC says (CDC), and your midwife or doctor is the person to ask for help with it; the carbon monoxide test is there to help, not to catch you (NHS).

If you're the partner and you don't smoke: your job is the list. Be the one who says "outside, please" at the barbecue, so she doesn't have to.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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