Researchers have discovered evidence, from both human and animal studies, that nicotine in cigarette smoke interferes with the development of the parts of the brain that control breathing.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death during the first year of an infant’s life, and the link between maternal smoking and SIDS is clear.
Prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke puts infants at a two to five-fold increased risk of SIDS and contributes to premature birth, another risk factor for SIDS.
According to a study at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, nicotine exposure in utero leads to altered breathing patterns and ventilatory responses that compromise respiratory arousal and auto-resuscitation.
Infants of mothers who smoked during pregnancy have more pauses in breathing (infant apnea) and have decreased ability to wake up from sleep in response to low oxygen, according to the article in Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology.
The findings highlight the importance of preventing and treating maternal tobacco dependence prior to pregnancy.