NARRATOR: This year, nearly 500,000 women will smoke when pregnant. As a mother-to-be, quitting smoking now is the most important thing you can do for yourself and your baby. When you quit smoking, you and your baby will breathe more easily. Your baby will also have a better chance to be born at a normal weight and have healthy lungs. Dr. Sharon Phelan is an obstetrician with the University of New Mexico Medical School, and is part of a national effort to help pregnant smokers quit:
DR. SHARON PHELAN: "As an obstetrician, I urge every pregnant woman who smokes to get help now. Women who quit during pregnancy and stay smoke-free after the baby is born can improve their own health and increase their chances of having a healthy baby."
NARRATOR: The U.S. Public Health Service has free information about the benefits of quitting. Just call 1-800-3-5-8-9-2-9-5 and ask for You can quit smoking: advice for pregnant women. Now is a good time to quit, for you and your baby. Call today, at 1-800-3-5-8--9-2-9-5. I'm Bob Tebo, for the Consumer Radio Network.
Current as of July 2002
Internet Citation:
Pregnancy and Smoking. Audio news release transcript. July 2002. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/audio/pregquit.htm