The truth is that there are more former smokers than current smokers. It is also true that quitting smoking is difficult and may require several attempts. There are several benefits of quitting for you, your baby, and your family, which is why you should consider creating your quit plan today.
How Quitting
Benefits You
- Quitting lowers your risk for lung cancer and many other types of cancer.
- Quitting reduces your risk for heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease (narrowing of the blood vessels outside your heart).
- Quitting reduces your risk for heart disease within one to two years of quitting.
- You will experience reduced respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. While these symptoms may not disappear, they do not continue to progress at the same rate among people who quit compared with those who continue to smoke.
- Quitting smoking reduces your risk for infertility.
How Quitting
Benefits Your Baby
By quitting smoking during your pregnancy, you have:
- Less risk of your baby being born too early.
- Less risk of your baby being born with birth defects like cleft lip or cleft palate.
- A higher chance of having a baby with a healthy birth weight.
- A greater chance that your baby will be able to come home from the hospital with you.
- Increased chance your baby’s lungs will develop well.
- A greater likelihood that your baby will have normal brain development before birth and through early childhood.
- Less risk of your baby dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
By quitting smoking after you have your baby, your baby will have:
- Fewer coughs and chest colds.
- Lower chances of getting bronchitis or pneumonia.
- Fewer ear infections.
- Less frequent and less severe asthma (if your baby has asthma).
- Less of a chance of becoming smokers as adults.
- Lower chances of dying from SIDS.
How Quitting
Benefits Your Family
When you quit smoking, you help protect family, friends, and coworkers from health risks associated with breathing secondhand smoke. Since your health and well-being of Black women is essential to the health of your children and your family, it’s important to do everything in your power to make healthy choices, which includes quitting tobacco.
How Quitting
Benefits Your Family
When you quit smoking, you help protect family, friends, and coworkers from health risks associated with breathing secondhand smoke. Since your health and well-being of Black women is essential to the health of your children and your family, it’s important to do everything in your power to make healthy choices, which includes quitting tobacco.