Smoking, Drinking, & Drugs Affect You & Your Baby — AIPM HealthyLife®
Smoking, Drinking, & Drugs Affect You & Your Baby
June 19, 2026
Online Clinic
Pregnancy & Prenatal Care
Women's Health
When you smoke, drink, or take drugs, your baby does, too! Smoking, drinking, and/or taking drugs can increase your risk for problems. Your baby is at more risk for problems, too.
Pregnant women who smoke have more chances for these problems:
Babies born to pregnant women who smoke have more chances for these problems:
Vaginal bleeding
Ectopic pregnancy
Miscarriage or stillbirth
Preterm birth
Low birth weight
Crib death
Less able to fight infections, like colds, after being born
Some may learn more slowly when they go to school
Pregnant women who drink alcohol have more chances for these problems:
Babies born to pregnant women who drink alcohol have more chances for these problems:
Miscarriage
Stillbirth
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) - when the mother drinks a lot. With FAS, the baby is apt to have one or more of these things:
Low birth weight
Intellectual disabilities and learning problems
Behavior problems
Health problems
Body defects
{Note: There is no safe level of alcohol for pregnant women. It is best not to drink at all.}
The pregnant woman who takes drugs has more chances for these problems:
Babies born to mothers who take drugs are at risk for these problems:
From cocaine (also called “crack”):
Early miscarriage
High blood pressure
Heavy bleeding late in pregnancy
Sudden death, heart attack, or stroke
If the mother shares needles with other drug users, she also is at more risk for Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS.
From cocaine (also called “crack”):
Low birth weight
Slow growth
Tend to have smaller than normal heads and brains
May have brain injury
Crib death
Body defects
Learning problems
Behavior problems
From heroin and other narcotics:
Preterm birth
Stillbirth
If the mother shares needles with other drug users, she is at more risk for Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS as well.
