The chance of the pregnancy ending in a miscarriage is increased by 24%
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The chance of the baby being born in the low birth weight category is increased by 82%. These babies have higher morbidity and mortality rates. They often require expensive prolonged hospitalization.
The chance of perinatal mortality (i.e. the infant dies immediately before or soon after birth) is increased by 26%
The risk of SIDS- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome triples if the mother has smoked during pregnancy.
"It is estimated that 25 percent of expectant mothers in the U.S. smoke throughout their pregnancies.According to a report from the Surgeon General, 20 percent of low birth weight births, 8 percent of preterm deliveries and 5 percent of all perinatal deaths could be prevented by eliminating smoking during pregnancy." Mullen
A search using Alta Vista on Smoking and Pregnancy, returned the following useful sources of futher information on this topic: American Lung Association at http://ovchin.uc.edu/htdocs/ala/Pregnancy.html