Smoking-Low Birth Weight Link Explained in Part

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It's the burning of organic materials such as tobacco that creates the toxins such as carbon monoxide. Big tobacco puts over 4000 chemical additives in cigarettes to make the potion that keeps you addicted. Some of these are highly known to cause cancer.
Nicotine is generally not the problem, although it is addictive.
There's a way for pregnant mothers to attempt to quit, or at least get their nicotine fix in a less harmful way. It's an electronic cigarette. I bought one and it does work. It's called Green Smoke. You can check it out if you want, but this will probably be deleted because of spam... which stinks because it is a helpful link.
http://www.thevaporcig.com

Paul of PA 5:51AM February 07, 2009

Oh please Mr. Borio. I leave the decision in the hands of those with an honest and ethical bone in their body. I'm quite confident which way that will lean.
BTW, yes 3/4ss was the average. Thank you for noting that that means that half was BELOW 3/4s. According to THIS study, it's clear half were above. I can admit that part. I'm dying to see if you can admit the other. Also, please produce the medical definition of "substantial" in regard to weight differences.
And how about digging deeper than just stating "smoking causes low-birth weight"? There do remain conflicting scientific accounts of just what that means:
"… [Dr. Allen Wilcox] said, 'the babies of smoking mothers had a higher survival rate.' As he explained this paradoxical finding, although smoking interferes with weight gain, it does not shorten pregnancy. Thus, among smoking women the smaller babies are more likely to be born full-term, but the smaller babies born to nonsmoking mothers are more likely to be born prematurely. So, he deduced, it is their prematurity, not their low birthweight, that explains the higher infant mortality rate among babies of low birth weight who are born to nonsmokers," ("High Infant Mortality in U.S. Is Linked to Premature Births," Jane E. Brody, New York Times, Mar 1, l995).
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"The deficits of weight at birth in children born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy are overcome by 6 months of age." Conter V, Cortinovis I, Rogari P, Riva L, "Weight growth in infants born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy," British Medical Journal, Mar 25 l995; 310(6982):768-771.
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You want to play "attack the messenger" or do you want to talk substance?

Audrey of NY 4:33AM February 04, 2009

Robert saw though your attempt to belittle the science just fine. YES, 3/4 of a pound for a newborn is indeed "substantial." And that's just the average!
Robert well comprehended your attempt to insert duplicitous intentions into the plain, factual words of scientists and public health advocates.
I note your supposed correction is as off as you claim Robert's message was.
Spin your delusions all you want, but don't get all "wah, no one understands me" when you're nailed.

Gene of NY 12:55AM February 04, 2009

When you can't even correctly comprehend what I wrote (I said it's less than a pound and that it was members of Public Health who leave the impression it's more) it gives me no confidence that you have the ability to comprehend all the facets and factors of the science involved. Anecdotal ("in my family") stories are not science.
Also, go back and read my first paragraph and see how early you began to go wrong. Though I have little hope it will help.

Audrey of NY 7:22PM February 03, 2009

In my family, the smoking women were also obese with diabetes in pregnancy. They would gain 50+ pounds during pregnancy, when they already were over 200 lbs at the start. Guess what. Their babies were fairly normal sized. The diabetes increases the babies overall size and the smoking diminishes the size, so they came out near 6.5-7 pounds but they were a little early too. If no smoking had been involved, they might have been 10 pound babies at full gestation.
In the article, 350 grams is about 3/4 of a pound. Not several pounds like you suggest. Especially when babies are early or sickly, an extra 3/4 pound might mean life or death.
With all the fat and unhealthy and sometimes older women having babies, smoking is just one more nail in the coffin. Do you really want more sickly babies on life support or growing up with asthma and health problems and maybe learning disabilities? A lot of these mothers may be undereducated and possibly on welfare. The state ends up paying the bills which is passed onto the taxpayers. Get a brain and get off smoking. It's not good for you or anyone.

Robert of MN 9:16AM February 03, 2009

This article fails to relate that it is more than just a lower birth weight baby which results from smoking. The baby's and mother's health risks go up incredibly with smoke exposure. I have a relative who smoked during pregnancy. She could never carry the babies farther than 8 months. They seemed okay when they were born, but they have pneumonia and/or bronchitis at least 5 times or more a year. They get the flu every year and they always have a cold or a chronic cough. My mom never smoked and I had the flu maybe twice my entire life and I'm 35. Cigarette smoke even second hand is toxic. If you love your baby, you will stop smoking. Just imagine each cigarette is a shot of poison to your baby (which it is). Get help. Do what you can to stop. Even the father should stop smoking.

Lee of MI 8:51AM February 03, 2009

I do not suggest that pregnant women SHOULD smoke. But I do suggest that the overblown hype does a disservice to the integrity of the field of Science.
The average difference in the newborn weight of infants born to nonsmokers and smokers was about 350 grams? Does that even mean anything substantial?? 1 pound = 453.59237 grams. We're talking about an average difference of less than one pound!
On the issue of smoking and low birth weight, it's no more than spin to advance an agenda to simply say -- as a fear-inducing tactic -- "Smoking in pregnancy causes low birthweight in babies." The intended impression is that they are many pounds underweight when it's been repeatedly shown to sorely not true.

Audrey of NY 6:15AM February 03, 2009

Hello Everyone,
My wife was finally able to kick the habit before she got pregnant with our now first born beautiful baby girl, so I thought I'll share the resource that she has used to help her quit the smoking habit with as many people as I can.
She was a heavy smoker for about ten years and just a couple of weeks after finding out about the program that I have researched online, she was able to quit smoking permanently and now can't stop telling people about how she had kicked the habit for good.
Anyway if you want to check it out, here is the site that my wife has used to help her quit smoking; www.invisismoke.com

Robert of CA 7:06PM February 02, 2009