Vaping and using nicotine patches while pregnant increases your baby’s risk of cot death
PREGNANT women who smoke, vape or use nicotine patches are more likely to lose their baby to cot death, a study suggests.
Experts warn any exposure to nicotine while pregnant or breastfeeding may make sudden infant death syndrome more likely.
One in ten pregnant women smokes in the UK, increasing their risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and having a sick tot.
The NHS says e-cigs may help mums-to-be kick their habit and is “much safer” than smoking for mother and child.
But a study on rats suggests even vaping or patches increase the risk of a baby dying unexpectedly before their first birthday.
Nicotine affected the animals’ central nervous system and the way their heart and lungs responded to stressful environments.
It left them less able to return their breathing to normal after it had become disrupted.
The stress of becoming tangled in bed sheets could affect babies in the same way, leaving them starved of oxygen.
Researcher Stella Lee, from the Geisel School of Medicine, in the United States, said: “SIDS is such a distressing tragedy for families.
“We still don’t fully understand the causes, but this research is important because it helps mothers reduce the risk.”
Almost 300 babies die suddenly and unexpectedly each year in the UK, for no apparent reason.
Most cot deaths occur during the first six months of life and low birth weight and prematurely born infants are at greatest risk.
It is slightly more common in boys than girls and usually strikes when a baby is asleep.
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Prof Janice Rymer, from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “An important limitation of this study is that it involved exposing rats to nicotine.
“More research will be needed to determine the risks associated with nicotine use during pregnancy and the effect this may have on a baby while in the womb.”
She added: “Women who are trying to conceive or are already pregnant are advised to stop smoking immediately.”
The findings are published in the Journal of Physiology.