Doctor says she 'sees babies lost because of smoking'

"This is a day to day reality for me. I see babies being lost to smoking."

Dr Shonag Mackenzie is an obstetrician based at Wansbeck General Hospital in Northumberland.

It's her job to deal with the impact of smoking during pregnancy in an area with one of the highest smoking rates in the UK.

"Cigarettes have about 4,000 chemicals in them but the one that seems to affect babies is carbon monoxide.

"We can prove there's a direct chemical effect. The more you smoke, the more likely you are to harm the baby."

Around 120,000 of the 700,000 babies born each year in England and Wales are born to women who smoke.

Younger mums are the least likely to quit when they get pregnant.

This issue's been in the press lately after Stacey Solomon was photographed smoking while pregnant.

So what are the dangers? And how big is the risk?

·Miscarriage: Doctors estimate that around 5,000 miscarriages in the UK each year are linked to smoking.

·Still-birth: It is thought that smoking causes a third of still-births and deaths among very young babies, affecting about 300 babies each year.

·Premature & small babies: Smokers are more likely to give birth early and to have lighter babies who may have problems developing as they grow up.

·Deformed limbs have also been linked to smoking.

But there are other reasons why a woman may suffer problems like these during pregnancy and it is often difficult to prove that smoking was the main factor.

Also, in most cases, smokers will give birth to healthy babies who grow up without any problems.

"But just because your mum smoked with you, or even if you've had healthy children yourself while you smoked, that doesn't mean your next pregnancy won't be affected," says Dr Mackenzie.

There are other things to think about

·Passive smoking: Even if mum doesn't smoke, other smokers in the house can have an impact on an unborn baby

·Children born to smokers are more likely to smoke themselves when they grow up

·Smoking in the house with a baby increases the risk of cot death

Dr Mackenzie sometimes has to tell young women that smoking may have led to their baby's death.

"We have to be honest. If a woman has a baby who dies, she always blames herself. That's human nature.

"But if there has been a contributing factor like smoking you have to tell them.

"Then you can help them stop smoking for a future pregnancy."