Smokers who give up during pregnancy have good-natured children, claims study

Published on Wednesday 12 March 2008 21:13

MOTHERS who quit smoking while pregnant have easy-going babies, research claims, while pregnant smokers could be destined to give birth to antisocial yobs. A study of more than 18,000 mothers found that those who smoked more than ten cigarettes a day throughout pregnancy were more likely to have "difficult" babies that cried more and had an irregular routine – characteristics linked with antisocial behaviour in later life.

It suggests nicotine can affect the personality of unborn babies, influencing their whole life, as children's temperament is understood to indicate certain persistent behaviour patterns.

The study, published in the BMJ Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, also found that the attitude of smoking mothers might affect children's behaviour.

Results indicated expectant mothers who gave up smoking had even easier-going babies than mothers who did not smoke at all.

The evidence suggests the effect is not just down to smoking, but is also due to the typical personality of women who quit.