May is the month to recognize our previous, current, and future mothers! And I wanted to take time to talk about the benefits of quitting smoking as a pregnant woman or current mother. No matter how old you are, or how many kids that you have, strong women deserve to be celebrated! And sometimes mothers forget to take care of themselves. Unfortunately, 1 out of 5 women in Indiana are of child-bearing age, and many of them are both pregnant and current smokers; this contributes to our 11.5% smoking rate among pregnant women in Indiana. I believe that this number would significantly decrease if we helped our mothers make themselves, and their health, a priority!

Here is a list of the risks of smoking during pregnancy:

• Preterm labor or Miscarriage
• Placenta complications
• Mother's increase heart rate & blood pressure
• Low birth weight for the baby
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
• Slowed development of the baby's brain and/or withdraw symptoms

Here is a list of risks associated with children breathing secondhand smoke:

• Ear infections and/or nasal irritations
• Respiratory issues, including bronchitis and pneumonia, and impaired lung function
• Increased risk of developing certain type of cancers
•  Increase risk of developing asthma and/or triggering asthma attacks
• Frequent coughing and wheezing

I don't need to convince you that smoking is bad for you to participate in or for your kids to be affected by, but I am sure that we can all agree that self care is not a high enough priority for our mothers. Let's stay educated and find new ways to support the health and lifestyle changes of the mothers within our community!