Growth up to 2 years in relationship to maternal smoking during pregnancy.

Smoking during pregnancy causes intrauterine growth retardation, but the subsequent growth of these children is not well understood. Two hundred four newborns of mothers who smoked during pregnancy and 204 control neonates were studied. Children were re-examined at 1 and 2 years. Newborns of mothers who smoked 1-9 cigarettes/day had similar anthropometric parameters with the controls. Significant retardation in weight, length, and head circumference was present in the newborns whose mothers smoked > or = 10 cigarettes/day. At follow-up, in children of smoking mothers the retardation of weight improved, head circumference remained stable, and length retardation increased even in children whose mothers smoked < 10 cigarettes/day.