BERKELEY, Calif. and SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct.

BERKELEY, Calif., Oct.

March of Dimes Urges Women to Quit Smoking to Save Babies WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To dispel any uncertainty about the serious harm caused by smoking to babies and pregnant women, the first-ever comprehensive systematic review of all studies over the past 50 years has established clearly that maternal smoking causes a range of serious birth defects including heart defects, missing/deformed limbs, clubfoot, gastrointestinal disorders, and facial disorders (for example, of the eyes and cleft lip/palate). Smoking during pregnancy is also a risk factor for premature birth, says Dr.

Family history, infection and stress all may play a role in raising a woman's risk of having a premature baby – but they don't fully explain why some women give birth too soon and others don't.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Feb.