Please see the Documents tab for a PDF of the latest NICE guidelines regarding smoking during pregnancy and following childbirth.

Smoking and Pregnancy…Helping to break the link

It is never too late to stop smoking. Every cigarette you decide not to smoke will help you and your baby's health. A baby in the womb receives everything from its mother. Nutrients and oxygen come via the placenta and umbilical cord. Smoking not only exposes the foetus to toxins in tobacco smoke, but it also damages placental function.

When a person smokes, some of the oxygen in their blood is replaced by carbon monoxide. If a pregnant woman smokes, her blood and therefore her child's blood will contain less oxygen than normal. This can cause the foetal heart rate to rise as the baby struggles to get enough oxygen.

As well as displaying the mother’s CO levels in parts per million (PPM) the Baby CO will immediately display the carbon monoxide levels (%FCOHB) of the unborn foetus.

Setting new standards in the field of smoking cessation

Measuring breath carbon monoxide is an established technique used in smoking cessation clinics worldwide. Micro Medical has produced in excess of 30,000 breath carbon monoxide monitors and has distributed them to over 50 countries.

The Baby CO is the latest addition to the CO family and is a powerful diagnostic tool for measuring alveolar Carbon Monoxide in PPM concentrations. This is measured simply from the mother’s expired breath. From this measurement the amount of Carbon Monoxide in the foetus is derived and is represented as foetal Carboxyhaemoglobin (%FCOHB). The mother’s CO concentration in PPM will then be displayed, along with the foetal %COHB.

Customer Benefits and Features of the Baby CO

The Baby CO is the gold standard in CO breath testing and is the most advanced sy