When a smoker finds out she is pregnant, giving up the habit is often one of a number of important tasks - a list that can also include stocking up on all in one baby suits and baby back carriers.

However, when it comes to helping females to quit, it is important to offer support rather than putting them on a guilt trip, according to the Royal College of Midwives.

Professional policy advisor Janet Fyle said ladies know the risks to their unborn foetus if they carry on smoking.

She pointed out that two-thirds of pregnancies are unplanned and that some females struggle to conceptualise doing something to benefit a person they have not seen.

Ms Fyle remarked: "If you think about the fact that smoking is an addiction and when people who deal with addiction work with addicts, you don't tell addicts to give up their drugs for somebody else. They have to do it for themselves."

She was reacting to recent research by the Karolinska Institute which revealed newborns of smokers show signs of circulatory dysfunction.

This followed a study by the University of York last November, which found children of people who could not kick the habit are more likely to have behavioural problems.ADNFCR-3005-ID-19580627-ADNFCR