The nicotine found in cigarettes is known to affect the development of the fetus in the placenta and could lead to miscarriage, preterm delivery and low birthweight babies. The negative effect is even more pronounced for expecting mothers who smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day. On a related note, women in pregnancy should take care to avoid environments where they would be exposed to second hand smoke. Alcohol ingestion during pregnancy could result in serious health related issues for the newborn, such as light birthweight, slower intellectual development, congenital deformation and so forth.