20% of women smoke or drink during pregnancy

PREGNANT women are more likely to drink if better educated, while one-in-five mothers will drink or smoke at some stage during pregnancy.

However, expectant women are significantly more likely to smoke during pregnancy if they have fewer qualifications, a Government-funded study revealed.

The study, Growing Up in Ireland — The Infants and their Families, tracks the lives of 11,100 nine-month-old infants and their families. It found that nearly one-in-five mothers smoked at some stage while pregnant and a similar proportion had drunk alcohol.