Some of them look guilty, averting their eyes when people stare. It's a pathetic and sad sight. Others are more defiant, inhaling the toxic smoke as if their lives depend on it. But one thing's for sure. Pregnant women who smoke make me feel sick and mildly depressed.
Seeing an expectant woman in her dressing gown and slippers suck on a smoke is beyond pathetic when it's impossible to escape the gruesome images of the dangers of cigarettes. So, I'm all for the British plan to test every pregnant woman for smoking.
That's right. During the week, the British Government's health watchdog called for all pregnant women to be breath-tested for carbon monoxide to determine whether they smoked or were exposed to too much second-hand smoke.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar. End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (ironically abbreviated to NICE) has come under heavy fire for impinging on women's rights to mess with their bodies however they like.
Under the British plan, pregnant smokers who test positive to the smoke test would be given professional help to give up in a ''sensitive and non-judgmental'' way.
Cries of ''nanny state'' and ''interfering do-gooders'' are flying thick and fast. Women are already poked and prodded enough with mandatory tests during pregnancy, the critics say. Midwives are also having a crack, saying such ``invasive'' tests send a message to new mums that they can't be trusted to answer questions truthfully.
Normally, I'm the first person to criticise governments for interfering. But I reckon smoke testing is a great idea. If it encourages one woman to give up smoking, it will be worth while. Expand the program to schools to stop the insidious addiction before it starts.
We all know governments will never make tobacco illegal because they'd have to give up billions in revenue. This is the next best thing. And it just may work.
Before you smokers start firing off abusive emails, have a think about why you're so disturbed by the idea.
Is it because you don't want the invasion of a breath test? Or is it because you're angry with yourself for your inability to give up?
I know it's an individual's choice to smoke. Pregnant women have every right to fag on and it's not my place to tell them otherwise.
They're probably feeling whipped anyway, copping an earful for their grubby habit from friends, family and doctors.
But they really should consider the facts. Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth and cot death.
Smoke in the womb has also been linked to psychological problems, such as attention and hyperactivity woes, in childhood.
If you're still smoking once the child arrives, as of Thursday you'll be fined up to $597 if you light up in a car when they are in it.
Children of parents who smoke are more likely to suffer from asthma or bronchitis and have problems of the ear, nose and throat compared with children in non-smoking households. I was lucky to have given up long before having children.
I grew up in a small house full of the smoke. My father lit his first Park Drive Premium when he woke and chain-smoked through each day. Needless to say, lung cancer claimed his life at the way-too-young age of 61. My point is that everyone smoked back then and you could do it pretty much anywhere you liked. Thankfully, times have changed.
Today's smokers require real commitment. They're bombarded with hideously gory advertising campaigns, not to mention ridiculously expensive packets of smokes. And it must be freezing out there on windy city footpaths at this time of year - especially in a dressing gown and slippers.