data from hospital administrative records between 2003 and 2012, babies' health is found to be strongly pro-cyclical. A one … 1.4%, and a 0.1% decrease in foetal growth. We find heterogenous responses: unemployment has an effect on babies' health … evidence of three channels that can explain the overall negative effect of unemployment on new-born health: maternal stress …

characteristics. We find that maternal smoking during pregnancy reduces birth weight and fetal growth, while paternal smoking has … virtually no effect. Mothers' work interruptions of up to two months before birth have a positive effect on birth outcomes …, especially among British children. Parental behavior appears to respond to permanent family-specific unobservables and to child …