smoking?

[crystal09]

This is totally stupid and Im likely going to be shot down for asking, but is anyone else smoking during pregnancy? I have tried to quit but it is way hard for me. (i already have two children an my husband is in afghanistan til dec-jan 2012. He wont be home for the birth and most of the pregnancy. He left Jan 9 2011 an is expected to be home Jan 2012. I am stressed and I am still smoking

 

[allaboard]

I gave up with my first when i had the pregnancy test in one hand and the cig in the other.

This time i was only smoking when DB came over and when i was stressed etc. I've not had one since last Wednesday. And believe me, I'm stressed right now with stuff.

I understand it's hard, and you are alone with kids whilst your fella is away, but it's probably THE single most important thing you can do for your child health wise, ever. They need these bodies to work long after we drop off this mortal coil, not have an inadequate start in the womb.

I worked in a maternity ward, I've seen smokers' placenta. Even a few cigs a day - they're gritty, dull, flat and smaller. They're just nasty looking things hun.

Cigs are not just nicotine, but arsenic and other horrendous poisonous stuff packed into them. The nicotene grabs onto the oxygen in their red blood cells and stops their body being able to use it - you're basically starving your baby or oxygen each puff you take hun.

Not meaning to make you feel guilty, just letting you know what smoking means daily for the baby. If you want help, PM me if you want. Or those pen things to stop the fiddle factor habit - smoking is also about habits too that you need to break not just the physical addiction.

I hope you can crack it, you can do it. You really can babe. x

 

[Mummy~L]

I had completely given up by 14 weeks with my first and not gone back to it since. I would speak to your MW about it and they should be able to help you xx

 

[scots_mum]

Stop, i was a smoker both times i fell pregnant i appreciate how difficult it is to stop but you really have to its so bad for the developing baby. Just tell yourself you wont put another in your mouth, break up the ones you have, you CAN do it the withdrawls wont last long and they are not that bad just ride it out

 

[charli19891]

i still smoke with this pregnancy and i smoked with my son who was born 10 months ago and he was born 7lb 8.5oz and is very happy and very healthy... i know smoking is bad in pregnancy but i find it very hard.
And as for the placentas quoted by the above poster mine was huge and red and bulgy lol.
it is hard to stop and i have tried so many times, nothing seems to work!!!

but i understand where you are coming from!!!

 

[allaboard]

i still smoke with this pregnancy and i smoked with my son who was born 10 months ago and he was born 7lb 8.5oz and is very happy and very healthy... i know smoking is bad in pregnancy but i find it very hard.
And as for the placentas quoted by the above poster mine was huge and red and bulgy lol.
it is hard to stop and i have tried so many times, nothing seems to work!!!

but i understand where you are coming from!!!

I;m not saying it to be shocking or untrue. The fact is your son's placenta will have been compromised by the smoking - it absolutely would have been bigger in diameter and in thickness had you not smoked and it WILL have been gritty and calcified - areas of dead placenta that can't carry oxygen and nutrients basically. He probably would have been a bigger baby too, because inadequate placentas don't help grow the baby to it's full potential. I've seen a LOT of the things and whilst it might have looked healthy to the untrained eye, it most certainly won't have been.

I'm not meaning to upset you, it's important people know the real situation so they can make that informed decision isn't it?

And as ex smokers we all understand how hard it is too.

 

[NatashaZ]

I am currently smoking. My plan is to not stress about it until I see a doctor. Some women have told me to stop right away, others have said that the stress done to your body and mind when you try to quit can be equally unhealthy, and you should just cut back. I understand that the less I smoke, the better it is, but I also have a very hard time quitting and will need medical assistance to motivate me. My hope is to be smoke free by the 2nd trimester, but I am not going to panic about it, just stay calm and positive and do my best.

Probably not the healthiest advice, but think of it this way... you can either smoke and feel miserable and guilty, or smoke less and keep trying and not lose sight of your goal for your baby until you have quit completely (provided that you are not one of those people who can just quit right away).

My biggest concern with smoking while pregnant is the fact that I might be shortening MY time on earth which means less time with my family in the long run. My mom died of cancer when I was only 25 and I wish we had more time. I want to see my baby have babies some day

 

[scots_mum]

Its not just about birth weight, just think of it like this, every cigarette you smoke goes to your baby reducing its supply of oxygen. It increases the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth and after birth the child is more likely to have problems such as asthma, ear infections etc. You can stop, just think its a poison each one filled with thousands of chemicals just throw them away and dont buy any more, im an ex smoker myself i know its hard but your baby really is relying on you on this one,

 

[NatashaZ]

Oh, and I also worry about heart health during delivery because I want a natural birth. So that is another thing to motivate me towards my goal of having a healthy and smoke-free 2nd and 3rd trimester (along with light cardio and yoga to prepare me for the delivery).

 

[MiissDior]

I quit when Pg with son at 5wks....
best decision i evaa made...​

 

[charli19891]

i still smoke with this pregnancy and i smoked with my son who was born 10 months ago and he was born 7lb 8.5oz and is very happy and very healthy... i know smoking is bad in pregnancy but i find it very hard.
And as for the placentas quoted by the above poster mine was huge and red and bulgy lol.
it is hard to stop and i have tried so many times, nothing seems to work!!!

but i understand where you are coming from!!!

I;m not saying it to be shocking or untrue. The fact is your son's placenta will have been compromised by the smoking - it absolutely would have been bigger in diameter and in thickness had you not smoked and it WILL have been gritty and calcified - areas of dead placenta that can't carry oxygen and nutrients basically. He probably would have been a bigger baby too, because inadequate placentas don't help grow the baby to it's full potential. I've seen a LOT of the things and whilst it might have looked healthy to the untrained eye, it most certainly won't have been.

I'm not meaning to upset you, it's important people know the real situation so they can make that informed decision isn't it?

And as ex smokers we all understand how hard it is too.

I am a midwife at my local delivery suite... newly trained yeah but i have some idea of what to look for even though i felt more sick looking at mine then i do with eveyone elses lol.

i have my next mw appt on the 25th feb and have a appt with the stop smoking mw too

 

[Mama627]

I'm not trying to be an advocate for smoking during pregnancy or anything, but don't beat yourself up too badly if you can't quit after you seek help from your doctor. My mother smoked with all three of her kids. We were all in the 5 lb range, all came a little early. Supposedly smoking made her have little babies... however, when I had my first baby, she was also in the 5 lb range and 3 weeks early (would have been 5 weeks early if she'd had her way). I've never smoked a cigarette in my life, and my mom quit when I was young. None of us kids have any type of developmental problems or anything like that.

 

[NatashaZ]

Sorry to post yet another reply, but something else to think about: I believe all of the negative affects people say happen when you smoke while pregnant, but I also believe that not taking these risks is more about minimizing the chance of negative side effects, not ensuring that all will go smoothly. Many smoking moms have healthy babies, and many healthy moms have complicated pregnancies. It is about choice and what you are willing to risk.

I ate raw salmon for lunch the other day and my friends recoiled in horror. I envision people already calling Child Protective Services on me for that lunch, and the post-lunch smoke. But I stay conscious of what I am doing and I understand the risks and what is at stake, and keep that in mind as I try to change my lifestyle to accommodate my little miracle. If I can quit smoking for this baby it will be a very beautiful, selfless gesture for my family.

 

[Emz_number3]

i quit cold turkey around 5 weeks back... i just told myself im being selfish if i carry on smoking...as yes its very hard indeed...but giving up is the best thing you could do for your baby...yes u will hear people that still smoke say oo its ok my other children were fine, and yeah they probably are, however...they would of been alot more healthier if smoke was not involved whilst they are growing..

the way i see it is...its not just YOU ya harming anymore...its not fair and selfish.

Sorry but iv said to myself when the baby is out i will have a fag to celebrate... how dizzy will i be!!

 

[allaboard]

Oh, and I also worry about heart health during delivery because I want a natural birth. So that is another thing to motivate me towards my goal of having a healthy and smoke-free 2nd and 3rd trimester (along with light cardio and yoga to prepare me for the delivery).

you can do it Natasha you really can. The stress of withdrawal like someone else said is short lived and far outweighs the strain on your body and you baby's of a daily fag. It's an urban myth that stopping smoking is worse than having one or two a day - it's simply untrue and any health professional worth their registration will tell you this.

There's evidence to say that women who are still smoking by 20weeks will struggle more to stop completely at all, so the stats are on your side. I'm sure you will achieve your goal. And yes you are right to say it might affect the birth you want because smoker's placentas struggle much more during the demands of birth and the oxygen needed for the baby. You can do it!

 

[abc123x]

You're breathing for two, dear. Whenever somebody mentions this, it's odd because I hope that maybe morning sickness will help them along. I personally quit being able to stand the smell the day before I was expecting my period. So, I knew. I couldn't even hug a smoker by the time I was 8 weeks. Look up the risks and it might make it easier for you to quit. It's everything from low birth weight to stillbirths.

 

[NatashaZ]

you can do it Natasha you really can. The stress of withdrawal like someone else said is short lived and far outweighs the strain on your body and you baby's of a daily fag. It's an urban myth that stopping smoking is worse than having one or two a day - it's simply untrue and any health professional worth their registration will tell you this.

There's evidence to say that women who are still smoking by 20weeks will struggle more to stop completely at all, so the stats are on your side. I'm sure you will achieve your goal. And yes you are right to say it might affect the birth you want because smoker's placentas struggle much more during the demands of birth and the oxygen needed for the baby. You can do it!

Thank you for the motivation, I am really going to try! I am very aware that it is the right thing to do, I just don't want to pressure myself to avoid stress and also the sense of disappointment I will feel if I fail. But I am going to try over and over again until I can. I hope the original poster and anyone else who is smoking will also at least try as well

 

[v31984]

this is one controversial subject but i think nobody can judge and everyone is different, i smoked all the way with my 1st and he is fine (now 10yrs) and i smoked with my second (2yrs) and he was born with testicular cancer.. so you can make of it as you will, luckily i havent been able to smoke due to sickness with this one so im hoping to stop completely and think of this as a sighn,, i am very stressed out though and i have a very short fuse at the moment which cant be good for the baby?? yes its good to quit or even to just cut down, but do it in your own time and way :O)

 

[abc123x]

Please don't listen to people who say that they smoked all 9 months and their child was just fine. If it wasn't a problem, then they would tell you to smoke all you want. The statistics show problems because problems are there.

 

[Mama627]

i quit cold turkey around 5 weeks back... i just told myself im being selfish if i carry on smoking...as yes its very hard indeed...but giving up is the best thing you could do for your baby...yes u will hear people that still smoke say oo its ok my other children were fine, and yeah they probably are, however...they would of been alot more healthier if smoke was not involved whilst they are growing..

the way i see it is...its not just YOU ya harming anymore...its not fair and selfish.

Sorry but iv said to myself when the baby is out i will have a fag to celebrate... how dizzy will i be!!

My mom smoked when she was pregnant with me. She drank from time to time too. Are you saying I'm somehow lacking in the health department? Compared to other people (especially other Americans) I'm doing pretty good.