Smoking during pregnancy

I'm 21 Weeks pregnant, and have not quit smoking...i know its not the right thing to do but even my doctor said i was allowed 10 Ciggarettes a day. I am feeling very guilty about it but its very hard to stop especially now that we can't use anything to help. i would like to know if theres anyone else out there in the same situation and if anyone has any advice.

there are going to be 3,000 replies here because it is a touchy subject for us mommies in the making on here. all i can say is to try your best to quit because obviously that's what is best for the baby. i have never smoked so i dont understand the nicotine addiction thingy but try your best and surround yourself with lots of support. good luck!

Good for you to be attempting to quit! I can guess a little how hard it is- my bf is a two pack a day smoker and trying to quit. He promised by the time Chelsey finally made her arrival- he would be done.

I dont have any advice- and you already spoke to your doc about risks n such so I really cant add anything except

Good Luck!

EthioQueen23 wrote: I'm 21 Weeks pregnant, and have not quit smoking...i know its not the right thing to do but even my doctor said i was allowed 10 Ciggarettes a day. I am feeling very guilty about it but its very hard to stop especially now that we can't use anything to help. i would like to know if theres anyone else out there in the same situation and if anyone has any advice.

Prepare to be told that you suck at life and should commit suicide promptly after giving birth.because girls here are extremely bitchy about stuff like this.


When I'm super stressed I'll still have a cigarette. I have TMJ disorder and any drug you can take to help I cant take so if its really bad, I'll have a cigarette. It helps to relax my jaw, therefore allowing me to sleep and less stress for the baby... My doctor says she'd rather me smoke a cigarette and be in less pain and less stressed than for me to sit through the pain and put much unnecessary stress on the baby.

Some people cant quit. Just cut back as much as possible. You'll be fine and so will baby! Good lucky honey!

EthioQueen23 wrote: I'm 21 Weeks pregnant, and have not quit smoking...i know its not the right thing to do but even my doctor said i was allowed 10 Ciggarettes a day. I am feeling very guilty about it but its very hard to stop especially now that we can't use anything to help. i would like to know if theres anyone else out there in the same situation and if anyone has any advice.

Hey yeah you are going to get a lot of crap, but hopefully people can take it easy since you are trying to do something about it. Anyway i'm 13 weeks and down to about 5 or so (except the last few days i've had a cold and smoked maybe 1 1/2)...I know how you feel. But i'd like to offer you support, maybe we could exchange emails or something. I KNOW how hard it is, and I know the guilt and shame that goes along with.
So everyone else try and be nice she is asking for support---

I say throw out all the cigarettes you have or give them to your friends... go buy lots of chewy candy or even hard candy that you really enjoy. Make sure you always have some with you and any time you're craving a cigarette eat a piece of candy instead. Hopefully it'll get your mind off of smoking.

As for your doctor saying that its okay to have 10 cigarettes a day... I think you need a new doctor.

Good luck!

It is possible. You just have to make it a priority!! When you are pregnant - it is not about you anymore. I am not trying to put a guilt-trip on anyone. I am a realist and I know it is especially difficult to quit smoking. I quit by cutting down to one a day and then it wasn't so hard.

I am not going to lie - I was crying the other night because I wanted a cigarette so bad...but again...no matter how hard I try to justify having one I didn't because again...it is not about me anymore.  

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

I smoked about a 1/2 pack a day before I got pregnant. My doctor said she would love to see me quit, but if I could cut back to 2 or 3 a day, she said the baby would be fine.

I only smoke a 1/2 a cigarette at a time, and only smoke *maybe* a total of 2 a day. My pregnancy has been fine, and Kennedy has been growing just fine.

Just do your best to quit or cut back, that's all anyone can do, is do the best they can.  

well darlin.. i'm almost 35 wks pregnant and i still havent quit completely.. i'm down to about 4 a day tho...

-but-

my best friend didnt quit smoking at all, and BARELY cut back and her little man was due monday morning at 5:01 a.m measuring in at 7 lbs 8 oz, 19 in long and was perfectly healthy...

i know what you mean when you say you feel guilty...
i still do.  

but if you cant quit then dont stress yourself out about it.

EthioQueen23 wrote: I'm 21 Weeks pregnant, and have not quit smoking...i know its not the right thing to do but even my doctor said i was allowed 10 Ciggarettes a day. I am feeling very guilty about it but its very hard to stop especially now that we can't use anything to help. i would like to know if theres anyone else out there in the same situation and if anyone has any advice.

i know this girl that smokes about that much when she was pregnant and now she has her baby who is 2 months old and she breastfeeds and still smokes and her baby constantly cries until she is able to breastfeed nothing else works and its like every hour and then she just spits most of it back up and im pretty sure its so frequent because she needs the nicotine which is sad

First off, I haven't had the addiction but have smoked and occasionally want to but don't because I am preg and it doesn't bother me so I am not in the same situation. Second the advice I can give is to cut back to ultra light ones first. Cutting it all out cold turkey can be bad with the withdraw. I had caffine withdraw bad and my doctor told me to cut back as much as possible to prevent withdraw but dont cut it out all together because the withdraw symptoms mix with preg and you never know when you need to see a doctor asap and withdraw also causes alot of stress on the body and the baby. If you doctor said 10 a day max then I imagine you normally smoke A LOT more then that so 10 isn't as bad as you usually would have. Gradually cut the amount down. Like set a certain amount aside a day that you know is your max for that day. Each time you look at how many you have for that day you will think do I really need it now or can it wait. Over time cut the amount set aside down by one or two and you should be fine. Good Luck and I hope you are able to quit soon as of course it is best not just for the baby but you to.

kelsey20 wrote: i know this girl that smokes about that much when she was pregnant and now she has her baby who is 2 months old and she breastfeeds and still smokes and her baby constantly cries until she is able to breastfeed nothing else works and its like every hour and then she just spits most of it back up and im pretty sure its so frequent because she needs the nicotine which is sad

Experts all agree that even if you smoke you should still breastfeed.

While nicotine can have adverse affects such as: vomiting, diarrhea and restlessness for the baby, as well as decreased milk production for the mother, it does not cause addiction in the baby.

I'm not saying that mothers should smoke and breastfeed, it's obviously healthiest not to, but what you're positing isn't plausible.

http://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/helpme_asklc_ans133.html

The other doctor I'd like for you to "know" is Dr. Jack Newman. Dr. "Jack," as we lactation consultants affectionately call him, is a Canadian pediatrician and breastfeeding expert who runs a breastfeeding clinic. He also has a brand new book out called Dr. Jack Newman's Guide to Breastfeeding. He has a wonderful article on the web "Breastfeeding a Toddler - Why on Earth?"

His article explains many of the benefits of nursing a toddler, as well as dispelling the myths that there are no more nutritional or immunological benefits beyond a year. There are indeed MANY benefits to nursing a toddler as your wife has undoubtedly learned. It makes mothering much, much easier! Nothing can stop a temper tantrum easier nor calm down a hurting or upset child. I have known of women who actually nursed their toddlers in emergency rooms during bone-setting and stitches. You could never comfort a child that way with a bottle.

I understand your concerns about the smoking. Babies with parents who smoke have more respiratory illnesses and are more likely to die of SIDS. However, Dr. Jack has the following to say: "All the publicity about exposure to nicotine, about carcinogenic compounds that the baby receives does not diminish the risks of not breastfeeding." He goes on to say, "Stop smoking if you can. Cut down if you can't. If you or your partner must continue to smoke, do so outside; away from your baby. But breastfeed." A baby does not receive the same amount of nicotine that the mom is getting. It has been approximated that the child receives only about 10%. That is the reason that it is not contraindicated.

C.

wow I wouldn't have expected that with breastfeeding. hmmm....but I know I will completely quite by then. With my first daughter I was young (no excuse) my husband was in the military and getting ready to leave (still not a good excuse) and i was far away from family. But with all the stress in my life at the moment I ended up smoking up to the 7th month (except for the first trimester cuz of really bad morning sickness) She did thankfully come out healthy, (infact she's only been sick 2 times in her 3 years of life!, and it was very mild) And I continued to not smoke until she was about 4 months (when hubby came home   )
I will tell those of you having a hard time, really the easiest way to do it is to get rid of all of them and not let anyone around you smoke....that's how I did it cold turkey at 7 months last time.

rachelle115 wrote: I will tell those of you having a hard time, really the easiest way to do it is to get rid of all of them and not let anyone around you smoke....that's how I did it cold turkey at 7 months last time.

I didn't manage to quit completely until the 5th month of my pregnancy.

Definitely one of the keys is to not be around other smokers while you're trying to quit. One of the biggest problems I had was I had a friend that was actually pressuring me TO KEEP SMOKING while I was pregnant (We've ceased being friends). Finally I just had enough and quit smoking and quit hanging out with her.

C.

You can do it sweety!!