I have read somewhere once this : That beating the odds about smoking in pregnancy - ie having a healthy child even though you smoked, is nothing to boast about. IT's not something to be proud of liking beating the odds in surviving and illness or cancer. You are taking the risk with your baby's lives, it's definately nothing to boast about.

Before everyone gives it to me - with this baby, when I conceived I was a heavy smoker. I also have anxiety problems and have been classed as having a highly addictive personality. I've had a hell of a lot of hardship in my life and smoking was my one 'safe' addiction to cope. (not safe, but not as destructive as some) I nearly broke down wondering how in the world I would ever give up smoking. But the way I did is I saw it as child abuse for myself, that I was asking this baby that had no choice to have nicotine pumped into his system. I rang the QUIT line (their number is on every smoking packet) and everytime I felt like a smoke, I would read pages I'd saved from the internet about what I was doing to my baby. And I ate lollies, I ate bloody thousands of them, and it helped.

I gave up cold turkey at 7 weeks. I slept alot, was the biggest ***** in the world, but the cravings eased by 14 weeks. I nearly lost my baby a few times really early so that helped me put it in perspective.

I won't lie, it was one of the hardest things I had to do, but I always knew it wouldn't be as hard as if something happened to my baby because I smoked and that I would have to live with that guilt of being responsible.

I always saw it as not a choice, that I had to as it wasn't for me, it was for the baby.

I always said I would never give up smoking as it was my safe addiction like I said, I relied on it heavily to cope. Believe me, if I did it, anyone can.

Good luck!