Suggestions on ways to quit smoking during pregnancy

[cherie26]

s361768

It is hard for people who dont have addictions to relate to those who do which unfortunatley is seen everyday in the way we treat people addicted to any form of drugs we tend to look down at them and judge.
However in saying that I dont think that informing someone of the fact it can increase the risk of still born was ment to be cruel. When someone has already lost one or two children and been doing the "right" things throughout their pregnancy but still loose their baby it is harder to be understanding to people who seem to be intentionally harming their baby.
We all have choices. But in saying that there is still a safe way to quit and as a dr informed my friend when she was pregnant and smoking that quitting cold turkey can put more stress on the baby so taking it slowly is the key.

[s361768]

I personally feel that a non-smoker jumping in and saying to a group of pregnant women (who are trying their best to give up/modify their highly addictive habit for the health sake of their babies) and saying by the way you know that smoking increases your chances of having a stillbirth..... is quite insensitive. I think all women of 2008 would know this piece of infomation no matter education level.

I understand that we all have choices - but that is easy for someone whose bodily organs (the brain) and tissues don't require a particular chemical to function, to say.

Saying all this though I do 100% understand that a pregnant woman who is not a substance user and who has had prior miscarrages would find it incredibly distressing and unfair that other pregnant women are smoking, drinking, taking illicit substances, drinking more than 5 cups of coffee a day - especially considering their own personal loss.

[lilima]

s361768 The comment made was not meant in a rude or hurtful way. I was on antidepressants. I could say the same thing when people told me what "might" happen to my baby. (and they did) We all make hard choices in live. I say bravo to all that are trying to quit.
Wishing you all the very best.

[kirsty_lee]

s361768 I Totally agree with what you said and it's good that there are women out there who know exactly what it's like. I totally understand the shame side of it.. but you know what .. at the end of the day I gave up caring what other people thought and I think it's disgusting that people make you feel like ***** over something that is a hell of a lot harder to quit than what people realise. But yet when you hear about heroin addicted women people go 'aww that poor girl must be hard'... either way.. you quit CONGRATS to you. but if you can't dont beat yourself up because stressing about what other people think gets you no where. It doesn't make you a bad mother it's a horrible addiction that is hard to quit.. and people who dont' smoke or who've quit easily than others really in my opinion shouldn't cast judgement. And i totally agree with pointing out obvious statments like "do you know your child could be stillborn" cause that just reiterates (sp?) the guilt and shame factor all over. My personal opinon Blakesmummy as i've already said.. your doing a great job and dont let other peoples opinions/negative feedback stress you out or get to you.. you will quit in your own time when your ready.. you need to quit on your own terms not because your being hounded into doing so

[Mummatotwo!]

privacy

[kirsty_lee]

Mummatotwo.... Fortuneately Im on zoloft for my anxiety/depression which is thankfully the most studied to see the effects on pregnancy and baby... I've only been told that closer to my due date just to cut down my dosage just so its easier for bub when she's born... I couldn't imagine having to go through my pregnancy without them though as well as trying to give up smoking!

[Yael]

Mummatotwo, i'm sure you are doing fantastic! Its important to stay positive, no matter what you are trying to beat, and know that you are a fantastic mummy to cares so much about their little one, and that everything you are putting yourself through now is to show them how much you care!

Feel free to keep posting in here, letting us know about your good (and not so good) days!

Well done!

[lilima]

Well done on smoking less today! You are going to have up and down days, but you will get there.

[frazaled1971]

well first of all i will give my personal story here but in no way do i condone the fact that i am a smoker i am a well educated 36 year old mother of 5 soon to be 6.
i had my first child 17 years ago i was young and scared so the thought of giving up never even crossed my mind as well as the fact that my whole family smoked and all us kids had been born fine and healthy and to this day still are,number 1 was quickly followed by the next 3 and yes i smaked through every pregnancy and with the first 3 wasnt even told to cut down(how things have changed)
was told we couldnt have any more babies do to some ladie probs and 4 yars later bang here comes number 5 it was a shock and yes as much as i hate to admit it not one we hjandled well my smokeing went through the roof this time i did get curry from all quaters mostly the doctors i asked them tp show me some concreat proof of what smoking was doing to my baby they told me all the usuall stuff increased m/c,pre term labour,small birth weight,still birth,and a few others i cant rememberbut they coulnt prove to me that it was only from smoking or even from smoking at all anyway we were once again told you most certantly cant have any moore babies as your reproductive system is shoot ok well we had 5 healthy kids and what do you know 7 years down the track and yep here comes number 6 (i will not be taking there word for it again he is getting sniped lol)i am now 33 weeks along and as you can imagine have been told in no uncertin terms this is not on i have cut down but by no mean by enough and i know this i also understand that if you do it all by the book and then someone like me comes along that it seems so unfair.all my kids were born post dates by at last 10 days (so there goes pre term labour)have never had a m/c that i know of (very lucky i know)my babies birth weights were 6lbs 14oz,7lbs8oz,7lbs 6oz,9lbs 2oz,9lbs 11oz and no i have never had gd so thats not the reason for the high birth weights and they did a sizing scan last week on this bub and they are saying already6lbs(so there goes low birth weights) never had a still birth (thank god) but i am a very stressy person have had pnd twice and have been told by both doctors and midwives that anything that releaves stress is better then stress itself ,im not saying you should smoke as a matter of fact i wish id never gone there in the first place myself but i can only do what i can do ,my kids are all healthy not even ever had athsma very rearly sick and as they are now 17,15,13,12and 7 so far so good i know people who do everything spot on and it still goes wrong i honestly beleave a lot in life is luck,chance,fate whatever you wish to call it ,try to always remember you are a great mother sure we may stuff some of it up along the way and we dont always do everything we should but we are not perfect and are not ment to be ,mother hood is the most guilt ridden thing you will ever come across we beat ourselves up over just about everything we do or dont do ,if you think you are a bad mum just think you can always read this and think compered to her im good not only do i smoke all but one of my babies were induced and i hope they induce this one to i must be one of the only few people who dont think its not that bad i only breast feed 2 of my bubs and not for long and wont be doing it this time either,but you know what i am over worring about what other people think of me nd the main reason for this is my kids are all healthy and i am the most important person in there world so for me i got the really important stuff spot on.
sorry this is so long i had no intention of it being maybe this has been on my mind for awhile LOL

[DANNIIM]

Mummatotwo well done...you are doing great!
Frazaled1971 just a comment....you are one of the lucky ones that the smoking and and lifestyle haven't as of yet affected your ability to conceive and nourish your babies...on the other hand i think the DR's know what they are talking about when they talk about the risks associated with smokes and drugs in general. I used to think the way you do until i started to get ill about 12months after i had DS. The reason i started to get ill was because of everyday lifestyle and passive smoking, yet i don't blame DP for this. I have been a non smoker and an occassional drinker (maybe 1 or 2 once a month) all my life and had what i would have called a reasonably healthy life...but obviously not. I now am seeing a natural therapist to clean and detoxify my body to bring me back to a healthy state just so i can concieve naturally again. I think it is naive of yourself to think that putting any sort of chemical in your body is not ever going to affect your health in general.

Lastly i think what all you ladies are doing by trying your hardest to reduce your intake and quit is the best thing you can do for yourself and your family.

[kirsty_lee]

I don't think that's what she was saying though.. she's not saying it's NOT going to negatively affect her...

[Aranah]

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!

[mrsmac]

I smoked until about 10 weeks with both my DDs, it took me that long to give up completely so I know where you are coming from. i think quitting smoking is one of the hardest things you can do so good luck! I found rewarding myself with little things for each week I went without smoking helped me.

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

Ok, this probably isn't going to be the most popular opinion around, but here it goes anyway;

when I found out I was pregnant, I was smoking about a pack a day. I started smoking when I was 13 and since then, smoked anywhere from 1/2 a pack to 2 packs a day. I still quit smoking when I found I was pregnant for one reason - I had no choice. I simply could not put a cigarette in my mouth knowing that my baby was going to recieve the same toxins I was. It isn't right to force a child of ANY age to smoke cigarettes. It's not just your body anymore, it's your babies body you're affecting as well. In my opinion, there's no excuse. What it comes down to is what's more important - your cigarettes or your baby. Yes, its hard, but that's not an excuse. If your baby is more important to you than your cigarettes, you won't smoke.

I hope that doesn't offend anyone, but thats MY opinion based on my experiences, as I was a heavy smoker for years.

[Lucy]

As a smoker myself, who gave up through pregnancies, but succumbed occasionally, I can really see it from both sides.

As a Mod, can I please ask of all of you is to be sensitive and tactful in the way that you offer ideas & suggestions.

This is not a debate on the rights or wrongs of smoking during pregnancy, so if you are going to post, please offer constructive advice rather than judgement or antagonistic comments please.......thanks.

[kirsty_lee]

I totally agree lucy

[DANNIIM]

I apologise if i offended anyone in my earlier post...i was kind of talking about the smoking and drugs in general and not just when pregnant. The past and present governments have alot to answer for when they make this drug so randomly available...it is just another addiction and like all addictions all we can do is try our hardest to kick it and i know it is easier said then done.

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

I didn't mean to offend anyone, since this is a discussion about smoking and pregnancy, I thought i'd put in my 2 cents, since I was a smoker when I found out I was pregnant. Didn't mean any harm.