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1st Trimester
Ciggerettes
Im a smoker. I didnt quit for DS; it was just to hard. But for this baby I would like to try harder. I smoke a pack a day. Does anyone know some good ways to quit? Help please & thank you!
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Re: Ciggerettes
I've never been a smoker but:
What Happens To My Baby When I Smoke?
The umbilical cord is your baby’s lifeline. Blood flow through this cord provides your baby with oxygen and the food it needs to grow. Every puff you take on a cigarette has an immediate effect on your baby. Carbon monoxide replaces some of the oxygen in your blood, reducing the amount of oxygen received by your baby through the umbilical cord.
The nicotine in cigarettes increases your heart rate and your baby’s heart rate. It also causes your blood vessels to narrow, reducing the flow of blood through the umbilical cord. This makes it harder for your baby to get the oxygen and nourishment it needs.
To prepare for breathing after birth, your unborn baby will be practising by exercising some of its chest muscles. Nicotine reduces these breathing movements.
Cigarette smoke also contains many other harmful poisons, which pass through your lungs and into your bloodstream, which your baby shares.
Smoking during pregnancy by a mother is a major cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS or ‘cot death’). It also has the following effects:
- Increases the risk of miscarriage
- Increases the risk of complications during the birth
- Increases the likelihood of having a low-weight baby who is more vulnerable to infection and other health problems
- Increases the chances of the baby dying at or shortly after birth (https://www.bellybelly.com.au/articles/pregnancy/smoking-and-pregnancy)
If this isn't enough motivation then I don't think anything will be. Plus, your current child will not have to breathe in second hand smoke which increases his chances of getting lung cancer or asthma.Yes. Don't put the cigarette in your mouth. Sorry, I know that sounds harsh, but smoking while pregnant is so incredibly selfish.
I know I will get flamed for this comment, but that is just my opinion.
The people I know that smoke have the hardest time when driving. (FYI: I've never smoked, but I think anyone that can commit to quitting deserves all the help they want.)
Find something that engages you while at the wheel. Get a stress ball and lots of gum. This way you stimulate both the hand that you would normally smoke with and your mouth and hopefully the stress ball will help you release some tension.
Good Luck. I wish you the best.
Like the previous poster said, know what your triggers are (driving, post-meal, when drinking--although hopefully that won't happen!). You can't avoid those situations but knowing when your triggers happen will help you take steps to avoid.
With the half-life of nicotine, to avoid cravings, you really only need to smoke 1 cig every 2 hours. So if you can't do cold turkey, cut down to 2 hours. Try nicotine gum or a patch. Talk to your doctor for other ways to quit. There are some non-medication things you can try, like hypnosis.
Good luck!
This. When I quit I sucked on dum dums while driving. Sugar free is best for your teeth but lots of sugar is better than smoking. Having to hold them while I ate them felt close to smoking so it helped. I smoked with DS1 but quit as soon as I found out I was pregnant with DS2. I think I remember my doctor saying Chantix (sp) was ok to take while pregnant but I don't know for sure. Maybe you should ask your OB about that.
I quit 4 years ago after having smoked a pack a day for 7 years. Hard candy, gum, drinking a ton of water and keeping busy helped. If I would get a bad craving I would start cleaning. If I got really stressed I would go work out instead of smoke. I also kept track of all the money I was saving, and after 3 months, I took that amount and treated myself to some new clothes. It was extremely hard, but DH was a great support system for me. GL to you!!! It is hard, but I'm sure your children are more important to you than the smoking so they will be a great motivation to not light up again.
Cafiene is addictive. I was a total diet pepsi and coffee addict. About 2-3 large cups a day and a can or two of pop. Found out I was pregnant. Replaced the diet pepsi with pepsi and cut it down to 2-3 cans a week. Cut my coffee down to two half cups a week.
I've been told up to 200mg a day is safe. If I was told none was safe, I truly believe I could have cut my cafiene out all together. Yeah addiction is strong, but my desire to do what's best for my baby is stronger.
Thank you all for the support and ideas! I hate that I failed the first time around. This time I wont let myself fail!
Don't buy them. I know that sounds easy, but really, if you don't have them in the house, car, purse....etc, then you won't be able to reach for one.
Then if you're thinking about leaving the house to buy some, you REALLY have to think about it. Is it worth getting in the car, driving to the store, paying how ever much they are up to now.....?
You'll have more of a chance to stop yourself than if they are in the house already.
I used to smoke some before we got pregnant but was never anywhere near a pack a day so I'm not sure I can totally relate to you. All I know is this, the second I thought I was pregnant (even before the BFP) I quit and never looked back. Since quitting I haven't even craved one once. I guess for me getting PG just changed all of my priorities in life. I'm not judging you at all because I know how hard it is to quit. DH is a smoker and he has been trying to quit since we got our BFP; needless to say he has had a VERY hard time as he is about a pack a day person as well. I wish I had some better advice for you but honestly for me I just quit. My LO is more important. I also have noticed that I feel much better since quitting so that is something for you to think about too. If I feel better and I only smoked maybe 1-2 cigs a day (sometimes none) then think how good you'll feel when you quit.
Good luck!
11/2013- Diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis
07/2014- emergency surgery to remove hemorrhaging cyst first RE missed, removed endo from fallopian tubes, hsg done, d&c performed to remove polyphs in uterus, femvue done, put on dexamethasone and metformin
08/2014- miscarriage, second RE refuses to mark down in charts, switch again
03/2016- IUI #1, waiting for results on April 17
This!
Good luck on your journey to be more healthy for you and your baby!
I used to smoke befor i found out i was pregnant the first time and i found it easy to quit. I was a pack a day smoker like yourself and to quit i just imagined how i would feel if people were smoking round my new born baby, Answer....NOT happy and also Just imagine you beautiful pure innocent child with a big dirty cancer causeing ciggerette hanging out of its mouth and remember that your the one putting that ciggerette there evertime you light up. It worked for me that was 13 year ago and im still a proud non smoker
The first time I got pregnant I quit right away. I then miscarried and started up again. No one understood why, but it was my comfort and I felt I needed it. I refused to listen to the whole it makes TTC harder and could cause miscarriage even in such early stages. All that I just refused. Fast forward four months later and I decide to stop because I was trying anything I could to get pregnant again.
Well I got pregnant that month and i'm not saying that's what did it because I don't really know. It was harder that time because with the first I was thinking about the baby and that made it really easy for me. (not saying your bad because it isn't that way for you.)
I had a friend who would give me one a day. Then I would go home from work smoke just a little and break it. I did that for several days until I started telling her no. She knew what I was doing by the way. I also started listening to crappy music in my car, because my favorite time to smoke is in my car with my ipod on. Another thing I did was avoid people who cause me stress for the first couple weeks. Like my meddling grandma and pregnant sister.
I thought about my miscarriage a lot to try and get strength to stop. I also spent a lot of time with a baby at my work who has severe complications due to her mom smoking while pregnant. Kind of a way to scare me away from it. It was really hard and sucked. You can do it though. Good luck.
Agreed Kdodge. People who have never been addicted to cigarettes really have no idea. You can't possibly imagine how hard it is to quit unless you've been there.
I think if you anticipate having an extremely difficult time quitting, you probably should be extra careful about birth control and not attempt ttc until after you've successfully quit.
Since that ship has sailed, I guess I'd just use the advice you've already gotten.
Ha! Thanks dodgey I was thinking the same thing myself.
Yes, obviously the baby is more important. However, she needs to quit safely under her doctor's supervision.
I smoked for about a decade. It took me at least a dozen attempts to quit before I gave it up for good. I never needed medical assistance, but it was very hard to get up enough willpower to just quit cold turkey and never go back. It is a powerful addiction, and I'll be honest that the first 2 weeks sucked and I was a nasty person during that time. But there is hope. The more days you spend off cigarettes, the easier it gets. The last time I quit was truly the last time and I'll never go back now. You have to be in the right mindset to give it up for good.
OP, reach out to your doctor and get help if you need it. It also helps to enlist family and friends to help. DH was never a smoker, but he knew I was having a hard time and he was always there to help in any way he could. I wish you the best of luck! It's tough, but it will be so worth it.
I wish you luck.
Addiction research shows that once you get past approx 45 days without a single puff, you will be many more times likely to remain nicotine free.
The best advice I can give you (from someone who was once a smoker and who now studies addiction) is
1. To taper down your smoking for a week or two (aim for one less cigarette a day), but don't beat yourself up if you fail. Once you feel strong enough, go cold turkey and destroy all leftover cigarettes. Don't finish a pack "just because"
2. Reward yourself if you do smoke less during that trial week
3. Replace your habits (stress ball, dum-dums, singing to the radio)
4. Avoid places where you normally would smoke (don't go to bars, cut back on alcohol, carry a book with you at all time so you have something to do if you are waiting)
5. Remind yourself that if you can make it 45 days you are free!*
*over-exaggeration of course but it really is a great goal with empirical evidence to back it up.
Good Luck!!
I hope you meant to say he will tell you not to quit cold turkey? I can't imagine a Dr. telling a pregnant women to continue smoking!
That being said. You do need to quit. My mom smoked while pregnant with me and I have awful allergies and asthma which is believe to be caused by my smoking mother. I also catch colds and flu quite easily, again thought to be a cause of my mother smoking. Of course, she doesn't see it that way. Even if your 1st child seems okay there are underlying issues that I am sure will become apparent as he/she gets older. Life is hard enough without giving your children one more thing to struggle with.
I'm sorry but this is a cop out. Every mother I know that smoked during pregnancy uses this line. "My doctor said it would be harder on my baby and my body to quit so I just smoke less." Makes me want to scream. There is no way the stress of quitting smoking is harder on the body and baby than the cigarettes themselves.
Not true. Plain and simple.
OP: I wish you the best of determination, persistence, and luck!
I have never smoked, so maybe I don't 'get it' ... but I can't fathom how someone could willingly do something to harm their baby, whether that baby is inside of them or already born.
If you can't quit smoking, get an abortion.
Also, I can't believe the posts here about people admitting they smoked while pregnant. Horrible, disgusting. I get disgusted even walking past people on the street who smoke, knowing that my baby has to breathe your dirty air, even if just for a minute. I will honestly cross the street if I can.
Wow, you're a fvcking peach. Would you do me the favor and cross to the other side of street even if I don't smoke?
OP, when I quit three years ago, I developed a new hobby. I started a strong exercise regime. Being able to breathe better helped tremendously because I could see my endurance increase. Granted, I wasn't pregnant when I quit. It would have been a lot harder because I was soooo tired in 1st tri, but your new hobby could be as simple as walking, painting, anything that takes your mind off of it. I chewed a lot of gum, too.
It helped a lot that my husband quit at the same time. Do you have any friends that are looking to quit, as well? It really helps to have someone to talk to and get support from. But be careful that if one of you slips the other doesn't give up too. Be forgiving and encourage each other to keep cigarette-free.
To those that haven't smoked or otherwise had an addiction (eating junk does not count), being nasty isn't going to help her quit. She obviously knows that it isn't good for her or her LO. She needs constructive support.
No one in this post said they continued to smoke while pregnant. Just OP. If crossing the street makes you feel better then do it and shut up.
Dear OP- I have never smoked and can't pretend that I have any idea how you are feeling. But I just have to say how brave it is for you to ask for help. It takes a lot of guts. I hope some PP's advice can help. Ignore thos who judge. GL!
BFP #1 March 24, 2010; missed m/c May 26, 2010 @ 12w 4d; D&E May 28, 2010
BFP #2 Oct 20, 2010; My little boy was born on July 5, 2011
BFP #3 April 30, 2013; Chemical Pg May 5, 2013
BFP #4 Aug 22, 2013; It's a boy. Loss discovered at 24 weeks on Jan 15, 2014 (cause CMV virus)
BFP #5 April 6, 2014; missed m/c May 15, 2014 @ 9 weeks; Misoprostol May 15, 2014; D&C May June 3, 2014
Whoa!!!! I have NEVER heard of a doctor recommending to ANYONE not to quit! Stress is a silly excuse to not quit smoking for your baby! And take it from someone who quit cold turkey- it can be done!