girl-mom

Community Advocacy and Support by and for Young Mothers

Pregnant Smokers

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BP
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Pregnant Smokers

Hi Girls,

I was just wonderding what your opinions are on pregnant smokers are?
are you a smoker? did you smoke during pregnancy? what are your views on this?

ExpectingSkittle
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Pregnant Smokers

i've never touched a cigarette in my life. so smoking during pregnancy wasn't anything i faced. in my personal opinion, i don't think its healthy for any person to smoke, and not the best choice for pregnant women to do.
my fiance's entire family smokes though, and he used to until last november. he said his mom smoked with him, and was born perfectly healthy, and his mom even smoked while he was a baby. this is something that i don't think i could ever see myself doing, and my fiance and i have agreed that our baby won't be around it, so when his family visits there's no smoking allowed.

Svinuska
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Pregnant Smokers

It bugs me when I see pregnant women smoking. I smoked until I fell pregnant with my first and as soon as I found out, I quit. I started again (stupid I know) when Maya was around 6 months old but stopped again when I found out I was pregnant again.

I know stopping smoking is hard but surely a healthy baby is the best incentive? There are just so many smoking related illnesses that its just not worth it. I have been smoke free for almost 3 years now and i'm never smoking again!

boigrrrlwonder
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Pregnant Smokers

I have better things to do than judge, but I quit smoking (though I was a light smoker anyway) when I found out that I was pregnant and have been pressuring my partner to do the same since there is a higher rate of SIDS when either parent smokes.

IndigosMama
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Pregnant Smokers

I quit smoking shortly after finding out I was pregnant. It wasn't too bad, because it made me feel ill anyway. The way I look at things like this is, hey, it could turn out alright and baby could be born fine. But if everything wasn't fine, I sure wouldn't want it on my concience. You know what I mean?

kuntish
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Pregnant Smokers

I smoked right through my pregnancy. That was shitty of me and I'm not gonna try to justify it. I still smoke now but I would love to quit. I've been smoking since I was 11 (I'm now 23) and its soooo hard to stop.

I can't judge people for smoking during pregnancy but I do think it's nasty. If I were to get pregnant again, I would stop.

Angelica
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Pregnant Smokers

the day that i found out i was pregnant, right after i took my test, i smoked a cigarette, and then gave me pack away. i was worried about being 16 and having a child, that i would have more issues if i smoked, and i figured his birth weight would be low and if i smoked it would be even lower. turns out he was a 8lb baby anyway. :lol: but i'm glad that i did quit when i was pregnant wit him. i started back up shortly after i had him, bd smoked, and i was stressed so it was just there. sometimes i wish i wouldn't have, its so expensive and so bad for you, but now it's hard to quit. it still bothers me when bd would smoke infront of austin, and i avoid it, and smoke near the fan or outside.

notyouraveragemomma
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Pregnant Smokers

la petite monster wrote:
i've never touched a cigarette in my life. so smoking during pregnancy wasn't anything i faced. in my personal opinion, i don't think its healthy for any person to smoke, and not the best choice for pregnant women to do.
my fiance's entire family smokes though, and he used to until last november. he said his mom smoked with him, and was born perfectly healthy, and his mom even smoked while he was a baby. this is something that i don't think i could ever see myself doing, and my fiance and i have agreed that our baby won't be around it, so when his family visits there's no smoking allowed.

This reminded me of a magnet on my grandparent's fridge:
"If you're smoking in this house, you'd better be on fire!"

Maybe make a craft outta this? I'm sure they'd get the point *giggles*

Chicamocha
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Pregnant Smokers

Its a huge health risk. Some people smoke throughout their pregnancy and end up with no problems whatsoever. Others can have huge complications. I wouldn't want to live with the burden of knowing I may have been able to prevent what happened.

As for other people its their choice. I can't make deicisons for them. I think educating people on the options and so they know what may happen is very important.

jeanie_j
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Pregnant Smokers

I smoked throughout my whole pregnancy, although I cut down to about 3-4 a day. At the time I felt guilty about smoking, but I was so miserable about my pregnancy that quitting just felt like one thing I couldnt do. As soon as my son was born, I looked at him and saw how perfect he was and thought "I cant beleive I smoked". The midwife showed me these tiny spots on the placenta that are there from smoking, there was 2 on mine but she said that had I been a heavy smoker, the placenta would have been covered. Yuck! Anyways, I dont smoke in the house with my son now. I do feel guilty about the fact that I smoked during pregnancy, but at the same time I try not to beat myself up about it and if I was to get pregnant again, I would quit.

naivete
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Pregnant Smokers

I quit cold turkey when I found out I was pregnant just to be on the safe side.

anjy
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Pregnant Smokers

The minute those two lines on the pregnancy test showed up I quit smoking. Still not smoking but as I come to the end of my pregnancy its getting harder to stay away from them with all the stress I am going through. Its also hard because bd smokes and so does everyone I am around. I plan on not smoking at all after because I want to breastfeed Jayson. I am not sure what the problems would be if I did and still breastfed but I rather not. And besides I am saving about 20 dollars a week.

katie87
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Pregnant Smokers

I smoked before I was pregnant, although not too heavily. i also quit when I knew I was pregnant. I smoked a few cigarettes in the days after I knewand finally got rid of my pack and never bought another. Thats how I quit. I dont agree with it, but i also know its sooo hard. I miss it sometimes but i also know how unhealthy it is for anyone, especiallly an unborn baby or young child. i am glad i quit, and im glad i finally had a reason too bc otherwise i would probably still smoke. it really is such a disgusting thing in my opinion. although i was a smoker i still find it gross. now that i dont smoke, 2nd hand smoke makes me feel awful and i can smell it on peoples clothes, hair, ect. i never realized i smelled so bad!!![/i]

naivete
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Pregnant Smokers

I actually found it easier to quit while I was pregnant then any other time, because of the smell and my morning sickness. It got to the point where I felt like puking whenever I smelled anyone with cigarette smoke on them, so that factor made quitting an absolute breeze ;)

SkyKid45
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Pregnant Smokers

Hey katie87, just so you know we don't use the term unborn baby or unborn child at girlmom because it is a loaded term used by anti choicers. just fyi :)

i smoked before I was pregnant and a little bit right after I found out, but I quit because it made me want to vomit every time i smelled or breated cigarette smoke. So that made it pretty easy to quit. I have had a few cigarettes since but i don't smoke now, although sometimes when i smell cigarette smoke it makes me want one

Kyamo
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Pregnant Smokers

My MIL smoked through both of her pregnancies and around them as babies and children, and she still smokes. It seems like she doesn't quite beleive that its harmful, and likes to point out that many times she had a baby in one arm and a cigarette in the other, and look at him, he's fine. :? I worry about his lungs. I sure won't let her smoke anywhere near my future children.

katie87
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Pregnant Smokers

oh sorry about the term, i didnt realize it when i posted. also i have to say for some reason it bothers me when i see someone smoking very closely to or while holding their child. i dont have a problem with smokers or anything since i was one, but i just think if its possible to be far from your kids, to do so. i know if i ever started smoking again i would smoke outside or just not around the child bc i know children are so prone to colds and the like. when i was younger i had bad asthma and if anyone was smoking around me i'd feel like i was suffocating.

i also agree about the morning sickness making it easier to quit. i remember gagging when i'd smoke and that make it a lot easier to quit.

SativaStarr
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Pregnant Smokers

I've been on both sides of the fence with this one. I can honestly say that yes it does kind of bother me when I see pregnant women smoking, but but I'm not about to judge them or say that they care any less about their fetus because they smoke. It's really difficult to kick the habit, and sometimes I think its just not the right time.

I smoked throughout my pregnancy with my son, although I did cut back significantly. Prior to getting pregnant I was a pack a day smoker for 7 years, but managed to cut back to about 3-5 cigarettes a day during pregnancy. My son turned out alright, although he was born at 35 weeks due to placental abruption.. whether my smoking contributed to this I will never know for certain.. as far as birthweight, he came out a healthy 7 pounder despite being 5 weeks early, but I still wonder whether my smoking contributed to his early birth. I did attempt to quit a number of times during his pregnancy, but was never successful.

When i found out I was pregnant again, Tevian was 4 months old, and I decided to quit smoking completely both for my son and for the sake of this pregnancy. This time it was really easy, probably in part becasue I was still only smoking maybe 3-5 cigarettes per day and I am under far less stress than during my first pregnancy.. I am no longer working and I'm finished with school.

I also want to add, smoking during my first pregnancy was something I always felt very guilty about.. especially as I got bigger and could feel him moving. I was ashamed of others seeing me smoke and worried what they thought.. I also felt weird buying cigarettes while i was pregnant..

firefly1
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Pregnant Smokers

i try not to judge people for smoking period. i had probably 10 cigarettes my whole pregnancy ( really heavy smoker before at least a pack a day) for me that was really good. lifes tough, we all have different struggles and different realities to face, what seems easy for you may be unimagenable for others. im surprised i quit during my pregnancy considering the unhuman amount of stress i was under. ill bet the stress itself took ten years off my life. while i would encourage any one who wants to quit to try i wouldnt condemn any one who cant seem to kick it.

maja
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Pregnant Smokers

Its unambiguously an unhealthy choice to smoke while pregnant - it impacts on the amount of oxygen that the foetus receives. Its a cocktail of dangerous chemicals.

I quit a few days after discovering my first term pregnancy and with my second term pregnancy I had quit and herbal detoxed a few months before TTC. I was lucky there first time round because I got so hideously nauseous ut made quitting very simple. For women with morning sickness I suppose you cab kind of train your self to be repulsed by cigarettes.

If we see some some random woman having a cigarette, visibly pregnant we don't know for sure if she only has them occasionally - it could be the only cigarette she has had the whole time, or has just had some terrible news or other such contributing factor.
I'm not justifying the choice. Its a very unhealthy choice, I try to think before I start pointing fingers. If I were in their shoes..
I had more rage at when I was pregnant folks smoking around me (or any pollution when you think about it).
I took a drag of a cigarette (and would've smoked the whole damn thing if not for the coughing fit it caused) when I was 3 months preg with my first on what was a truly horrific day for me...

The oft quoted stat over here is 1 in 5 women smoke while pregnant, but thats a little misleading because if you quit the very day you discover you are pregnant yet smoked for a few weeks before, unknowingly you would be still categorised as a 'woman who smoked during pregnancy'.

If you have a loved one smoking while pregnant maybe think of how you can support them to quit or at least cut down dramatically.
What are their stressors? How can you help?
And if you are TTC, quit now, you will cut your chances of miscarriage and increase your chances of conceiving.
If you live with or are partnered with a pregnant women you must ensure that you do not smoke in her presense, even without the increased risks that come with passive smoking it makes it harder to stay quit. Better still quit as well.

Smoking during pregnancy increases the chance of lung problems, kidney problems, middle ear infections, still birth & low birth weight.
These aren't minor risk factors increases, a woman having 20 cigarettes a day during pregnancy has a 20x greater chance of losing a child to SIDS than a non smoker.

If you are pregnant and addicted to smoking try to wait it out til you desperately need a cigarette (withdrawing) rather than thinking "well the damage is done anyway" Every cigarette you don't smoke is a cigarette less damage.
Butt the cigarette out half way.
Try consulting with a homeopath or a naturopath if extra help is needed.

mynolam334
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Pregnant Smokers

I smoked 1/2-1 pack a day when I found out I was pregnant, and then I quit that day. I'm not gonna lie, I've cheated a couple times: when I had to tell my parents, when BD and I broke up.. But I think I've done pretty well overall. For me, being pregnant kind of gave me a reason to quit, even though it was hard because I really wasn't ready to quit for myself yet. It's so hard, though, because smoking was my way to cope with stress, and I've never been so stressed as I am now! I know you girls can relate. I can't look down on a pregnant woman who is smoking, because like another poster said, I don't know her story. I might be seeing her on the worst day of her life.