Hi Ladies, before all of you bite my head off, please hear me out. I know it's wrong for me to be doing this, I have been smoking for the past 9 years and when I found out that I'm pregnant, I vowed to stop, but I'm now 17wks and I can't. I have tried almost everyday to stop smoking but I just can't. It's too difficult. Is there anyone out there that can tell me how to stop or anything, cos I really feel guilty everytime I light up..... ↓
I smoked up to the 7th month with my forst and the 8th month with my second. I was able to quit permanenly (so far) that time and I did it cold turkey. But even if you can't, try to cut back, thats better than nothing. Even the docs say that. Then once the baby is born you can try the gum or patches. I don' know if they are safe for use during pregnancy. Lots of women have the same problem you have, so you are not alone. Both my boys are healthy normal children even though I smoked. ↑
try using nicotine replacement....it is safe to use during pregnancy and it's really so much easier than doing it alone. i chewed the gum and then just started alternating regular for the nicotine gum so I could quit the nicotine too. of course now I'm a gum addict but it's better than smoking a pack a day lol! if nothing else just try and cut down as much as possible. For women who smoke less than 10 cigs a day the chances of complications are almost that of a non-smoker. good luck....I know it's hard! ↑
Don't be so sure about the nicotine replacement. Its the nicotine that hurts the baby. I even heard the patch can be more dangerous. Try keeping it down to under 5 a day and your baby will have less of a risk of high blood pressure. I thankfully quit cold turkey a couple months before I got pregnant. It for me was easier than using the patch. I tried that before and failed. I am now 5 months smoke free and I still think about having one every now and then. Try going to Whyquit.com, it gave the the strength and drive to quit. After I read all the terrible things smoking did to people. Good luck and give yourself another chance to quit, it takes some people up to 7 times to finally kick the habit. ↑
I have that same problem im 16 weeks pregnant and cant quit smoking i've tried and lasted for about 2 weeks, then i got so stressed out and just started again, but i cut down to about 2 smokes a day but im still trying to quit!. ↑
I dont mean to be rude, and I have never been a smoker so I know I dont understand how difficult it could be to quit but I think it is very selfish that someone cant give up smoking for their unborn child. It would be like holding your baby down and blowing smoke in it's face. Would you do that? Inside your womb, your baby has no control or escape from the bad choices you make. I dont understand why you cant just quit buying them. If you dont have them, you cant smoke them. Im sorry, but this is a very bothersome topic for me and I really dont mean to slam anyone, i just dont understand. ↑
Luckily, i quit smoking cigs 2 years ago, but before i knew i was pregnant, i smoked pot several times a day and drank liquer every day as well. The day i found out i was pregnant, i quit both imediatly, even as an alcoholic pothead, i knew it was bad for my unborn child, and was able to drop it without a problem, i just thought about how unlucky my child would be to be developing in those conditions, and it sickened me. Now when i smell ether of them, i feel nautious. Just put your child's needs above your own, because i think thats what being a mother is. ↑
my mom smoked when she was pregnant with me and I have sever asthma, I don't think my A.D.D has anything to do with her smoking, but I hate having asthma and I can't play any sports because of it with out having an breathing attack...she did not smoke with my sister and my sister is smart with good grades and doesn't have a breathing problem. ↑
I was able to quit cold turkey, but my sister told me it was really hard for her to try to quit, and so everytime she lit up, she would imagine the baby coughing in the womb, and that would make her put it out. My other sister cut back to 4 - 6 cigs a day and she has a super healthy baby that was 22 lbs by 7 months. ↑
I am a smoker and I quit as soon as I found out with my first, about 2 months in with my second and with my 3rd, I had a harder time. Selfish as it may sound, I was going through a sudden loss in my family that was very rough along with other dealings and it made it very hard to cope. I did cut back and I did feel guilty the entire time, but my daughter was born a healthy 8lb. 5 oz.. My mom smoked like a feen throughout her entire pregnancy with me and I have no problems what so ever. It is never healthy or wise to smoke while pregnant because it is linked to low birth weight and later issues with asthma and allergies, but it is also harder on the baby in utero if you stress out way too much. Try going down to 2-3 cigs (outside of the home-if possible) a day and just having a few puffs each time, it will make them last longer and you will not be smoking as much and then maybe, with luck, you will be able to quit all together. Just try not to be the dummy I was and think you can just be a "social smoker". I tried that and am smoking again-outside only. Darn things. ↑
Oh, I was thinking about this after I posted my answer. I am not pregnant, but I started the nicotine patch a couple weeks ago, and while it worked great while I was on it, after 3 days I had to quit. It was giving me terrible muscle and joint pain in the spots where I placed the patches. You are suppose to change the new patch location everyday and no matter where I placed it, my muscles got so week there, I could not move. With this said, I would definately advise talking to your OB about doing a replacement therapy while pregnant because of possible side effects. I am now researching other methods to use. Good luck and hope your pregnancy goes well, either way!!!!! ↑
I smoked for 15 years, to varying degrees. At times it was a pack a day, but during the last two years I had it down to about 5 per day. When my husband and I knew that we were going to try conceiving, I cut that in half and there were days where I did not smoke at all.
As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I stopped completely. That was six months ago. Believe me, a cigarette would be SO nice and I will be honest and tell you that I think about how nice it would be every single day.
But is it worth it? No.
What might help is to figure out WHY you smoke. For me, it was my "alone time" in the evenings, quiet time by myself outside looking at the stars and relaxing, or smoking "socially" when with friends or chatting with them on the phone in the evenings. Once I figured out it wasn't actually this physical thing that I NEEDED, but rather an emotional thing, it was much much easier to just drop it.
Figure out what it is for you, and find a substitute. If it's relaxation you need, instead of heading outside to smoke, go to a quiet place in the house, sit down on the floor and take several long, deep breaths and relax your body. If it's your "you time" that you need, find another activity that gives you that escape (I'm loving chic novels now!)
Whatever it is, it's going to take some soul-searching. That's a good thing to do, because as a self-aware and accountable mother, you'll raise a self-aware child. Do it for the both of you.
Geez, it's so hard and the things are just evil. I have recently just had to stop, as I recently found out that I'm PG. I mean, withdrawl was and still can be unbearable. Sometimes I want to pull my hair out. The first week I had to just lay down and cry because I wanted one so bad. I was miserable. Plus, I had my BF yelling at me for how awful I was to smoke in general, and what harm I've done to the baby already. And there I was all stressed out b/c I was pregnant and wasn't planninig on being pregnant. Terrible situation. Good luck, and just keep trying to stop. Sometimes I put a big bowl of carrots, or watermelon right in front of me and eat, eat, eat. It helps pass the time and the craving... Plus, you can't get fat or hurt the baby from eating carrots and watermelon!!! Again, good luck. I sympathize with you completely. ↑
I'm about 9 weeks in myself and am having a problem quitting. It seems as though every person I know smokes. I have had the luxury of working in a place that we can smoke at our desks, and everyone does. But now I've had to take the step to ask people to go outside, and when you're working with a bunch of guys that aren't pregnant that's a tough favor. I've tried just eating all day but as soon as I'm done eating I reach for a cigarette. Tried to smoke only halves but I find myself reaching for that rest of the half pretty soon afterwards. The only thing that people have been telling me is "this should be easy. you're pregnant. just quit" But after smoking for almost 15 years this is truely a pain. Never thought it would be this hard. ↑
