to wonder how people can justify smoking during pregnancy?

[Archemedes]

I know this is an emotive thread, and I'm not talking about people who try and cut down slowly I'm talking about people who make no effort to stop.

How do people justify that?

Where I live I see alot of it and suprisingly its not mainly 'chavyy women' as people would think.

AIBU to wonder why someone wouldnt even try to stop?

I worked with someone who had given up meth and crack for her pregnancy and still smoked. I applaud her for what she did. You can't tell what is happening from the outside.

How do you know they're not trying?

Why not have a pop at those who pile it on while pregnant while you're here.

I mean people who are quite clear they arent trying

I made it clear in my OP im not talking about people who are trying.

I suppose thats a different sit TerryPratchett did she stay off them??

Oh God not this again...

I expect they justify it the same way overweight women justify actively TTC without losing weight.

Both are dangerous for Mother and baby but both will probably think nothing bad will happen to them.

And in many cases nothing does anyway.

Really everlong then you need to look up the risks to mother and baby for both pregnant smokers and pregnant overweight/obese mums.

It seems the only difference is one group gets regularly bashed on here and the other gets a lot more sympathy.

And I say that as a non smoker.

She did stay off the drugs. Baby was wonderful and well and doing fine (now 3).

If they are addicted to nicotine it is very easy to justify lighting a cigarette because that liitle demon plays with your head. Baby or no baby.

the obese/smoking link is a red herring

a better comparison is drinker and smokers

being big doesn not posion your baby with carbon manoxide or various other chemicals.

Also if you are gonna bash overweight m2b, you also have to bash underweight ones as they have similar and just as many health risks.

It's not a red herring, it can cause damage to a baby and to mother's health...that is a FACT.

So if you're going to slate women for not giving up smoking when they're pregnant because they're putting their babies at risk, you may as well slag off every other pregnant woman who needlessly puts their baby at risk too.

As I said though, one group of risk takers seem fair game to bash and the others not so much...

everlong so picking out cot death lessens the fact that being overweight can cause other complications and risks to Mother and baby?

Risks are risks and some people are prepared to take them...whether that's through TTC when a smoker or TTC when overweight/obese.

I know its addictive blah blah blah you don't know a persons situation, but generally, not every pregnant person who smokes has just given up meth. Some of the time, there's nothing else going on.

And I know feminist argument is that a women loses all autonomy when pregnant. But the women has chosen to be pregnant in many cases and should do everything that entails

everlong

Obesity can cause problems both with becoming pregnant and during pregnancy. If you're overweight, you may have difficulty conceiving, and if you're having fertility treatment, it may not be as effective.

In pregnancy, a BMI of more than 30 increases the risk of a range of health problems for you and your baby.

More than half of women who die during pregnancy are overweight or obese.

Obesity raises the risk of the following conditions in pregnant women:
miscarriage
gestational diabetes
high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia
blood clots
post-caesarean wound infection
genital and urine infections
haemorrhage after the birth
problems with breastfeeding
having a baby with an abnormally high birthweight
increased risk of induction and instrumental delivery

Most pregnancies of obese women are successful, but problems for your baby can include:
premature birth
stillbirth
birth defects

There's also evidence that babies born of obese mothers are more prone to health problems later in life, including obesity and diabetes.

YANBU

I think its depressing to see a pregnant woman smoking, it makes me think if they can't give that one thing up that they know is poisoning them and their baby then really how much else are they not going to give up.

Its so selfish.

Oh that's ok then everlong.....

By the way I'm not anti smoker or anti overweight and I genuinely don't care what other people do in their pregnancies.

I just don't like double standards and it seems ok for people to keep bashing smokers on here for putting their babies at risk...but some people need to look no further than their own noses to see they're often doing the same thing.

That's it really for me.

YANBU - making no attempt to stop smoking whilst pregnant is pretty disgusting IMO.

Being overweight and putting your baby at risk is also not good - but I suspect the risks are higher for smoking.

Also - if you can't quit while pregnant then you will probably be smoking with a newborn - and this I find seriously horrid.

I feel weird about this subject. I am a smoker, but quit for both my pregnancies. After my second pregnancy I stayed off them for a furthur year or so and stupidly took it up again

An aquaintence of mine made no attempt whatsoever to quit when she was pregnant, but made sure she and her partner didn't smoke in the house/car. I wondered how she justified smoking when she acknowledged that she shouldn't have the home/car smoky and how she could leave her lovely smoke free house and take her unborn baby outside with her for a cigarette

But then, I know some parents would think me irresponsible and selfish for taking smoking up again and having it on my breath/clothes, so who am I to judge??