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?

Thank you, yes DD2 was stillborn at 37 weeks, so I do get a bit sensitive about these things. Sorry for your mc

bellacb,just caught up and thanks for explaining what i meant i think you knew where i was coming from

god its like walking on eggshells here sometimes,lol

The point is that all manner of legal activities are not recommended while pregnant (of course some of them are not recommended ever), like smoking, drinking heavily, eating many types of food etc. I even had a barking mad antenatal book that said pregnant women should not wear high heels in case they fall, swim in water out of their depth in case they drown, or walk along busy roads in case they inhale car fumes. The list extremely long and growing constantly.

HOWEVER all of these things are perfectly legal to do, and as adults we all assess such risks and act accordingly. The only way to stop pregnant women from doing things that other adults are allowed to choose to do is to legislate specifically against pregnant women.

At the point when that happens, then pregnant women are effectively being declared to be less competent to make their own descisions and manage their personal responsibilities than are other adults, relegating them to the status of incubators for an unborn foetus. I find that thought profoundly disturbing and it is understating the case to say that I would object strongly to any such proposition.

YANBU to wonder why someone wouldn't even try to make the effort in the first place - that's a completely different thing from trying to quit and failing IMHO.

How did a thread about smoking came a bashing thread for being on MN whilst pregnant!?

An internet debate is not harmful for a foetus...my job used to be far more stressful than this.

Iphone - almost not al oat! The auto correct just gets stranger!

I was being sarcastic fgs!! Because it sounds so stupid.

And it is laughable that you compare being on MN and smoking during pregnancy! Really.

And I like how you have utterly ignored my comment about midwives encouraging mums to quit smoking..and actually handing a real leaflet out! They must really be doing a lot of harm...

Everyone smoking knows it's not good for them let alone any babies they might be carrying and I refuse to tiptoe around the issue to make them feel better about themselves for doing it!

how this thread has 160 posts is beyond me.

i hate these obvious threads

i might start a ' aibu to think that beating children is wrong?"

then i might use txtspk jst 2 fck evry1 off

Flora your statement 'I refuse to tiptoe around the issue to make them feel better about themselves' is the reason I've been banging away at this. Posters who work in smoking cessation with pregnant women have told us that condemning them makes them defensive and less likely to stop. If you care about the babies, why do you keep doing something that makes it more likely they'll continue being exposed to smoke? Either you prioritise foetal health, or telling the mothers what you think of them. If you choose the latter, YOU are voluntarily undermining smoking cessation efforts, because you won't give up the pleasure of judging. This is not the action of someone who cares about foetal health.

As for MN, stress is bad for the foetus. This is not a matter of opinion. The fact that all you can say is that it's 'laughable' is telling: if there was any actual argument against this, you'd make it. That one is more dangerous than the other is irrelevant. There are things more dangerous than smoking. That doesn't make smoking harmless, and hasn't stopped you criticising it.

I didn't see anything you wrote about midwives and leaflets. However, there's a difference between encouraging women to stop smoking and condemning them if they don't. Again, this is not a matter of opinion.

Oh, and Tolalola's post was superb.

Obesity/smoking yes both are bad but you don't need to smoke cigarettes to live. You do need to eat.

Stress caused by MN I meant...Not all stress! Read my posts properly please before you go judging away at me.

Custy

I'm seriously off now...seems like common sense has failed.

Ilikecandy. Now that is just nasty. Any moral high ground you held is now gone.

Yes i have everlong, and posted on it earlier.

All flangelina is saying that stress is bad for a pregnant mother too and that condemning a pregnant smoker is NOT condusive to getting her to stop, in fact calling her horrible names and giving her grief for smoking will probably have her reaching for the fags!

Pregnant smokers need encouragement to stop, not condemnation and not the nasty, rightous, holier than thou attitudes shown by those on this thread.

I reiterate my earlier point - I don't understand what on earth posters think these sort of threads actually do except allow judgmental people to post and feel better than everyone else. Do you really expect a pregnant poster to even admit to doing so on a thread like this, let alone ask for help to stop.

It's nasty, just nasty.

Wow this thread has spiralled , I dont think many people on here would actually go up to a pg smoker and shout the odds.

I agree with flange

I had The same conversation on a thread last week.

I worked with people suffering from addiction, lets hope noone reads this thread and decides to lie to their hcps. That is the reality of what happens when people feel they will be judged for what they are doing.

If people are scared to admit to an addiction whilst pregnant they will not get any help with quitting.

Who are you calling a sock puppet?

Moral high ground?

If you gave a shit about the babys of smokers you'd want to help them stop.

No body is perfect, some people just like to judge others as it makes them feel superior.

Pretty sad realy.

Oh please, anyone with a modicom of sense would search posting names before shouting sockpuppet.

If that is really what you believe, then report (you know, like you are supposed to) and apologise when MNHQ tell you that you are wrong.

Could it just be that other posters don't share your judgmental views. Could it just be that other posters like to help pregnant smokers to give up and understand the actual best way to do so?

Calm down, calm downnnnn. Maybe you should work some of that energy into caring more about the poor foetuses who get exposed to cigarette smoke rather than selfish mothers to be who care more about smoking than their unborn baby. I am perfectly happy with my view on this and couldn't care less what you few who would rather defend pregnant smokers think. End of!