One in ten smoke in pregnancy

[SoTheMoon]

AIBU to be totally shocked by this?

I honestly thought it was much, much lower. Government target announced today is to get it down to 6%.

@PencilsInSpace I remember when I started a thread in early pregnancy about quitting smoking and you were the only person who didn't flame me,

21% of women aged between 16-34 smoke.

So it would appear that the majority give up or claim to give up when pregnant. Given how addictive nicotine is and how stressful pregnancy is, I think it is a bloody miracle that anyone manages to quit. Half of all women who smoke quit doing so, when pregnant puts a completely different complexion on the issue (and if accurate) should be celebrated.

Are the universal Co tests in place across the country now?

I had one a day when pregnant .

Not proud not clever but I did

I have finally given up and wish I had earlier but what can I do about it ? Fortunately DC are fine and asthma free

And first thing I did when I got home after DC1 horrible shocking labour was to have a fag and a large glass of wine by god I needed it

I only say that to the guilty feeling lurkers as no one eill admit it / but if you can't give Up then try and cut down drastically

Awaits flaming

I was shocked when my cousin kept stepping outside during her baby shower for a fag. It took her eight years and three rounds of IVF to fall pregnant. It's just pure selfishness.

Doesn't that actually show just how hard it is to give up smoking? IVF is an incredibly gruelling process. No one puts themselves through it who's ambivalent about having a child. She will also have been told multiple times that quitting would make it easier for her to have the baby she so obviously desperately wanted. What stories like this actually seem to show is that for some people will power alone won't do it, no matter how good their motivation. They need targeted help and support, not to be left to their own devices and then judged if they fail.

I don't know why people think smoking has gone down dramatically since the smoking ban. In 2007, when the ban was introduced in England, smoking prevalence was 24.2%. Ten years later it's 17.3%. It's falling by a bit less than 0.7% a year on average.

Actually I do know why some people think smoking has gone down dramatically and depending on the circles you move in OP YANBU to be totally shocked by this stat.

The vast majority of the 6.9% of the population who no longer smoke are relatively affluent and mentally stable. As rates have fallen, smoking has become increasingly concentrated among poorer people and those with MH issues. It's the biggest cause of health inequalities today.

So lots of people don't know anyone who smokes, just like lots of people don't know anyone on min wage or means tested benefits, or anyone in social housing or anyone with serious chronic MH issues.

I was put down as a smoking mum in my booking in appointment. My DS wasn't planned - in so much that we decided to think about it and be a bit 'careless' so to speak and we ended up conceiving on the first attempt So, for the next four/five weeks, I still smoked, not expecting anything or really TTC.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant I stopped - but I was still put down, statistically, as a smoker. I wasn't - and I didn't smoke for the remaining 33w of my pregnancy, but statistically, I would have been a 'pregnant smoker'. For that reason, I think that number is slightly skewered. It also doesn't take into consideration the number of people who smoked for a few weeks longer than 5w and stopped - for instance someone who found out they were pregnant at 12w (or further along, it happens) could easily be smoking or drinking right the way through and would be registered as such, but give up the moment they find out. I wouldn't think it fair to morally lump them in this statistic alongside the mothers that choose willingly to smoke.

As for mental health/addiction - I had horrendous antenatal and postnatal depression. Smoking would have probably helped temper this but I couldn't do it. I have absolutely no judgement for those who were in a similar position to me who couldn't give up, like a previous poster. You have to pick your battles - if that battle is 'I need one cig a day to prevent myself from 24hr of permanent anxiety/suicidal thoughts/self harm' I would always say that you do whatever you need to do to keep yourself (and by virtue, baby) as safe as possible. I worked with a lot of service users and it's not just as cut and dry as 'how dare they smoke' - even if we wish it was.

Pencils a 7% fall in a decade to the lowest recorded figure is pretty big deal. The impact is very uneven in socio-economic terms, but to say there hasn't been a significant fall in smoking in the UK is daft.

Most of us who smoked during pregnancy were once the foetus on the heartbreaking 'don't smoke in pregnancy you skanky cow' posters. Most of us still love our mums and think they did a good job on the whole.

Butt it is measured at delivery.

Pencils a 7% fall in a decade to the lowest recorded figure is pretty big deal. The impact is very uneven in socio-economic terms, but to say there hasn't been a significant fall in smoking in the UK is daft.

No these are shittest falls in prevalence we've ever had. Data from CRUK.

I thought it would be higher, and suspect it is. Who would actually admit this to their midwives?

I must admit to smoking whilst pregnant, but the first 21 weeks I didn't know I was expecting (was on the pill and getting my period, midwife said it was probably due to the hormones in the pill) 😩 And I did have about one or two a week for the remainder of my pregnancy.

It's very hard to stop smoking, it's very normalised, but never the less Is an addiction. Like any other addictive drug it's very very hard to stop. I genuinely feel for people who find themselves in a situation similar to mine.

However I took lots of measures to make sure my addiction was under control when pregnant, and given the bloody shock and then subsequent stresses of planning to have a child in such a short space of time, I think I did ok, not perfect or even great, but ok.

What I find abhorrent is people just choosing to continue with their same 20 a day habit, who don't be even try to quit? I work in the financial services and have a huge contact centre attached to my building, so we have thousands of staff sharing the same building. The amount of pregnant women I see smoking in the smoking shelter, without even hiding the fact alone, makes me question these figures

Yes it's smoking status at time of birth that's measured.

ew1990 how did it all go?

Ahh ok thanks Stealth - good to know I wasn't registered as one then statistically

I am not shocked at this figure. I've only ever seen a few visibly pregnant women smoking, however some pregnant women would only smoke in private, so it's more prevalent than some people imagine but less visible.

If I see an obviously pregnant smoker, I judge them, stare at them and try to deliberately make them feel uncomfortable by pointedly staring at their bump and coughing. I would do this whether they have a primark shopping bag or a Selfridges one.
Class doesn't distinguish babies health.
When you've seen babies in neonates who are suffering from selfish mothers who used cigarettes, alcohol or drugs whilst pregnant, you'd judge them too.

Selfish. Arseholes.

It's interesting how blatant some people are

The term shameless could be used but clearly they are not ashamed and don't think there is anything wrong with it ?

Which clearly is down to the education levels etc

I agree that smoking is definitely a class issue these days it's very telling and quite depressing

21% of women aged between 16-34 smoke

That's way higher than I was xoectkmg!

Expecting

@PencilsInSpace probably going to get slammed but oh well, have the e-cig, some days I do really well, others not so much and have a slip up, (1 cig) and I'm not making excuses but was a 20 a day before I got pregnant

Fuckyduck

You stare at pregnant women intimidatingly because you think the baby is more important than them

That makes you an evil bastard

That's brilliant progress ew1990.

There's very good info on this page, inclusing advice on ecigs in pregnancy

Laurie

@FuckyDuck
If you glared at my youth who was made pregnant by her older pimp who beat her and supplied her with drugs and she came in from street living, dumped him and all her friends and gave up meth and alcohol because she got pregnant, parented really well and made a life for her beautiful baby; you'd be an arsehole.

She'd be too nice to say that, but you'd be one.