Smoking all through pregnancy - was it ever acceptable?

[ClayDell]

I was born in 1972

My mum fully admitted that she smoked throughout her pregnancy with me.

i looked at my medical records and I was in a special baby unit for the first month of my life with jaundice

Was smoking throughout pregnancy considered acceptable in 1972?

PND used to be called Baby Blues and women were encouraged to smoke as the cure. I know someone who had PND and they got her smoking and suggested a small sherry in the afternoon also, for her 'nerves. That's how womens health concerns were treated, actually in my lifetime, it's shocking.

I remember a friend’s aunt smoking during pregnancy in the early 80s and it was all that was talked about on the way home in the car so it was definitely frowned upon then at least.

My doctor told me this when I was pregnant with my eldest in 2006. He was quite old (possibly in his 60s) but even so he was a GP and shouldn't be given out such "advice".

I think the prevailing attitude for many decades was “it would be more stress on the baby if I tried to give up”. That’s assuming giving up smoking was even suggested.

The amount of passive smoking I did throughout my childhood in the 80s is truly shocking when I look back. Out of my close family, only my mum never smoked.

My mum had me & my sibling in the mid 60s and gave up smoking through both her pregnancies - so it was known to be better to stop even then. She smoked when we were younger and then stopped altogether when we were at school in the late 70s/early 80s and the long term health risks were more widely publicised.

I'm sure it was pretty normal that if you smoked pregnancy didn't stop you in the 70s.
My mum was a midwife and women used to smoke so they'd have a small baby, and that was in the 90s.

Yes, I had my daughter in 1975, and son in 1977, and it was perfectly acceptable, as was a moderate amount of alcohol. 🤷‍♀️

Maternity hospitals had smoking rest rooms.

The only thing I was warned about was to try and avoid some sorts of medication. This was still in the shadow of Thalidomide.

Both babies were full term, up to weights and healthy.👍

My siblings were born in 1974 and 1978 and mum stopped smoking for the duration if pregnancies and breastfeeding. The medical personnel warned on the dangers of smoking during pregnancy.

This is something that’s always been on my mind - my DM smoked through both her pregnancies in 1980 and 1984. Would no medical staff have said anything? She still smokes like a trooper now and only selectively follows advice when it suits her so she would have continued regardless…

But the quality of cigarettes were also different then. It was almost pure tobacco without half the chemicals they use now. It's the chemicals that cause the most harm.

I was struggling to breast feed my first. I was advised to go home and have a glass of Guinness. That was in the early 90s. It didn’t make a difference and she grew up on SMA. Second one fed without a problem.

Born in the early 1980s...I think my mum smoked throughout her pregnancy with me...my sibling was born a few years later and I think she then stopped or at least cut down during pregnancy.

My granny smoked at least a pack of Silk Cut every day of her life. She used to let me and my cousins blow out her matches for her as a game 🤦‍♀️ this was in the 90s.

When she was pregnant in the late 50s she had morning sickness and was prescribed Thalidomide, but refused to take it or any other medicine in pregnancy, because she worried it could harm her babies. Still smoked away merrily though!

It was normal in 1972, for women who smoked in the first place. They could see women all around them smoking and having healthy baby after healthy baby, so they wouldn't have seen any real urgency to quit.

My older brother was born in 1972, also with jaundice, and my mother has never smoked in her life, so I wouldn't assume that has anything to do with the smoking.

Yes, I had my daughter in 1975, and son in 1977, and it was perfectly acceptable, as was a moderate amount of alcohol

I was pregnant in 2007 with my first DC and I'm sure the advice was that you could have 1 or 2 units a week of alcohol.

My mum smoked throughout pregnancy with me and all my siblings. She received advice against it, but did it anyway. Her pregnancies were from late-70's to mid-90's.

I think in the 70's the advice perhaps wasn't as strong as it is now, but by mid-90's it was very clear that smoking wasn't advisable. She just couldn't/ wouldn't quit, and I don't think she really believed the medical advice anyway.

I have to admit I do feel a bit resentful of it and I wonder whether the various health problems we all have are to do with it, but we will never know.

But there were lots who thought it was silly scaremongering. There were debates in the media - like many practices of today such as the best way to lose weight.

My sister used this excuse to not have to give up smoking when pregnant in the late 90’s. It really is shocking isn’t it. My mum chain smoked throughout her entire life but my dad would never allow her to smoke in the house and had given up prior to my birth in the early 90’s.

She smoked all the way through all her pregnancies and had me at 43. She had pre-eclampsia and as such had to deliver me at 26 weeks. I know being an older mother comes with associated risks but smoking definitely can’t have helped.

I think by the 80s it was frowned upon , early 2000s when the facts were well known my neighbour smoked occasionally whilst pregnant and my mother was horrified yet my dbs wife smoked continuesly during both her pregnancies and she thought it was OK and that was 5 years ago. To me I couldn't knowingly endanger my baby but then again I've never been a smoker so don't know how hard it is to give up.

Yes my colleague was pregnant in 2006 and she was criticised in 2006 for smoking - but behind her back !

There are a couple of pregnant women at work still smoking.
I had mine in the eighties and there was a designated smoking room just off the ward.
My third son had jaundice despite me never having smoked so not sure if that’s relevant though

Yes that’s the thing ! My mum was 41 when she had me !

My mum smoked through all her pregnancies, even the last ones in the late 80s. I remember as a teen telling her how disgusting it was when I saw her bottlefeeding my sisters with a cig hanging out of her mouth.
When I had my first in 1996, there was a smoking room on both the delivery floor and the maternity floor. They were always packed!!

I never smoked and because I was brought up by a chainsmoker and bullied at school for smelling of smoke (ironically my bullies went on to be smokers) I always thought it disgusting. I’m very judgey about it.

Local maternity hospital had a smoking room.

I witnessed a new mum at home smoking whilst breastfeeding.

Early 2000s.

My mil gave birth late 50’s, she told me after she gave birth, the nurses encouraged her to smoke a cigarette.

how times change…