Is NICE going too far?

[Sal321]

This BBC news story is about a suggestion by NICE (national institute for clinical excellence) that all pregnant women should be breath tested for smoking at their first MW appointment. I know I don't smoke, why should I be tested? I appreciate that I could refuse, but isn't this a bit of a weird recommendation?

Do you think "so ner" might be a useful part of the midwife consultation, vintage?

And why concentrate a)on mothers b)on smoking

High blood pressure also results in small babies with health problems. Why don't we fit women with salt eating detectors and monitor their crisp intake?

don't be twattish, weetabix. Doesn't help your argument.

How do you know, smoking cannabis, smoking tobacco, there seems to be a lot of sn kids in schools, don't there?

What have you been reading, weetabixwhiner?

And again I ask, why did you say 'women shouldn't smoke'?

Think this should be in the feminism section tbh.

good idea cory lets do it

Oh, ok, I see.

You're an idiot.

This is yet another example of public ownership of pregnant women.

Its not news that smoking is very undesirable during pregnancy, but it's not against the law, however unpalateable people might find that.

The next thing will be people wanting to enact laws affecting all women of child bearing age, just in case they get pregnant unknowingly, and have taken substances deleterous to the foetus's health during that time.

Is it because you smoke and feel guilty?

I was a smoker before I was pregnant..but I really despised them during pregnancy..

But this test is a nasty piece of work..it will not help these women at all..

I think that women should not be allowed to have sex at all unless they are ready to give up alcohol, smoking, brie and bagged salad.

shut the fuck up weetabixwhiner i am on this thread saying that i dont like to see pregnant women smoking but i wont stand for the shite you are spouting my ds is 17 and has severe autism. I never smoked during pregnancy and have never taken drugs and no one knows 100% what causes autism

What the fuckity are you talking about weetabix? Are you really as knobbish as you are coming across?

It's not against women, yes, men produce sperm and it has some bearing on quality etc. But when you have another human inside you, you must do you utmost to provide it with a healthy environment. So nuts to you, and you shouldn't do nuts either!

Its a free world, whiner, don't tell the rest of us what we must do.

Seems to me that if the government really cared about the health of babies (and the rest of the country) they'd just make cigarettes illegal and be done with it.

But no, much better to let people continue to smoke and gather up all that tax revenue and then feign outrage when they find mothers smoking...

Oh, I get it, you are all smokers except vintage. Naughty girls swearing!

That's poisonous. As I say to officious people who suggest I'm not "allowed" to do x, y or z during pregnancy:

"I'm advised not to do many things. Some of them have a scientific basis, some of them are bullshit. But I'm allowed to do whatever I want, including terminate this pregnancy."

"smoking causes autism"??? Who on earth said that?

Anyway, I'd smoked for 12 odd years when I became pregnant with dd1, was desperate to stop. I told the HV about it and that I'd quit and she told me she'd come out in a week and breath test me.

That gave me the impetus to stop for good and get through that first couple of weeks because there was no way i was going through the shame of a failed breath test. I am now a proud non smoker (that was 5 years ago).

However, I actually wanted to give up so I think it probably only works if thats where you are mentally anyway.

Oh and I agree re what about the men!

i wrote that bit about not off to a very good start because of the guilt i DO feel saying to myself over and over what could i have done to prevent this? and CORY i apologise my so ner was childish and twattish

What ChoChoSan said is right. I hate smoking, and wish people wouldn't smoke when pregnant, but ultimately it's up to them and the risks are widely publicized - we HAVE to allow people to make decisions about their own lives and yes, those of their children. (Well, in a democracy we do, anyway). Also, as others have pointed out, a) why only mothers and b) such a test has all sorts of negative implications for the the future relationship with the midwife and will just lead to missed appointments! I feel so cross about this I would actually join a protest, even though I have never smoked a fag in my life and never will as I think it's vile!

I heard this and didn't like it. The key point being is that it treats women as liars by default. I don't smoke and have never smoked. My H doesn't smoke, I don't work in a smoking environment, nobody is allowed to smoke in my house and I am very rarely around smokers so there is no risk to my unborn children. But to still want to test me is basically saying "we don't believe you".

But then actually efficiency doesn't seem to come into it. At my booking in appointment they wanted to do a battery of blood tests some of which I'd had done very recently including blood type and rubella immunity. The MW insisted she had to do them all. That didn't overly bother me as they would have to take blood for other things but it did seem something of a waste.

weetabixwhiner - IIRC correctly, the guidance changed on nuts last year - half way through my pregnancy in fact - so you CAN do nuts if there are no allergies in family. Which is good news for you, because you clearly are a nut.

Anyway. Breathtesting is ridiculous. What next, daily breathalysing to ensure that pregnant women aren't drinking? If I get pregnant again an am offered this, I will refuse. I know I don't smoke, I don't need to bloody well "prove" it to anyone. What a waste of time and money.

Nope, non-smoker. You're still a twat though.

weetabix

the fact is everyone bloody smoked and drank when PG in the 60 and 70s, so we should be the fucked up generation, and we seem OK!

I am a smoker,. some come and get at me then?

agree
non smokers will be offended and it treats them as liars

smokers wont change anyway, and like it or not every smoker knows mothers that did smoke when PG and their kids are OK....that unfortunately is why some women continue to puff