Should pregnant women be banned from smoking in light of new research?

[hunkermunker]

See here

"Nine out of 10 mothers whose babies suffered cot death smoked during pregnancy, according to a scientific study to be published this week. The study, thought to be one of the most authoritative to date on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), says women who smoke during pregnancy are four times more likely than non-smokers to see their child fall victim to cot death."

Personally, I find it very, very hard to understand why anybody smokes while knowingly pregnant. And yes, I know it's addictive. I speak as an ex-smoker, not somebody who has no idea what it's like to have a love affair with the evil weed.

not sure about stats on that Aitch. Tho of course smoking is not as immediately dangerous, just delaying the danger.

None of us 3 smoked though despite aprents- and with Dh's family (oparents also now given up s,okers) 1 child out of two (and why is it always the asthmatic one?) smokes.

So that would be no pattrern from that tiny sample then LOL!

we did drink and still would if not Pg, however none of us ever got into fights ora ccidents. Must be very cautious and boring!

interesting as I grew up in a non-smoking - very anti smoking house (it turns out my mum did smoke occasionally - but I didn't know until I was in my early 20's). I actually had no desire to smoke, my aunty smoke 60+ a day and I hated the smell - I still to this day don't know what prompted me to pick up a cigarette and smoke one (but I did). My brother grew up the same (hating the smell of smoking and vowing never to smoke - and he hasn't.

DS1 hates the smell of the smoke too and if I stand too near the backdoor when I'm outside having one will tell me to "go and stand at the end of the garden because it's disgusting the smell" .

Parents who smoke - do you let your children see you smoking?

DP has a cigarrette in the evenings, but has never ever smoked in front of DS.

i don't mean from a stats pov, ruty, just that i think it's natural for children to want to rebel in some form, but they are still children so smoking offers rebellion in a manageable, fairly controlled way, iykwim? whereas e or coke or speed or somesuch, for example, seems more dangerous. i think kids are frightened of growing up at the same time as they are desperate for it. at least that's how i remember being, so smoking was a tolerable rebellion, kept my end up in school and meant that i didn't get stick about other, more dangerous stuff.

yes i know Aitch.

Message withdrawn

Agree with aitch's first post on this thread about imagining if you were the mother of a cot death baby who had smoked through prgnancy and just read that article.

Obviously, raising awareness is the key. Unless you're pretty screwed up, if you read that damning evidence, my guess is that most people would give up during pregnancy.

Obviously there will always be exceptions to the rule. My parents were non-smokers, I don't smoke but my sister does. But statistically there's a greater likelihood that your children will smoke if you do yourself. Isn't there some research now to show that addiction may be rooted in early exposure... so even if you smoke in another room, don;t let your kids see you smoke etc they will still be exposed to it on your body/clothes etc. I'm sure I've read something about this, though no doubt I'll be corrected if I'm wrong.

Actually I love the smell of ciggarette smoke, despite having never smoked- I always felt primed to do so, if that makes sense? I avoid smoke at all costs now that I am pg but in the past, esp. cigar snoke has been a bit of a draw

and pipe smoke... love pipe smoke.

Have you seen this then, Aitch?

i did lol at james may's boat sinking, despite the fact that you've ruined him for me.

Oh that was hilarious.......

"you are clearly picking a fight with me and i don't know why."

yes you do I DETAILED IT
"i specifically asked you to continue this off-board and when you wouldn't/couldn't i asked you to draw a line under it and yet you persist in these (extremely one-sided) forensic examinations of our exchange. we're not eight years old, fgs."

AS per post ONE below yours quoted above i said

i am not online at the same time you post - or indeed others post. If you have asked me to details Something a la CSI post - then i shall. If i still have something to say then i will.

"i will not be apologising for calling your post arsey so you're just going to have to get over that, i'm afraid."

well i think that in iself speaks volumes

oh dear... I think I've lost the thread here... wasn't it about whether pregnant women should smoke?!

It's very hard to give up. Mothers and fathers should try if they can.

I am absolutely delighted by the new laws. I find it repulsive even to stand next to a smoker out of doors. It's a disgusting habit but very rarely these days do I have to suffer smokers because of the law changes. In 1986 I shared an office with a chain smoker when I was pregnant with one baby, in the City - the norm then and I remember avoiding the london underground carriage which was for smokers. I virtually never mix with or know smokers these days - it's just another class divide in the UK.

sadly Xenia in London I'm not so convinced its a class divide as I have noticed increasing numbers of young professionals smoking these days. Whn I was a young a accountant not one of my intake at PW smoked and none of my university friends. There days it seems you are in the minority if you are under 25 and don't smoke.

Perhaps. I think the stats are that there is a bit of a class divide over smoking. I'm about to pay my second daughter a sum agreed for it they 21 and don't smoke.

perhaps there is over the country overall however my (statistically insignificant) experience indicates that the young of all classes seem to be smoking more - all of the young employees at work smoke and very few of the over 40's regardless of class.

At uni most of the over 35's smoke, though, and none of the youngsters- well tobacco anyway LOL (I eman, this course does teach a lot of hippy types). Strange that.

Xenia, are you Nicola Horlick?

righto, custy.

Old stats did confim a class divide - haven't seen any recent ones though..may have gone up like dangerous drinking in the middle class...

govt statistics do show a lower proportion of smokers in professional households in 2004. And in the 16+ age groups all age groups show a decrease in smoking but sadly the smallest decrease was in the 16-25 age group.

Even sadder...

"In a separate survey of school pupils in England in 2004 the proportion of regular smokers (smoking at least one cigarette a week) increased substantially with age. By age 15, 26 per cent of girls and 16 per cent of boys smoked regularly."