Probably going to cause a debate....

[FructoseTart]

But I am curious. How many pregnant ladies are still smoking and roughly how much per day?

I gave up immediately on finding out I was pregnant with my first. I believe all pregnant women and also their partners should have a good go at giving up.

However, I appreciate that it's not easy and there is already so much pressure on pregnant women to become perfectly behaved creatures who can't eat or do anything. I'm a pragmatist; do as much as you can without being stinking miserable for the whole pregnancy. It's stressful enough, and I think more stressful than it needs to be because of all the pressures.

There are probably lots of national and sub-regional statistics, if you want to know rather than debate. I find the debate very boring, tbh.

Oh look, that took me about 45 seconds to find and 30 seconds to repost here.

My first pregnancy i gave up smoking untill last few weeks, but was really angry with myself! this pregnancy i have given up since i took the test! its helped that the smell physically makes me gag! but im determined to stop though out this time, for this unborn and my 2 year old!!! Its a really tough thing to do but you and your baby will benefit from giving up!

Statistics aside I think some times its better to hear peoplea views. Even if it causes debate after allevels why shouldn't we share our experiences. I do not smoke but imagine it must be very hard to give up. That being said I like to have a drink now and again and havnt touched a drop whilst pregnant as that's my personal opinion and view. I try to do the best I can for my health and the health of my unborn child ... It doesn't always mean you get it right first time or that its easy and lile someone else has said there is already tons of pressure on expectant mums

I quit at 6months with dd, currently 21w with dc2 and really struggling to quit. I'm on about 5-7 pd.
I know I'll get slated for this but I really am struggling. Been smoking for 12 years apart from the 4 months with dd1.

Hi fructose, I'm a non smoker but I don't want to be all judgy and ranty as this question wasn't posed at non smokers.
But I did want to pipe up and mention I have very unfortunately suffered from 3 unexplained miscarriages. All of which left me with a fair bit of guilt over what I could have done to prevent them. I'm curious as to if you've considered how you'd feel if you lost your baby, knowing that your smoking can have a risk on your unborn child.
I am empathetic as undestand that smoking is an awful addiction and must be very difficult to just quit straight up the minute you fall pregnant. And I know that healthy babies are born to smoking mothers all the time. And also other addicted mothers who use alcohol and drugs.
But from a physiological standpoint, how do you think you'd cope if you lost this pregnancy and it could have been avoided by giving up smoking?

It's a very emotive subject but I personally quit as soon as I found out I was pregnant with DS back in 2012. I've had the occasionally smoke since he's been born but nothing again now as I'm pregnant with DC 2.
For me it's the people that fail to even attempt to cut down/quit or even acknowledge the risks that annoy me!

I've got a mate who split with the mother of his child (not planned) because she refused to even try to quit or to acknowledge the risks. I mean, obviously there were many many other reasons, but he said that was a real wake up call about her.

I'm currently 33+5 and haven't smoked since I found out, which was at around 4-5 weeks I think. Although this is actually due to completely going off it. The smell, taste everything. Even people's breath that smelt of cigarettes made me heave. I had really bad sickness/nausea for the first 16/17 weeks and I remember thinking, "I hope I don't crave cigarettes when this sickness eventually goes" and thankfully I haven't! I'm still sensitive to the smell too.
So who knows if I would have completely given up if I hadn't just gone off them, I don't know. I used to smoke around 12 a day. I'd obviously like to say I would have. I would definitely have given it a go 100% and think all pregnant women should try. I hate to see a pregnant woman smoking it looks awful, not that many do it publicly.
My partner still smokes but not around me and not in the house. He's tried a few times to cut down etc, of his own will. I wouldn't ever say to him to stop smoking full stop, how could I? That's his choice. As long as he doesn't smoke near the baby eg house, car, when pushing pushchair etc, then fine.

I was a social smoker, but did smoke a fair bit in the weeks leading up to my positive test as I had been on holiday, we hadn't been trying so didn't know until missed period. As soon as I took a test I didn't smoke another one. I am now 28 weeks, my motivation will always be the health of my baby. I am not judging anyone, it just wouldnt have sat well with me to continue

I was a social smoker so mostly smoked on nights out when drinking! So I could go a few days without having any, so not as addicted as friends who smoke 20 a day. So it was easy to give up when I found out I was pregnant at 4 weeks. I too suffered a miscarriage before this pregnancy so i didn't want to take any risks with this baby. Luckily I am now 29 week's! But I do feel for people who are genuinely addicted as I even get days when I think oooh I would like a cigarette and a glass of wine, I never actually upon it but I can imagine it being hard if you were used to 20 a day!

I'm not sure what OP's intentions were in starting this thread, as ragged says the stats are not hard to find. I'm also bored of the debate but I think what is badly missing on MN is genuine support for women who are struggling to quit in pregnancy so I'm going to take this thread in that spirit

I smoked during both my pregnancies.

First - cut down from 20+ a day to 5 a day. Never quite managed to stop. Smoked in secret, felt shit.
Second - cut down from 15 a day to 5 a day (smoked in secret, felt shit, bla bla) then finally managed to quit altogether at around 6.5 months. Missed it every single bloody day and started again at the first opportunity after the birth.
BF both DC for about 2 years each as a smoker.

They are adults now and appear unaffected by my smoking in pregnancy (yay anecdata!) Meanwhile I have smoked half my teeth out and contributed to an early menopause and possibly also osteoarthritis in my mid-40's. The one biggest effect of my smoking on my DC is that DS took up smoking in adolescence. Children of smokers have 3x higher takeup of smoking than those without a smoking parent.

DS and I have both now switched to vaping. I am hopeful that DS will not relapse and will have done minimal damage to his health from only a few years of smoking. I am also hopeful that I have escaped COPD, lung cancer and heart disease but who knows - problems can show up years after you quit.

If you are pregnant and struggling to quit don't feel ashamed - push for as much help as you need. You should be referred to a specialist midwife or advisor. Don't be fobbed off by a 'brief intervention' (when your MW goes 'smoking is bad m'kay ... risks bla bla bla' but offers no actual help whatsoever). Full NICE guidelines here. Also come on over to MN Stop Smoking section, you'll get lots of support and encouragement and no judgment because we know it doesn't help. Do it for you because you still matter, even when you are pregnant and the risks to you are far greater than any risk to your unborn child.

I used to be 20 a day but told people I was 10 a day . With DD I quit as soon as we decided to start trying. The first 4 weeks were really awful but after that it seemed really easy. I never smoked after that. DD is now 14 months old.

IMHO, regardless of pregnancy people can only stop if/when they decide to stop. Stopping because you feel you should because you are pregnant just isn't enough.

I was curious due to being 24 weeks, and I'm still smoking. But I feel very frowned upon, so won't smoke in public. I am not ready to quit - have however cut down from 25 per day to between 5-10.

Sizethree. Yes I've suffered a miscarriage at 7 weeks last year. And a stillborn at 34 weeks a few years ago. I asked my consultant if smoking had anything to do with any of them to which he very fiercely told me no! The stillborn was just very unlucky but was perfectly healthy.

Just wondered how many MN'ers still smoked and were pregnant or whether it was just me

So yes sizethree I know exactly how I would feel if I lost my baby.

However my opinion is the same as above, I'm not ready to give up therefore I will just fail. Do heroin addicts stop everything including methadone? Nope.

about one in five at Tim e of delivery. numbers are falling

well done on cutting down btw

fructose I knew you'd lynch me for my comment, which is unfair. I wasn't judging, I said I was empathetic and I am very sorry for your losses. But it doesn't surprise me that even after that you still choose to smoke. I also mentioned drug addicts and alcoholics still using during pregnancy.
I just don't undestand that as there is so much help and support out there to stop, why you'd still choose to not and risk damaging yiur babies health. I'm not at all insinuating that smoking caused your losses, as your doctor confirmed. But each time you light that cigarette and draw it its smoke into your body I cannot understand what possible excuse you are telling yourself to justify your decidion when you know that it will be going I to your baby too.
I have empathy to a point, but I think it is very selfish to know the risks but to it anyway.

sizethree - I just don't undestand - well I agree with this bit, you really really don't!

I knew you'd lynch me for my comment, which is unfair.
She hasn't 'lynched' you, don't be so ridiculous! She has shared her own very painful experience in a manner far more polite than you deserve IMO. I was struggling to understand why you are even on this thread, as a non-smoker who 'doesn't understand', but it's clear from this comment that you are here to goad. Empathy my arse!

FructoseTart well done for cutting down so much - every cigarette you don't smoke will make a difference and it's never too late in pregnancy for quitting, or even just cutting down further, to make a difference.

Is there anything that might help you reach the point where you feel ready to make a quit attempt? I think you're part-way there because it's on your mind enough for you to have started this thread.

Tobacco is more addictive than heroin apparently.
I have every sympathy with pregnant women who struggle to give up smoking.

Not so much sympathy with pregnant women who choose to carry on drinking a few glasses of wine each week, because there is no proven risk to the foetus.

There are addictive chemicals added to cigarettes to make them more addictive.
The tobacco industry should be held to account for this, but then they would sell fewer cigarettes and make less profit.

I'm not here to goad. The title of the thread is 'probably going to cause a debate' but if a 'debate' to you lot counts as a group of pregnant smokers siting around saying to each other there there, of course it's fine to smoke in pregnancy you're doing your best blah blah, that is nonsense.
you're all in denial. You're selfish. You're putting your cravings above the health of your baby.
And you all pandering to eachother in s silly circle of acceptance is ridiculous, to make eachother feel better.
Get a grip, open your eyes to the damage you are doing to yourselves and admit that smoking in pregnancy is wrong and unacceptable.

sizethree, you were not lynched. The op's responses to you were mild and very well mannered considering the question.

The op didn't intend to start a debate, she acknowledged how these things go on here. You don't understand, you don't get it. That much is absolutely clear. Just because you've never experienced it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

I haven't seen a single woman on here say smoking in pregnancy is fine.

You are truly blessed to know nothing of addiction.

And this is why MN is such a shit place for PG smokers to seek help and support. As Stealth says, one in five women are smokers at the time of delivery. That's a helluva lot of women we are letting down by making MN such an unsafe place to seek support.

From those NICE guidelines I linked to upthread ... Helping pregnant women who smoke to quit involves communicating in a sensitive, client-centred manner, particularly as some pregnant women find it difficult to say that they smoke. Such an approach is important to reduce the likelihood that some of them may miss out on the opportunity to get help ... Some women find it difficult to say that they smoke because the pressure not to smoke during pregnancy is so intense. This, in turn, makes it difficult to ensure they are offered appropriate support.

HCP's now need guidance to help them undo the harm caused by attitudes like yours, sizethree, before they can support women to quit. You are part of the problem. I see you have now dropped all pretence at empathy. Jolly good!