Vaping

[Babacupcake10111]

Hi all mummys and mummys to be. Bit of a controversial one but has anybody vaped or known vapers who continued through preganncy? I quit smoking years ago and conveniently lost my ecig shortly after conception. I didn't buy another but still toot on my fellas in the evening which has the lowest nicotine. I'm wondering am I best to buy another for myself and purchase a 0 nicotine liquid. There's so little evidencend hate that I'm even risking harm. I suppose I'm just sadly looking for reassurance of my guilt. It's my first baby and all I do worry about him. You'd think it's be easy for me just not to risk it, Im 6 months now amd love him so much more everyday. I'm shocked at myself and quite ashamed :-(

@Babacupcake10111 thats something you need to ask your midwife, I personally wouldn't, I quit smoking around 6 months before I got pregnant with my first and never had the urge to smoke again since finding out about her xx

The MW can't give me reassurance since there's not enough research, she said it's very likely to be better than smoking but that's all she could offer. He's growing perfectly and scans gone all well but I worry about his developing brain. I feel very irresponsible. Definitely going to stop now, maybe over the course of a week so I'm not causing more harm.

I'm sorry if this sounds simplistic as I've never smoked but can you not just try and give up?

I feel for you. It’s not easy to give up but you know nobody can give you the green light you’re looking for.

Many people will have vaped throughout pregnancy and will say their baby was fine. That will most likely be true but it’s not based on research. The research doesn’t exit.

Guilt won’t work either. If anything guilt and fear made me smoke more and it makes me vape more because vaping is my crutch. I’m not pregnant but I’ve had a stroke so, though my consultant is happy I no longer smoke she shuts down any talk of vaping saying it would be better if I didn’t as there’s no research to say it’s ‘harmless’.

Instead of the negatives and guilt can you try to put a positive spin on not vaping. Save the money and buy some lovely things for the baby or have a massage from a specialist in pregnancy massage. They’re just random suggestions but you’ll know what would be a treat for you with the extra money.

Would your dp consider stopping too and you could both do something nice with the extra cash. Seems a little unfair that he still vapes around you knowing you’re struggling. Would he give up if he were carrying your baby and what when the baby arrives? Will he still vape? Maybe it would be a good support for both of you to give up and look forward to what’s ahead instead of living in misery (which it can be trying to give up!) for the duration of your pregnancy.

I'd find it much easier if he'd stop. I hope about it but there's no way he will. He even smokes it it bed and if he wakes up in the middle of the night I hear it. He won't stop once our baby's here but he'l definitely be going to a different room or outside, as would I. Hopefully I won't be bothering with it by then though :-)

Aw I feel really bad for you. That’s inconsiderate to say the least.

A lot of people who’ve never smoked or vaped understand how difficult it is to give up and many, actually including ex smokers, will berate you as you’re pregnant and ask why you can’t put the baby first. It’s an awful guilt trip but really it is for the best to avoid it as there’s no evidence to say it’s harmless.

My gut is that it is harmless but I’m just me. I don’t have the evidence to back up my feeling. Neither do you so I think you know you need to try.

I can’t believe he won’t consider giving up. It’s his baby too. I feel angrier than I should about that . I can’t tell you what to do but I would be having a serious chat about it with him. I’d expect his support without having to ask actually. Maybe tell him to fuck off outside if he’s going to persist and be unsupportive?

Hope all goes well with the rest of your pregnancy and good luck with the giving up

*don’t understand

I vaped throughout and still feel guilty. But, I had given up mental health meds, caffeine, actual cigs from the minute I found out.

My instinct is that we make our own vape juice, so we knew quality of it and I truly believe it is far less harmful than many choices many other people make.

My midwife said that id be taking more nicotine in with other nic replacement methods and that some docs are unofficially recommending vaping over anything else.

My son is 4, very bright and social, very healthy. May not be the case for every one but that's my experience.

I don’t know much about vaping at all but have you read about popcorn lung? I don’t know if/how it could pass through to the baby but I really wouldn’t risk it. www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318260.php

The research from this article is 4 years old, and since disproved. One specific favouring was linked to it, not on sale in UK.

Your partner should really be giving up. That's pretty selfish of him.

I vape I’m 28 weeks pregnant , My midwife said it’s fine ?? I just swapped to a 0mg liquid when I found out. I don’t feel guilty at all as there’s nothing in it that’s dangerous to my baby!

Oh and my partner vapes too I wouldn’t expect him to give up , People on here are talking to you asif your smoking , which your not!! Smoking is the dangerous habit.

Smoking In Pregnancy Challenge Group has good resources. There's a leaflet for pregnant women and a presenting recent research. It's 45 minutes so grab a cuppa.

'Popcorn lung' truly is the turd that won't flush. It's utter rubbish.

@sh13 you do realise its not just the nicotine thats full of chemicals right? 🤨

@hjwt

I’m not stupid I’ve googled each of the three chemicals in my juice and there harmless , my midwife told me it’s absolutely fine .

@HJWT

I’m not stupid I’ve googled each of the three chemicals in my juice and there harmless , my midwife told me it’s absolutely fine .

Your midwife can’t say that. She can only say what the OP’s has and that is that there isn’t sufficient evidence either way. I suspect that’s what she did say and that you heard ‘it’s fine’.

@EntirelyAnonymised exactly...

@EntirelyAnonymised

No her words were “oh that’s fine” as I was doing a carbon test an I said I do use a vape. Vaping is nothing like smoking especially with 0mg of nicotine,

Current best advice for the hard of clicking:

E-cigarettes in pregnancy

Are e-cigarettes safe to use?

• E-cigarettes aren’t risk free, but they are much less harmful than smoking
• If using an e-cigarette helps you stay smokefree, it is much safer for you and your baby than smoking

Can I use an e-cigarette to help me quit smoking?

• The safest products to use are nicotine replacements such as patches and gum
• If you find an e-cigarette helpful, it is far safer than continuing to smoke

Is nicotine harmful for my baby?

• Nicotine alone is relatively harmless
• The main harm from smoking comes from the thousands of chemicals in tobacco smoke

Is it OK for others to use e-cigarettes around me?

• It is far safer than allowing smoking
• Secondhand tobacco smoke is very harmful to you and your baby
• There is no evidence of harm to others from e-cigarette vapour

Can I still smoke a bit of tobacco?

• NO - Every cigarette harms you and your baby
• The only way to stop this is to stop smoking tobacco completely
• You can use your e-cigarette as often as you need to stay smokefree

Using an e-cigarette is far safer than smoking

• E-cigarettes allow you to inhale nicotine through a vapour rather than smoke
• E-cigarettes don’t burn tobacco, and don’t produce tar or carbon monoxide
• Vapour contains much lower levels of harmful chemicals than smoke

For more information on quitting smoking ask your midwife, GP or pharmacy team or search NHS Smokefree.

Always keep e-cigarettes and e-liquids out of the reach of children to avoid accidental poisoning. Always use the correct charger.

Created by the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group
(The Lullaby Trust, ASH, Royal College of Midwives, Tommy's)

My midwife referred me to smoking cessation services as I was using 0.3% juice.
They cancelled my referral saying 0.3% was far lower than the nicotine replacement products they usually prescribe.

So I think it really depends on the percentage.. if you are concerned then ask to speak to the stop smoking clinic linked to your usual doctor's surgery.

I had no negative feedback, although when discussing DVT with a consultant they did say they consider vaping to be the same as smoking for the purposes of their risk assessments. So maybe something to bear in mind.

BTW I cut down from 0.3% to 0% and then naturally stopped using my e cig. Worth a go IMO.

Oh yes and my carbon monoxide reading on 0.3% juice was 2ppm, so under their 4ppm threshold - midwife said people who travel on the tube would typically score higher than this.

Sounds like there's still a lot of misinformation around among front line HCPs, Daisy.

These are some quotes from NCSCT's briefing for midwifery staff (NCSCT is the body that trains and accredits NHS stop smoking services):

Past and present smoking status relates to tobacco smoking. If a woman reports that she is using an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), confirm that she is no longer using tobacco alongside the e-cigarette. If she is not using tobacco, her current smoking status should be recorded as a non-smoker.

If a woman reports that she has stopped tobacco smoking completely but is using an e-cigarette, she should still be congratulated and encouraged to stay away from all tobacco use, even if that involves continuing to use an e-cigarette to avoid relapsing to smoking.

There isn’t nearly as much evidence for e-cigarettes being a useful aid to quitting smoking as there is with established stop smoking medications. However, they appear to be very popular with smokers and new evidence is emerging all the time indicating that e-cigarettes can help with quitting and with cutting down. What we definitely know is that e-cigarettes are significantly safer than smoking tobacco.

The document then refers readers to the NCSTC briefing on ecigs:

Don’t push people to come off their e-cigarette. Some practitioners feel it is important to get people off nicotine as soon as possible, but in fact longer-term e-cigarette use can be a protective factor against relapse back to smoking.

Don’t be alarmed about recreational nicotine. This is a choice some people make, and it is not the business of stop smoking services to make judgements about this. We are not a ‘stop nicotine service’ and if we think getting people off their e-cigarette is a good use of our time, we are ignoring a far more important opportunity to help people quit and to stay off cigarettes. Be open to their choices, and listen to them, especially when they say that they are doing really well with their e-cigarette.

Look forward to hearing people celebrate their success, and telling you that using an e-cigarette and receiving support was a revelation.

Nicotine really is not the issue, even in pregnancy. The issue is the carbon monoxide and the tar and the fuckton of carcinogens in inhaled smoke. It may have been worth referring you to stop smoking services if you were struggling to stay off the fags even while vaping, or if you actually said you wanted to quit vaping altogether (although this would not have been a priority for them). Otherwise, your MW was not following best practice.

Similarly the consultant who classed you as a smoker for DVT risk. There is no evidence to support this.

There was a 2017 report by ASH which highlighted the lack of training and confidence in midwives and other HCPs to address smoking in pregnancy. One of the findings was a lack of understanding around vaping.