Stopping smoking

[Sleepycat91]

Ive just found out im just over 4 weeks pregnant. I do smoke at the moment and recently cut down to about 10 a day. I want to stop but i think would struggle going cold turkey and stress. Im not sure wether its best to continue to cut down till i can stop altogether or go over to vaping(which i do occasionally anyway) and bring my nicotine fluid strength down to zero. Please dont judge me if you can help it.

You may find once morning sickness kicks in you will find smoking repulsive and be put off anyway. If not then vaping is better and alot safer as it's the 4000 odd chemicals in cigarettes that is the most harmful and not the nicotine itself (as much).
Patches are also a good way to go too.

Speak to gp or midwife for safe ways to quit.

Vaping would expose the baby to other chemicals whose effects aren’t known on developing fetuses. I think you should talk to your GP to see what they might suggest.

If anybody does then that's horrid. It's extremely difficult. I have been there, DS1 I struggled so so much, but I was very honest with the midwife and she did really support me and not judge me. Morning sickness still didn't help the cravings.
I managed to cut down to 2 a day. Just try to only smoke half a cigarette. Then straight away, you feel you have smoked 10 a day, but reduced it to 5 very fast.
Also I smoked roll ups, the midwife would test me when I went to see her (can't remember them what the machine is called) to see what levels of carbon monoxide I had. She was always very very supportive. And said you would be surprised how many women just can't stop..but lie to her and the world.

Just try your best.

Second pregnancy even the smell walking past someone who smoked made me vomit!! You might be like that!

With DC1 and this current pregnancy, I've given up the day I got my BFP. I'm usually a 20 a day smoker. Pregnancy is the only time I can give up cold turkey, can't do it normally.

But it's tough, and I crave it every single day. Multiple times a day sometimes.

Your midwife is there to help, definitely discuss it at your booking appointment and they could refer you to smoking cessation or other ways to help you quit.

I dunno if it's the same across the country but I had to do one of those carbon dioxide blow test things for my midwife. I knew I would score low but was still worried ha. The midwives are there to help you so absolutely utilise it.

You will hear people say things like 'it's okay to carry on smoking because otherwise the stress can cause miscarriage'. This isn't true and there's no evidence this is the case, so try not to worry about that.

Well done for accepting you need to stop, good luck. I didn't have a problem stopping my ecig tbh. I never picked it up again after finding out I was preg, this thread has made me realise I don't actually know where it's gone...

I've stopped for 3-4 weeks since I found out. It might not work for you but I switched to vaping only when I couldn't handle the symptoms (e.g. Sore head). Then after a couple days of that I stopped all together, thankfully I had a few days off so I spent 4 days lying on the couch feeling like death and then that was that. I have. Ever wanted one since and if I do I just imagine my babies lungs being full of smoke and I wouldn't give it a second thought. I also cut out caffeine during this time so it was probably harder for me.

As prequelle says, if your friends smoke and have a had children they may try belittle the seriousness of smoking during pregnancy as mine did and its hard to not be weak to that but remember your know best for you and your baby.

It’s so difficult - for me it was harder quitting smoking during pregnancy than quitting before or after. The pressure of knowing I had to combined with far more intense cravings and constant vivid dreams about smoking was so hard.

I have had great success with a good vape with nic salts liquid. I would try not to use it but if it’s that or starting smoking again, I’d vape as needed. But that’s just me. Most trusts have smoke stop midwives to give you support.

The NHS Smoke Free app has helped too.

I focused on the lovely things i could buy for the twins when I’d quit too - a better buggy etc.

You can do it - it’s agony, but you can and you must.

My twins both have ASD and I know lots of parents of children with additional needs. Some of them smoked during pregnancy and it absolutely rips them apart not knowing whether this caused or impacted their child’s disabilities. It’s heartbreaking and I really feel for them as I know how hard it was to stop (and I did slip up a few times myself).

I restarted after a very traumatic birth and during a long nicu stay. I’ve recently quit (almost a month in) with the nic salts liquid and honestly I don’t miss it at all now. First few days were tough but not unbearable and I was a very heavy smoker.

You can do it!

Oh yes like other posters have said about your friends etc..tell all your friends and family who smoke, if they could not smoke when you are around. People that came to see me, wouldn't smoke..it made it much easier!!

Thanks ladies as ever, i think im going to just stop and use the vape pen where i need it. Its just been a habit for so long, 11 years now. I cut down from 20 to 10 a few weeks ago and im doing okay. My other half vapes as does my mum, no one else really smokes. I work on a big site so would use the smoking shelter so i just wont go down there, its a stinking great walk aswell so that makes it easier aswell. If i dont miscarry, this will be my second baby. Sickness is starting to kick in but then again ive just finished nights so its probably that aha!

I was in the same boat. I was 9 weeks pregnant when I found out and I stopped smoking immediately. I used nicotine gum, I spoke to the midwife about it and they prefer gum to patches as patches give you a constant stream of nicotine. Nicotine replacement therapy is considered safe to use in pregnancy, not sure about vaping. When you have your booking appointment make sure you tell them and they can give you some help. Good luck! It’s really tough, but I found that every time I wanted to sole, thinking about blowing smoke in a baby’s face and how horrifying that would be stopped me from doing it.

There is some really useful information here - www.nhs.uk/smokefree/why-quit/smoking-in-pregnancy