Smoking while pregnant

[Eimz]

I am really beating myself up about the smoking. I am currently 18weeks pregnant and smoker , since I found out I was pregnant I have really cut back a lot. I do not smoke a full cigarette I ask my partner or friends for a couple of drags.. all day in work I don't smoke it's just when I'm home. Does anyone know how truly harmful this is for the baby? I know people who smoked during pregnancy a lot more then me.. I know I cant justify my smoking but I really am only taking pulls and then literally downing a gallon of water to try make myself feel better :(
I've loads going on I've failed my driving test and an exam I was doing and my partner is between jobs and my mam is fighting with me and sometimes I just need the odd drag or two too calm me down

What good is water going to do?
www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/smoking-pregnant/
Honestly, I can’t believe that you are unable to prioritise the health of your unborn child. Are you smoking daily? A couple of drags is still smoking, don’t kid yourself.

@Eimz have you spoken to your midwife? They can help you to get help to cut down and quit. My mum cut down a lot while she was pregnant but she still blames herself for me being early. There's no concrete evidence to say if it was or wasn't caused by her smoking but I'm 27 and she's still not over it. For your own sake as well see if you can manage to quit but without help it'll be so much harder especially with all you have on your plate.

Are you a smoker?
Do you not think I care about my child's health?
And I am not kidding myself I know smoking is smoking no matter the quantity.
I am feeling sad and guilty and was hoping for some helpful feedback on quitting. &possibly some positive stories from other ladies whom have been in my position.
Do you not think I have read every webpage out there regarding smoking? Your link was useless, and so was your comment.

Easy for people to say but I know how hard it is to quit! It’s an addiction talk to the doc there are ways they can help to ween you off good luck hun and try not to beat yourself up to much x

@goingtoneedabiggercar quitting is all I want to do it's so hard and the quilt has over taking me! Were you sick when you were born prematurely?

It significantly increases the risk of all kinds of harm including sudden infant death syndrome. I was a smoker when I got pregnant both times and I stopped completely because it's really not worth it. As in, the enjoyment I would have got from a cigarette would have been cancelled out by the fear of hurting my baby. You need to really focus on the link between smoking and hurting the baby - it needs to feel real to you.
Imagine (god forbid) the baby is born and has a health problem that is linked to smoking. Would you ever forgive yourself? Is it worth risking that?

@goingtoneedabiggercar yes I spoke to my midwife I done this thing where I blew into a straw kind of thing and it checked my carbon dioxide levels in my lungs and she showed me this big chart and I was at the very very bottom and she told me that was great and that she does have people in here who does be at the top in the red..
I hope you understand what I mean lol, I wasn't sure what she was doing she just told me to blow in this thing to check my lungs xx

I quit at around the 20 weeks scan with all of mine (not great I know) but I did so with the support of my midwife and stop smoking service and NRT. I haven't started again since having my third, and hope never to again. I do vape occasionally now but didn't when pregnant. I cut down from 20 (sometimes more) to four or five half cigarettes a day and then came off completely using the nicotine replacement (which meant I could use much less of it, and not the patches which made me dizzy). It's easy for people who aren't smokers to not understand. Mine have all been full term and a good weight.

OP If anybody is going to reply negatively to this comment please don't- as I am giving my experience and trying to give advice rather than tarnish the poor lady!
When I became pregnant I was a smoker and I cut down dramatically, I still had a couple now and again and actually my midwife was so helpful through all of it and was really proud I had cut back so much. My midwife also suggested that vaping is less harmful then a cigarette so I don't know if this would be of any use to you?
It is an addiction and a lot harder than some people think, if you've cut down a lot which it sounds like you have then you should be proud of yourself and you are putting your babies health first because you have cut down!
My baby was born at 38+4 and was a good weight. I'm not advocating smoking in anyway, but I don't think you should be so hard on yourself!
Congratulations it's all very exciting 😊 x

I was a smoker, I stopped when I found out I was pregnant. I think it's selfish. Sorry.

Stopping smoking is one of the hardest things to do I feel your pain I'm currently pregnant with my 4th 25 weeks and I vape midwife says that's perfectly fine but I will admit with my first 2 pregnancies I did smoke not as much cut right back but could never break that first one in a morning or lady one b4 bed like others have said speak to your midwife they will be able to help or try a vape see if you can manage on that xx

I was blowing a zero and still smoking a little bit (and have blown a 4 or 5 and not Been smoking at all)

Could you try replacing one habit fir another? I know it’s not the best idea but if it helps you stop then that’s great, you can work on the other habit once you have baby. For example, you could have a snack every time you feel you really need to smoke, preferably something that takes a while to eat like a hard sweet or gum, even go for a walk or read a book to lower your stress as well.

My husband's cousin gave birth at 34 weeks and she was a smoker. They said he was born early because he wasn't getting enough oxygen because she smoked. It is really selfish of you to smoke.

@CodenameVillanelle I would NEVER FORGIVE myself.. I already don't. I get the craving at the back of my throat and I take the few pulls and i feel oh so very guilty so I try do something healthy (I know it's not going to cancel out the smoking though). I would go days where I wouldn't have one but everyone in my life smokes and it's just so easy to get a pull of one of their cigarettes

Quit smoking and started vaping. Quiting vaping while pregnant is a NIGHTMARE. But unfortunately Its undeniable the impact on pregnancy. Even the use of nicotine alternatives aren't any better as it's the nicotine itself that's toxic to a unborn baby. Unfortunately there are loads of potential complications to smoking while pregnant some obvious ones as included on the nhs link but also some correlations (which research is still investigating) between lots of other conditions/disorders/behaviours and development in children/adulthood.

Whilst it’s good that your carbon monoxide levels are on the lower end, if you are smoking they won’t always be. Your baby is at risk of being smaller, earlier, and being stillborn or suffering SIDS.

I know how hard it is to quit though and giving you a hard time about it really won’t make any difference. Have you called the NHS smokefree number? Speak to an advisor and make a plan to get off the cigarettes for good. Growing up with a parent who smokes is also detrimental so you need to quit before baby gets here.

Can you make a list of other things that would help when you feel stressed?

@Eimz that's great that your CO2 is low that shows you're going in the right direction. I quit when I fell pregnant, sadly that pregnancy ended but I was able to stay quit by then but it was by no means easy.
Every cigarette you avoid is a win for you and your baby. I was small, my lungs needed a little help so they gave mum steroid injections. I was pretty jaundiced too but some time in light therapy sorted me right out. I was smaller than peers until primary school, I caught up and I'm 5ft9 now so I did ok. You can do this, it will be so hard but you can do it x

@Seashells47 that's a brilliant idea!

Hard sweets and gum are common ones and also star jumps or light exercise when you crave as exercise releases the same happy hormones.

Usually the hardest thing for people quitting smoking is the breaking the habit and psychological cravings, rather then the actual physical cravings.

Speak to your midwife and ask for help. She won't judge. Or you can self-refer to your local stop smoking services, who also won't judge.

www.nhs.uk/smokefree/help-and-advice/local-support-services-helplines

You can use over the counter NRT except for the 24 hour patches. Many people get on better combining a patch with a shorter acting type, e.g. gum or a spray.

Vaping, while not extensively tested in pregnancy, is recognised as being much much safer for you and your baby.

If you are using NRT or vaping then don't skimp it, you need enough nicotine, often enough, to keep you off the fags. It's the carbon monoxide and tar in smoked tobacco that does the major damage, not the nicotine.

Whatever method you use you will do better with support from friends and family and/or stop smoking services. There is also a stop smoking board on MN where people are supportive and non-judgmental but it's a bit quiet these days:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/stop_smoking

Congratulations on your pregnancy

If your OH smokes, would he not quit with you? Then you both are feeling like your doing it together and can support each other?

If he argues that.. well he ain't pregnant, you can point out that actually having a cigarette then holding a new born/young children can cause adverse effects on them, same with second hand smoke (I'm sure theres research out there which I've seen).

I gave you the link because you asked how bad smoking is, the link explains that. You aren’t early on in your pregnancy either. You obviously don’t feel bad enough to stop.

everyone in my life smokes and it's just so easy to get a pull of one of their cigarettes

Tell them you need help to not smoke for your baby’s sake. Get them to say no.

You get the craving - and you need to immediately think about the baby. Touch your belly, feel the movements, mindfully focus on feeling the baby inside you. Think about how much you love it and how you want to keep it safe. Think about how a cigarette will hurt it. Think forward to the baby being here and how you would do anything to keep it safe. Wait until the craving has passed. Repeat until you no longer crave.
It took me 2 days to stop craving a cigarette when I was pregnant. Just took reinforcement. Every time my brain went 'time for a fag' I deliberately thought about the baby and the craving went away.

@PencilsInSpace

That's largely incorrect as it's the NICOTINE that causes many of the problems in pregnancy. Although the nhs dont consider vaping as smoking and is better option once you have given birth as less second hand smoke and transference through touch after having a cig, the nicotine itself is harmful during pregnancy, and theres only VERY few occasions that a doctor would support a mother to keep smoking.