I smoke. I'm Pregnant, I need to stop. I need to know what damage I have already done.

[needtostop]

I am 24 weeks pregnant.

I used to smoke 15 - 20 a day.

I'm now smoking between 2 and 8 a day.

I have had a few days where I have smoked as many as 10-12.

I need to know how much damage I might have done to the baby?

Could I have already of made him ill.

Ive just been in so much denial but really really want to stop.

Can I use patches?

If I stop now could I turn things around or is it too late?

Paul Mckenna I can make you thin - strangely enough

Thanks, I'll get one off eBay.

thread hijack over. sorry

Hi there Needtostop - I'd really second what Filly has said - you're doing enough of a job of beating yourself up without other posters joining in. In the UK, about 1 in 4 women smoke in pregnancy - and many feel terribly guilty about it.

Quitting smoking is hard - and it is just as hard for pregnant women as it is for anyone else. It can be done, though, and it really is worth it both for your health and the health of your new baby, even after 24 weeks.

Your midwife should be able to put you in touch with specialist stop smoking support services - but if not, try the NHS Stop Smoking helpline, 0800 169 0 169. Details of local stop smoking services (in England) are also online on the page that littleducks posted - at data.gosmokefree.co.uk/localservicesearch.aspx - just punch in your postcode.

A note about the patches/ gum etc - most experts agree that patches are reasonably safe, because the major risks to the baby come from the toxins in smoking, rather than from nicotine. If the alternative is nicotine plus all the other poisons in cigarettes, you're much better off with just the clean nicotine in a patch. But best to speak to a specialsist who'll be able to advise which form of NRT works best for pregnant women.

Good luck!

I'm with WWW, you want tos top so please don't be so ahrd on yourself- i am lucky enopugh not to have started but its obvious how hard it is just from watching people struggle.

Your babies lungs do a lot of developing between now and birth- so stopping smoking now is likely to have great benefits; likewise the weight gain.

Do you have all the NHS stop smoking numbers? Can let you have them, they seem to have given them to me tenfold in my booking pack LOL

I dont think you should stress yourself with what you may have done to your baby. As with most things - its risk based. So, you have increased the risk of many things, but nothing is for definite. The idea is to keep the risk to a minimum and give you and your baby the best odds.

You cant change what's already been.

And I wonder whether if someone said to you outright "well, you've definitely caused your child to have x, y and z", you may well think "ive already done the damage, whats the point in stopping?"

What you need to worry about is stopping smoking. It CAN be done. It is done by thousands every day. You COULD be one of those thousands. See your MW, stop fannying about and just do it.

Thanks everyone for your support - your advise both supportive and scathing is very useful and deserved (on both counts I hope)

Im very embarassed to admit I have cut off the support of my midwife. I told her I was smoking so she starting the stop smoking regime with me. Prescribed me low dose patches and lozenges (which are in my cupboard) and took my carbon monoxide levels. I dont tend to smoke in the mornings and made sure I never had one before seeing her and for the first few carbon monoxide tests my levels were less than 1 (that of a non smoker)

So, effectively, I have tricked my midwife into thinking I have stopped - she has even noted it in my notes that I am no longer smoking and congratulated me etc etc.

I am really interested in Allen Carr but dont you continue to smoke whilst you read it? I dont feel I have that liberty. Which is ironic as I have been meaning to buy it and do it since I was 6 weeks pregnant.

I cant fathom how I allow myself to do it.

May as well confess here - smoked my last one before I posted this with the intent of that being my last one but have bought some more - justifying to myself that it will be easier to stop after 12 hours break (whilst sleeping) and I dont smoke much in morning so potentially tomorrow afternoon I coul be 16 hours or so into stopping.

I know, I know, reading that back - its another excuse isnt it.

Have you tried acupunture? It worked for my uncle. Pregnant smokers make me mad, being an ex smoker myself, but I know it isnt easy to stop. When ou smoke, everytime you inhale, the baby's placenta gets thinner, therefore reducing bloodflow, and oxygen. You wouldnt deprive a new born baby of air. Try and visualise that everytime you want to light up. My friend smoked constantly through 3 of her pregnancies. about 40 a day. The first baby was fine. The 2nd baby dies. And the third baby is one and a half, has cateracts , has only just learnt to crawl and her muscles are so weak, so can only move a little at a time. Now I am NOT suggesting for one minute that smoking caused that, but it didnt help. I know it sounds awfully harsh, but I really respect you for asking for help...many women dont, and carry on regardless. The main thig is that you care about the harm it does to your baby, many mothers dont give a damn, you obviously do. And when that baby pops out, andif you give up NOW, you will be able to look him/her in the eyes, knowing that you did whatever you could to give him a good start in life. Good luck, and well done for asking for help.

I am also 24 weeks pregnant and was a smoker until I found out I was pregnant at 3 weeks. I've stopped through all my pregnancies as soon as I found out and whilst bf. It really does just take willpower. For me once I'm pregnant it just isn't an option it is no longer my choice as far as i'm concerned. Try to imagine forcing a newborn to smoke a cigarette because that is what you've been doing. Go to fag ends and get patches or inhaler or whatever is on offer if you need to but please do stop. Sorry if I sound harsh I know it's hard and i'm lucky to be able to do it on will power alone there are many sacrifices you will find yourself making during parenthood make this your first.

"And when that baby pops out, andif you give up NOW, you will be able to look him/her in the eyes, knowing that you did whatever you could to give him a good start in life. Good luck, and well done for asking for help. "

THIS IS WHAT I WANT, I DONT WANT TO LOOK AT MY BABY AND KNOW THAT I COULDNT BE ARSED TO STOP FOR HIM.

THE STORIES OF DEATH AND CATARACTS ARE SO SCARY BUT NECESSARY, I NEED A REALITY CHECK.

Oh, and its not my first baby its my 2nd. I managed to stop with the one. Dont know what is wrong with me this time.

NO!, Theres NOTHING wrong with you, you musnt think like that. You must be positive, there'll be a baby here in a few months. Does your partner smoke too?

"And when that baby pops out, andif you give up NOW, you will be able to look him/her in the eyes, knowing that you did whatever you could to give him a good start in life. Good luck, and well done for asking for help. "

THIS IS WHAT I WANT, I DONT WANT TO LOOK AT MY BABY AND KNOW THAT I COULDNT BE ARSED TO STOP FOR HIM.

THE STORIES OF DEATH AND CATARACTS ARE SO SCARY BUT NECESSARY, I NEED A REALITY CHECK.

Oh, and its not my first baby its my 2nd. I managed to stop with the one. Dont know what is wrong with me this time.

oops. sorry.

No, he doesnt.

I can tell when he looks at me sometimes that he is really upset by my smoking and is probably losing respect for me.

He was so proud of me stopping last time

Iv put a thread, about half way down this page, its in capital letters, about 4d footage, have a look at it, you'll see your little baby at however many weeks he is now. It might help you stop if you see the baby. Good luck, we all wish you all the best. It isnt easy, but is possible.

You sound so upset an angry with yourself about this which is a sh*tty was to feel BUT you can stop yourself feeling like this right now by going away right now and flushing the cigs down the loo and telling yourself that this is what you aredoing for your baby and you will be strong! Go on do it right now! Also announce it to your dh that way you'll feel even worse if you catch yourself wanting to smoke again.

Don't beat yourself up. No point worrying about what's past. And FWIW a few cigarettes (ie much lower than 20 a day) are unlikely to have already caused serious damage. Smoking increases the risks of various things, it's not a given that your baby will have problems. Main risk is low birthweight which can cause complications - stopping now will really help with that one.

Tell your midwife you have started smoking again - it's a white lie but if you are too embarrassed to say you never really stopped, then you could say you are struggling and have started again, in order to get into the conversation about how she can help. Rather than being too worried about condemnation to even open the subject. She won't condemn you, either, she will know perfectly well that making smokers miserable will just make them smoke more.

An acupuncturist once told me to pinch my left earlobe ever time I thought about having a fag. No idea if it helps, but it might at least distract you and give you that 30 second break to disrupt the 'need a fag' thought.

You want to do it, so that's the first step. Good luck!

Oh, and I confess here that I really, really struggled with stopping smoking while pregnant. The transformation that some people describe 'I gave up the instant I knew I was pregnant' just didn't happen for me. Was very difficult and I did lapse several times. Fortunately ds was fine and a hearty 8lb 7oz - I'm obviously not saying smoking in pregnancy is OK, but just want to reassure you. It is worth stopping now!

I stopped smoking during both pregnancies, the moment I got the positive test, but I also found it much harder with DS2 than with DS1. I did slip once when I was having a very stressful time.
You know you can stop, you've done it before. So please, this minute, throw away your cigarettes (soak them in water first so they're ruined) and get those patches and lozenges out of the cupboard. I promise you, they really do help.

depends what damage has been done...but smoking increases the risks of Birth defect, which usually devellope in the early stage of pg...things like cleft lip and palate, for example...

Edam thank you for your post! Made me feel better but this is a BAD thing.

All the way I have justified my smoking as I have read that as long as its way under ten a day (I average about 5 I would say. A few days Ive done none, some one or 2, some 8-10 but mostly about 5)

So I think to myself well it cant be THAT bad, Ive cut down from 15.

Also, midwife says that this baby feels like a big one so the low birthweight warnings dont have much impact.

What I do have however is a very real fear that my baby will die either inside me, or after birth or will have a complication that I will never forgive mysel for.

The above however, honestly flies out the window when faced with the nicotine monster.

there is a theory that smoking increaases the risk of cotdeath

Have you tried reading Allen Carr, Easy way to stop smoking?

needtostop, get the patches out of the cupboard!!!!!

Does cleft lip and pallet (sp?) show up on scans?

Thats what scares the shit out of me, something happening in first trimester that wont be helped by my stopping now.

But ive done it now.

sorry, im moaning now