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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

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

167 replies

needtostop · 15/09/2007 17:40

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?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

mumzyof2 · 15/09/2007 20:41

If there are certain times when your wanting a fag, maybe make sure your doing something so you cant...have a bath, EAT EAT EAT! Read a book to take your mind of things, play on the internet, go shopping. If you do something to take your mind of having a fag, it may help. And think of the hame of buying fags with a baby bump. If your partner smokes, make him quit too.

LyraBelacqua · 15/09/2007 20:42

And put one on.
Then bin the fags.

Original poster

needtostop · 15/09/2007 20:42

I want to read allen carr, can you stop and then read it or do you have to carry on smoking?

OP posts:

sunshinegirl · 15/09/2007 20:42

surely the patches would just give baby a regular dose of nicotine too tho, at least with 5 a day it's not constant IYSWIM

ledodgy · 15/09/2007 20:43

The main problem is the carbon monoxide rather than the nicotine I think. Hence why patches are preferable.

sunshinegirl · 15/09/2007 20:44

No you have to smoke whilst you read it. I TOTALLY recommend it, it will honestly make you WANT to stop and you won't want to smoke again. It's not scare tactics, just common sense. Have got it somewhere if you give me your email can lend it to you if you'd like?

mumzyof2 · 15/09/2007 20:44

Your not moaning! And yes cleft lip and palate show up on scans, because its something I was worried about, but I asked at my scan and he said my ds didnt have it. But asthma, doesnt show up on scans. Also, smoke kills blood cells in the brain, or so im told. You know its wrong, I dont think you need bombarding wth facts.

sunshinegirl · 15/09/2007 20:45

Or if you've already stopped that's fine but smoking during it really helps I found

Original poster

needtostop · 15/09/2007 20:46

sunshinegirl - how long is the program, if i am going to do this dont want to be smoking for weeks more whilst i read it

OP posts:

sunshinegirl · 15/09/2007 20:47

as long as it takes to read the book, it's not massively long, took me a few days. It changed my life! (and no I'm not working for them, lol!)

TheDuchess · 15/09/2007 20:49

Kerrymum has already told you that she stopped, just like that, because she wanted to.

The same thing happened to me. I smoked for years, up to 20 a day. I toyed with giving up but to be honest I didn't really want to.

One day I decided I was going to stop because it is a dirty, filthy, stinking habit. I didn't even smoke my last cigarette. I threw them all out and haven't smoked since.

It wasn't hard. Honestly. In fact I barely noticed I'd stopped until a week had gone by. What I did notice was how lovely my hands smelled and how awful other smokers smell.

Now, after 4/5 years of not smoking, sitting in a smoky atmosphere makes my eyes water and my throat hurt.

You can do it. You may find it hard, but it can be done. Just stop now.

canmummy · 15/09/2007 20:50

I do smoking cessation as part of my job and I know it's hard so I'm not going to start on that. But if you've managed to cut down to 5 a day I wouldn't go back to patches as they are likely to increase your nicotine levels - try the lozenges instead if you can. And please go back to your midwife even if you think you've tricked her because she would be pleased to see you back rather than telling her lies I'm sure. Good luck - you can do it!!!

LyraBelacqua · 15/09/2007 20:54

The nicotine itself isn't harmful, just addictive. It's the tar, carbon monoxide and 1001 other poisons that do the damage.

WideWebWitch · 15/09/2007 20:55

Allen Carr DOESN'T SAY CARRY ON SMOKING IF YOU'VE already stopped. If you haven't stopped he says carry on while you're reading the book.

I found it v easy to give upw hile pregnant tge first time and VERY hard the second time. REally difficult. But I did it.

sunshinegirl · 15/09/2007 20:56

WWW I posted after that if you've already stopped then you don't smoke thru it but if you haven't then you should!

3andnomore · 15/09/2007 20:59

Cleft liup and palate CAN show up in scans, but doesn't always....with mine they always looked out for it specially, as I have a cleft lip and palate myself (and yes, mother was a mild smoker back then...but possibly just coincidence...because my older sister hasn't got it, and my mum smoked about the same amount), but usually if there isn't a true riskfactor, they may not...and even then it can be missed on scans, but that is very rare, I believe....

Thing is, the damage that is done is done, but you can still do plenty to improve things
Forinstance it's also very bad for a newborn to be in locse proximity of a smoker, and unless you rigorously wash and change your clothes everytime you had a fag, you put your child in danger just by cuddling them apparently...well , tis what I read anyway...

LaBoheme · 15/09/2007 21:04

don't do that ceremonial "last cigarette thing" it dosen't work.

Bin the fags, contact your midwife and get the help that is being offered to you. you can do it, really you can - just visualise your baby and keep telling yourself you can do it - at least for tonight until you can get help tomorrow. It is SO important that you do this - as you know.

GOOD LUCK! xx

ratfly · 15/09/2007 21:07

I smoked through my preganancy until I was so noticably pregnant that I was embarrassed to go to the shop and buy fags. I was so embarrassed and guilty about smoking that I actually did it secretly even after dh thought I had quit.

It is really hard. my midwife said that smoking 4 a day (that's how many I smoked, and they were also lights) was not too bad, considering how stressful I felt the whole pregnancy thing to be anyway. But I KNEW I had to quit altogether anyway.

So I tried not to put pressure on myself to quit - that only makes it harder. And I used Allen Carr's book and 'the nicotine trick' book to stop. Now ds is 8 months old, I am back smoking again (and also back quitting again)

Good luck. Quitting is so hard, and probably even harder when you feel you SHOULD stop rather than actually WANTING to stop iyswim.

sorry I havent been much help, but I really feel for you.

But really, quitting takes about 3 days of stress, then it gets much easier. Just think, if you can get through those 3 days, you can do it!

TheDuchess · 15/09/2007 21:12

Isn't should stop and wanting to stop in this case the same? You has a powerful motivation to stop yet you haven't.

Go for it and keep the thread updated.

ratfly · 15/09/2007 21:14

duchess - I dont think they are the same thing. every fag I lit, I KNEW I shouldnt smoke. I still wanted to though. I always think that unless you genuinely WANT to quit, it won't work, regardless of any other pressures.

ratfly · 15/09/2007 21:15

and wanting to quit really means realising that you arent actually missing out on anything my not smoking, instead of feeling like you have had something taken away from you iyswim

TheDuchess · 15/09/2007 21:18

OK, I guess I find it hard to understand now why on earth someone would want to smoke. Consider the negatives, if you will:

Smelly, dangerous, cancer causing, expensive, blood pressure raising....and so on. The positives? Um, none?!

LyraBelacqua · 15/09/2007 21:19

I didn't want to quit when I got pg, but I knew I had to, straight away. I didn't have another one till after DS1 was born.
There is no greater reason to not smoke than the health of your unborn baby, because they don't have a say.

sunshinegirl · 15/09/2007 21:19

smoking is an addiction to nicotine, a very powerful drug but one which fortunately is easy to physically kick. It's the brain that is fooled and needs putting straight.

Needtostop, the offer is there if you would like to borrow Allen Carr

Original poster

needtostop · 15/09/2007 21:22

sunshinegirl, I really, really appreciate the offer but would rather keep my identity a secret due to the shame involved.

Im going to go out and buy it in the morning so I can get stuck in.

Thanks though, genuinely x

OP posts:

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