Stopping vaping

[Hmrt2018]

Hi Mums

Need help without judgement please.
Just found out I am pregnant, very early, around 5 weeks with my second child.
Currently use e cigarettes and am desperate to stop but finding it extremely difficult to go cold turkey. I didn't smoke or vape during first pregnancy so this wasn't an issue.

Can you share your experiences of stopping vaping/smoking when pregnant? Is NRT safe, patches for example as am happy to try this but really don't think I can do this on willpower alone and am worried for the health of my baby, feeling extremely guilty that I haven't managed to quit immediately.

Thank you!

Following OP, could have written this myself. Didn’t realise it would be this difficult to quit. Willpower alone isn’t helping this time. Ironically with my first it was easier to quit smoking immediately.

I was offered NRT with my first pregnancy 20 years ago and it was considered a safe alternative to smoking back then. I quit cold turkey so didn’t use it.

The science may have changed since then but speak to your midwife - they will be able to offer advice without judgement.

I wish I could quit the nicotine completely. I'm using the spray after binning all my vape stuff. Unfortunately it's just as addictive so I don't know what the answer is.

I got the gum... I think patches are too passive. With the gum it would take the edge off when it was really bothering me. Unfortunately you have to go through withdrawal and it is going to put you on edge but you need three days ultimately without any nicotine for your body to start destroying the nicotine receptors. Until you reach that the receptors will keep gnawing at you.

I think you just need to refocus your mind on the fact vaping can harm your baby with lifelong consequences.

I don't say that to be mean- I got pregnant whilst addicted to vaping as well. But whereas I found it easy to take the possible effects on my health I couldn't bare the thought of potentially permanently hurting my baby.

Get rid of all the vaping things in the house. I found it easier after the shops closed and I knew I had no potential to go buy any.

Tell your partner the effects the vaping could have on the baby. I found I wanted that judgement and peer pressure it I was tempted to wobble.

If you ever feel tempted read up on the effects on the baby. Once you realise you absolutely can't, and its a hard no, it's easier. Because there is no doubt that you are stopping then.

Can you buy a nicotine free vape? Elfbar does them. The vapour isn’t bad for the baby, the nicotine is- which is why I don’t understand how using patches/gum is any better?

Yeah maybe try and go nicotine free?
But I'm with you. I still smoked cigarettes when I found out I was pregnant, so got reffered to a smoking counsellor. They sent me a vape to use instead.
Now I'm working on getting to nicotine free before quitting vaping x