Pregnant and giving up smoking [Archive] - MoneySavingExpert.com Forums

cally1978

26-05-2008, 11:54 AM

exup

26-05-2008, 12:04 PM

I found it a little upsetting when my girlfriend was pregnant and continued to smoke. I dont smoke myself and never have so I don't really know how hard it is to stop. However I was told in no uncertain terms that if I nagged her to stop she would do it even more . so that was that out.

However being the house proud person she is - she would always go outside to smoke.

Our first child was born without any problems but trouble conceiving for next child was a problem. and after IVF treatment did she become pregnant again, but it was still upsetting as she smoked throughout. only a couple of months did she seek advice on help to give up.

The patches helped, but the main thing which she said helped was the little plastic inhalator which she could just "pretend" was a cigarette. Although the nicotine refills for them lasted about 20 minutes or so . she would use one for days - so it seemed that it was more the action of smoking rather than the stuff she was actually breathing in was the main thing.

She stopped using the patches quite quickly - and only recently stopped using the inhalator - even though it was empty.

good luck with the stopping smoking though. hope everything goes OK

MrsE

26-05-2008, 12:05 PM

Yes the 24 hour ones do give disturbed dreams.

Get the 16 hour ones.

cally1978

26-05-2008, 12:07 PM

Thanks for your reply, I will be honest and say that I smoked with my first 2 children but I am determind to stop this time.

MrsE

26-05-2008, 12:25 PM

Thanks for your reply, I will be honest and say that I smoked with my first 2 children but I am determind to stop this time.

My daughter is 20.

I did stop while pregnant, it was easy the sickness made it easy.

I went back to it after, when she was about three months old & had to have an op.

I gave up about 3 & a half years ago, I ws a 30 a day smoker.
I used no aid or props (but had tried them all in the past & failed).

It was easy, you know why, coz I wanted to. Got over it within a week & never wanted one since. I would rather eat dirt now than ever smoke again, honestly I csn't stand them.

Its all about the mind.

Lynsey76

26-05-2008, 12:26 PM

I smoked 15 - 20 a day for13 years and I gave up smoking cold turkey after I found out I was pregnant with my first baby. My partner had never smoked and had been badgering me to give up anyway, and I never smoked in the house. On finding the little blue lines, my first instinct was to have a fag to stop the shaking lol. The next morning I went for my morning cigarette but felt guilty half way through, so threw it away. I went in the house and gave my partner my cigarettes, ashtrays, lighters and told him to get rid of them. He did, and bought me some lolly's from the local shop. I found these gave me something to do with my hands and mouth, and contained no nicotine, unlike patches etc. Whenever I had the urge for a ciggy I went and brushed my teeth. I also stopped drinking tea, as I always had a ciggy with a cuppa, so it triggered a craving. 5 years on I am still a non smoker with two healthy boys, and can't imagine why I ever smoked - although I get the odd craving when I am in a very stressful situation.

When giving up I had dreams that I had smoked a cigarette and would wake up feeling sooo guilty!

Working in a chemist as I do, I see a lot of people trying to give up who just exchange one addiction for another. 2 years down the line they are still chewing the gum etc. For me I think giving up smoking is a mindset. If you have a good enough reason to quit you will. I had previously tried giving up with no success, and being honest with myself, at that poiunt I probably wasn't comitted enough, I enjoyed going out with mates and smoking.

Changing my habits worked for me, anything that triggered a craving, I tried to stop doing. It wasn't easy, but I did it and i am very proud of myself.
Go to your local Boots, they will be happy to talk you through your options, and offer you support. They should have leaflets for you to read as well.
I wish you the best of luck, persevere, it will be worth it in the end :T

absolutebounder

26-05-2008, 3:10 PM

Hi all, I am on day one of giving up and am finding it sooooooooooo hard already infact I feel quite pathetic that nicotine has such a hold on me, my reason for quitting is that I am pregnant and want the best for my new baby. If anyone has any advice or encouragement pass it this way cause I really need it.......

I am using the 24 hr patch and had horrendous dreams last night is this normal ????????
In my opinion this is not good. The 24 hour patch has more nicotine in it than you would smoke in a day, plus how does getting more of the drug you are supposedly addicted to help you give up? Despite NRT being favoured by the NHS it has pretty dismal results. I know the theory is to wean you off it but if that worked people would just smoke 1 less fag a day until they gave up. remember who makes the money out of NRT
If you want encouragement stop focusing on cigarettes and focus on changing you lifestyle to having a beatiful healthy baby. Avoid as much as possible the circumstances where you would normaly smoke and enjoy fresh air. It is better to have your life controlled by a new baby than a weed from the USA.

squidge60

26-05-2008, 3:27 PM

hi i smoked for 24+ and smoked alot each day i found it very very hard even though it was something i really wanted to do.! for me i used patches allen carr (easy way to stop smoking ) went to online sites for other peoples help advice etc.i also rang the helplines although they werent great i found (not for me anyway) and chewing gum (i do still chew sometimes).i am now 4yrs down the line and i have to say its great soooooooooo worth it nothing controls me such a sense of freedom(cos lets face it most people who do dont want to)hang on in there it will get easier you have to find what works for you.good luck hope you do it .:D

jessbrown100

26-05-2008, 4:09 PM

I gave up smoking as soon as I found out that I was pregnant, tbh after the first couple of weeks the morning sickness and accompanying indigestion kicked in and so smoking became really unappealing!. Am now 24 weeks and have recently started wanting a cigarette really badly but am just trying to ride it out- I've come far too far to give up now!. I didn't use patches because I didn't want the continuous nicotine but I think the nausea and vomiting made quitting easier for me (wouldn't wish it on my worse enemy though- however much they wanted to quit :rotfl:). Good Luck with it though, and think of all the gorgeous baby stuff you can buy with the money that you'd otherwise spend on ciggies.:j

amandada

26-05-2008, 4:24 PM

I stopped when I was pg over 11 years ago and have never looked back-I'm now your "typical" ex smoker who can't stand the smell!!!

When you're desperate for a smoke, you could try visualising your baby inside you struggling for breath as you inhale-worked for me. (yes I know there's a bit of "artistic licence" and babies don't actually "breathe" in the womb, but if it helps....)

Good luck :)

honey222

26-05-2008, 8:36 PM

congrats on the pg cally1978

just to say i quit smoking in jan after 14 yrs :j(started really young!!!) tried loads of times to stop, patches, chewing gum, the pen thing etc none of which worked then a work colleague told me of this dvd she had bought to stop smoking it was called - Allen Carr easy way to stop smoking, i thought she was taking the mic but i got a borrow and it actually works (i went out the following wkend and didn't smoke, even tho had a few drinks)

cookie08

26-05-2008, 9:10 PM

tiamai_d

26-05-2008, 9:43 PM

I quit with my first. Morning sickness (though very polite it was that time, stopped at exactly noon) and smoking gave me a headache helped.

Thing I found most usefull was a 'fiddle stone', for me a quartz crystal that I would fiddle with when I would normally have a ciggy. And an elastic band on my wrist that I'd ping when I felt the urge... owch!

Good luck!

Paparika

27-05-2008, 8:05 AM

I was about 3 - 4 moths pregnant, then one day i sparked up and found it tasted disgusting, i handed my lighter and ciggies to a co worker and said you have these i don't want them.

simple as that no withdraw nothing, i know i was lucky,

I then spent the next couple of months needing cheese and onion pasties for my lunch at work :D

I'm still amazed by the way my body decided i didn't want to smoke and admittedly i spent the last month or so walking behind smokers sniffing their smoke, :rotfl:

tiamai_d

27-05-2008, 8:42 AM

... and admittedly i spent the last month or so walking behind smokers sniffing their smoke, :rotfl:

I still do that!!!! :rotfl:

And how hard is it to get soemone to stay put when they are smoking and you are pregnant? They kept walking away!

MrsE

27-05-2008, 8:56 AM

I still do that!!!! :rotfl:

And how hard is it to get soemone to stay put when they are smoking and you are pregnant? They kept walking away!

Urgghhhh

I can't abide walking past smokers in the street now, I can't breath.

I hate it when they are smoking outside shops & buildings & I have to go past them.

I HATE going to smokers houses, the smell off them, their clothes, their cars, ect.

I can't believe I ever smoked:o
DH is the same:o

totalsolutions

27-05-2008, 9:01 AM

Happy to hear you want to stop, but you really prefer to breath smoke and poison then air. You know you are killing yourself so carry on. Have a short life and weak child.

You look good with a fag in your mouth and a cough in the morning. You must reake of smoke in your clothes and home.

You will kiss your child each night, yeuk!

Non smokers finally got rid of you from bars and clubs and public covered areas. Our streets are a mess where you drop butts and ash everwhere.

Because you wont quit /stop on your own because it hurts, oh dear, tough its not.

Dont waste your cash on cigs but treat the child.

Hope this advice gives you your encouragement to quit. Good luck. XX

HTH

katym79

27-05-2008, 10:13 AM

totalsolutions - dead helpful, cheers. :confused:

Anyway, like others have said, the morning sickness did the trick for me. Baby 9 months now and never smoked since, but TBH i do sometimes miss it. Think its more the time out to be by myself that i miss, rather than the smoke. Just think of the money you waste on the things - that puts me back on the straight and narrow.

daphne descends

27-05-2008, 11:10 AM

Allen Carr helped me and my partner stop overnight, his method really does work. Can't recommend it highly enough. I still read or listen to bits when I get the urge.

Katy like you I miss it in a way, my baby is 7 months and the idea of having ten minutes to myself now and then is just bliss... but I can't stand the smell of smoke and hate it when anyone smokes near me, so I'm stuck as a non smoker ;)

absolutebounder

27-05-2008, 11:21 AM

Better Health After Quitting

Time after last cigarette

Physical Response
20 minutes

Blood pressure and pulse rates return to normal.
8 hours

Levels of carbon monoxide and oxygen in the blood return to normal.
24 hours

Chance of heart attack begins to decreases.
48 hours

Nerve endings start to regrow. Your ability to taste and smell increases.
72 hours

Bronchial tubes relax and the lungs can fill with more air.
2 weeks to 3 months

Improved circulation; lung function increases up to 30%.
1 to 9 months
Decreased rates of coughing, sinus infection, fatigue, and shortness of breath; regrowth of cilia in the airways, increasing the ability to clear mucus and clean the lungs and reducing the chance of infection; overall energy level increases.

Long-Term Effects

After a year, risk of dying from heart attack and stroke is reduced by up to 50%.

What isnt shown here is that nicotine is all out of the systen in around 2 days (unless you are on patches) rather showing the cravings are psychological.

galvanizersbaby

27-05-2008, 11:33 AM

hya

just so you know your not allowed to be on the 24 hour patches cos your pregnant max you can go on is 16 hour.

Im 38 weeks pregnant and gave up a few weeks ago and was told basically that its not healthy or advisable for the baby to have 24 hour supply of nicotine - a no smoking advisor told me this.

They advised me just to wake up a hour earlier then normal put the 16 hour patch on and go back to sleep (actually worked aswell).

Go back to who ever gave you the patches and make sure they understand your pregnant, with me they never read the forms i told them at the end (i asked what effect will this have on my baby, he said oh are you pregnant? I said well yes i have put it on 3 seperate forms and then you have to sign a form saying your pregnant and understand the risks of nicotine replacement!)

All the best x
I'm quite shocked by the amount of women who do continue to smoke when pg - surely it's not healthy or advisable for the baby to have a supply of nicotine full stop - be it patch or cigarette!
I would have thought at 38 weeks of pregnancy any damage (god forbid) would be already done.
I gave up smoking when I was TTC because I wanted a child more than I wanted to smoke cigarettes - it wasn't easy but I did it because I had to - there was no way I would have smoked while pg as I would have been terrified of any risks I would have been exposing my baby to - this alone would have been enough for me - I don't really understand anybody that is happy to take this risk be it with a cigarette or any other nicotine replacement product :confused: sorry but just had to say this

absolutebounder

27-05-2008, 12:31 PM

I'm quite shocked by the amount of women who do continue to smoke when pg - surely it's not healthy or advisable for the baby to have a supply of nicotine full stop - be it patch or cigarette!
Despite Nicotine being very toxic (it is one of natures most powerful insecticides and 1 drop on the tongue would kill an adult) It is probably the least of babys worries. Cigarette smoke also contains:
Polonium 210 (remember the russian spy poisoned with this)
Toluene (an industrial solvent banned for use in nail varnish remover)
Arsenic
Hydrogen cyanide (used in gas chambers)
There are plenty of oither nasties as well.

LittleTinker

27-05-2008, 1:27 PM

Despite Nicotine being very toxic (it is one of natures most powerful insecticides and 1 drop on the tongue would kill an adult) It is probably the least of babys worries. Cigarette smoke also contains:
Polonium 210 (remember the russian spy poisoned with this)
Toluene (an industrial solvent banned for use in nail varnish remover)
Arsenic
Hydrogen cyanide (used in gas chambers)
There are plenty of oither nasties as well.

Yes, but nicotine can also be found in some vegetables.....it isnt harmful to us in the small doses we eat/take it in.

Nicotine is actually beneficial........its the tar and gases that are bad for us.....although it is the nicotine that forms the addiction.

Bun

27-05-2008, 3:34 PM

Somebody else mentioned visualising the baby when you have a cigarette. We had a 4d scan and I commented on the effect of the caffeine I'd been asked to drink (on off, I don't drink coffee) on turning the baby round. They said that the baby will squirm and grimace when the chemicals and nicotine hit it. Thought this may help. Good luck.

Nitha

27-05-2008, 3:40 PM

It is worth mentioning that smoking when pregnant is one of the most common links in cases of cot death, as well as smoking around a baby. I think the best 'patch' is the thought that smoking can seriously damage your unborn baby. If smoking became illegal you would have to stop, think of it in the same way.

mykidsmum

27-05-2008, 4:06 PM

its really hard to give up smoking, the way I did it when I found out I was pregnant was to buy 10 cigarettes and they were to be the last ones I ever bought, I eeked them out over a week and everytime I had one I did visualise my poor baby and the smoke passing into her. By the end of the 7 days i had 3 left and chucked them away. I was 7 weeks pregnant by then and was really proud of myself for the rest of the pregnancy. Honestly visualization works! (although I did replace cigarettes with chicken baguettes). And also as your body changes and taste and smell changes (I swear I could 'smell' people ) hopefully you will go off them anyway! good luck with your pregnancy!

absolutebounder

27-05-2008, 4:22 PM

Yes, but nicotine can also be found in some vegetables.....it isnt harmful to us in the small doses we eat/take it in.

Nicotine is actually beneficial........its the tar and gases that are bad for us.....although it is the nicotine that forms the addiction.
I dont think I would class nicotine as beneficial unless you need your nervous system irritated.
Nicotine addiction doesnt form the normal pattern of chemical addiction and I do not believe it is chemically addictive to any degree however smoking is psychologically addictive.
Maybe if we fed kids more vegetables they would become addicted to them:rotfl: If nicotine is so addictive why arnt we addicted to veggies?
I do agree about the other nasties though and a real one I forgot was good old carbon monoxide.

Glad

27-05-2008, 4:24 PM

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere (please see this rule (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=1009335#post1009335)) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email abuse@moneysavingexpert.com (abuse@moneysavingexpert.com) :)

Sugarhunny1

27-05-2008, 7:31 PM

Evening everyone

I'm a support worker in Perth and Kinross for a new scheme aimed at pregnant woman, If anyone is from this area (or Dundee) then could i ask that you PM me, There is a financial incentive that is paid through the NHS/Council/ASDA to encourage you to stop.

If you want more information then please google "Give it up for baby"

I hope this isnt against any rules on MSE, I have no financial gain from this!

absolutebounder

27-05-2008, 11:05 PM

There are no real contraindications to NRT - it is more harmful for the person to smoke than use NRT. Having said that, I would normally go for the 16hr patches for pregnant women if possible.
Would you like to publish the independent statistics on its effectiveness at say 6mths after cessation and 1 year?

Alleycat

27-05-2008, 11:38 PM

It is fairly common for 24hr patches to cause sleep problems - numbers from the manufacturer are more than 1 in 10. You can just take the 24hr patches off when you go to bed and put the next one on in the morning.

There are no real contraindications to NRT - it is more harmful for the person to smoke than use NRT. Having said that, I would normally go for the 16hr patches for pregnant women if possible.

I was told by my midwife that the patches I'd started using were in fact worse for me than continuing to smoke given the strength of the cigarettes and amount I smoked :confused: