Pregnant and can't quit smoking!!!

[Krisie446]

Hi, I'm currently 24 weeks pregnant with my third child and am having a hard time quitting smiking.  I have cut down to 3 or 4 a day but I am still so upset that I can't quit completely.  Anyone else in the same boat?  

[LauraB78]

I am...

It is something I am totally embarrassed about and makes me feel horrible.. I have spoken to my Dr. about it, and although he expresses concern, he says to continually cut down until I can quit cold turkey. Every couple days, I alot myself 1 or 2 less cigarettes per day. Don't be surprised if you get a lot of sh*t from this post.. I have asked questions before and I felt attacked..

PLUS, the studies prove (even though I am NOT trying to justify.. just make a point) that the 2 largest problems that smoking while pregnant are low birth weight and it can cause A.D.D.  I asked my Dr. about the lung issues/asthma and he said that studies DO NOT prove 100% that smoking is the root of these birth problems/defects..

I personally feel a lot of it is a social acceptability issue.. If you smoke nowadays.. You are a "leper."

Not to totally confuse the issue, I want my baby to be healthy and happy.. I am trying to quit smoking b/c I truly want what is best for my child as I am sure you feel the same. I am NOT trying to justify smoking OR smoking while pregnant, I am just sharing what I have learned as I have been a smoker for 17 years.. It is a difficult habit and addiction to break and I wish you the best of luck b/c I realize your intentions are true, as are mine. =)

Some people (especially those that have never smoked) have NO idea what it is like... I understand, and I empathize.. I am 22 weeks pregnant.

[Brittney11]

I am the same way but i am 26 wks with my 2nd but with my first i had the same problem and he came out weighing 8 lbs 1 once 21 inches long and only had problems with ashma when the seasons would change from summer to fall and then winter to spring and now he has grown out of it and is a completly healthy 2 almost 3 yr old.

[nikko*ttc]

Unfortunately, I do not have this problem, but my sister did. However, let me preempt my post with an applaud, since you ladies for cutting back as much as you can. For those of you who do not know, my sister had her first baby at 20 weeks on May 6th of this year. He is still in the NICU and probably won't get to come home until sometime next month. She tried to stop smoking at first but couldn't. She couldn't even cut back. I guess she just kept thinking "lots of other women smoke and their babies are just fine". Well, she no longer thinks like that. She is disgusted with herself. She sees her inability to quit as a factor in her preterm labor and unfortunately alot of medical evidence also suggests that this may be a reason she went into labor so early too. Her baby encountered some sort of fetal distress which caused him to have his first bowel movement way to early. This caused her to go into preterm labor. Even her doctor has said that since nothing else seems to have triggered the fetal distress such as car accident or a fall, etc, that it very well could have been triggered by her inability to quit smoking. So, again I applaud you for cutting back, but please try to make the effort to quit completely.

[msgorgeous]

I heard that if you quit cold turkey you can put the baby into shock. ive seen several woman say that. I smoke and i know its bad for you its hard to quit. great job on your progress soo far.

[LittleBit310]

I know what that is like I am pregnant with number 4 and I myself still can't quit. good luck and congrats on cutting back so much.

[jdamico]

i had the  same  problem  when i was  pregnant with #2 and  it took me a long time to  quit  when i  was pregnant  for him and it was hard let me tell . Unforunately i went back to  smoking  soon after his born  now iam  16 wks pg with #3 and i have quit  fully  so it takes time and i know how hard it is to  quit having  started and  quit many  times  myself good luck

[Krisie446]

Thanks so much for all the support.  I smoked with both my other pregnancy's and my girls where born fine both weighting almost 7 lbs.  But I know that I was lucky and I would never forgive myself if something happened to this baby.  I am going to continue to try and quit but I honestly don't think I can completely.  I guess 4 is better than 20.  But its still not good enough!  Good Luck to you all.

[Krisie446]

Brittney,'If you don't mind me asking, how many cigs where you smoking a day with your first?  He was big!  I'm so glad to hear he's healthy!!

Kristie

[LoandTansMom24]

I'm guilty as well. Its EXTREMELY hard especially since most of my friends and MY HUSBAND smokes! I have never quit and this is my 5th pregnancy. My 1st weighed 6lbs 8oz. He had a heart defect tho. My second was 8 lbs 6oz. (kinda strange I kno), and my 3rd weighed 7 lbs 3oz. I did/have cut down to 8 a day. I know that still sounds like a lot but my doc said the same thing...if u cant quit @ least cut down. I used to smoke 15 a day. I had an u/s last week. (I'm 28 wks) and I was told my baby girl weighs 2 lbs. 11 oz. And she's in the 57th percentile, so that's a lil above average. Good Luck Ladies!!!

[BTS1022]

I too am a smoker and 36 weeks pregnant. I had stopped for a little while, but I just can't kick the habit. I am even having a hard time limiting how much I smoke. I was smoke free for probably 3 months until I couldnt take it anymore.

I smoked with my other 2 pregnancies, both were and are very healthy boys. My oldest weighed in at 9lbs 12.ounces my youngest was 9lbs 6 ounces. This baby is also expected to reach the 9+ category if I can go full term. I am not having any complications from smoking, most of the complications I am having now are due to other medical issues.

I have been a smoker for 13 years and it is very hard to quit. I am ashamed to say, that im still smoking...but im proud to say I tried. Not many women out there will even try to quit. But I did I tried.

[Krisie446]

I think all we can do is try.  I try everyday and feel sometimes as if I'm not trying hard enough but I really can't seem to quit.  I am proud of myself for cutting back at least I can say that!! Good luck to all!!

[amy0013]

I am so proud of all of you for admitting this!!!  I HATE that smokers are considered "lepers" now like the other post said.  YES it is an awful awful habit but until you have been one, you cannot possibly understand how difficult it truly is to quit.  I was fortunate to be able to quit almost immediately after finding out I was pregnant with my daughter.  BUT I DO TOTALLY SYMPATHIZE/EMPATHIZE AND TOTALLY UNDERSTAND what you are all going through!!  

Good luck to you and congrats on cutting back!  That's fantastic!  :)  

[Krisie446]

Thanks so much for the encouraging words!  I'm trying so hard!!!

[amy0013]

Hey I have a question that I always wondered, but never found out for myself.  When I was pregnant and wanting a cigerette soooo bad I was able to resist b/c I was afraid of feeling her kick or react to it.  Do you ever notice when smoking that your baby responds to the cigarette?  I always wondered if the baby would start kicking or moving around during or after???  Just curious.  :)

[Riot_Queen]

I totally feel your pain hunn.
I'm 37w4d and I wasn't able to kick the habbit either.

I did quit around my 3rd month.
I quit for 6 whole weeks.
But then I ended up moving from Texas all the way back up to Massachusetts where I'm originally from... and the stress of that move was unbelievable...

Not to mention my fiance was supposed to quit with me- and he lied and said he did...
come to find out he was doing it behind my back, and I caught him with cigarettes the day we moved.
We moved through Amtrak, and it was a very LONG, and very STRESSFUL trip.
And the entire time I was extremely p*ssed off cuz everyone and everything kept f*cking us over left and right the entire time.
So I ended up buying a pack for myself once we got to Chicago on a layover.

But then once we  get  to Massachusetts, EVERYTHING exploded in our faces.
EVERYTHING went down hill and I was supposed to quit again-  but never could because of the stress.
The first thing I think about when I'm pissed off or stressed out  is a smoke. lol

And so then we hadda move BACK to Texas... and that was even MORE stress.

I cut back some for a while-
then I started having anxiety about L&D and started smoking more again.
Now I usually limit myself now that I'm more than ready for L&D cuz I'm so huge and miserable... lol... but I have those days where I smoke more than I want to.

I hope you can quit before you get to my point in the pregnancy, where the damage has already been done and the best you can do is just cut back and try to take it easy.

I'm not even gunna bother to quit at this point cuz I know in 3 weeks time, I'm gunna end up picking it right back up.

I'm ashamed of myself, but lots of women smoke during their pregnancy.
Alot worse than ourselves.
I'm just glad I'm not as heavy of a smoker as I was BEFORE pregnancy.

[emmiemac]

im so glad im not the only 1! ive tried so hard to stop im nearly 20 weeks and used to smoke 20 + a day, i now smoke 10 a day and feel guilty after every single 1 but ive found the cravings are much worse than before i fell pregnant even tho i was smoking more then i was drinking quite a lot too, i always smoke more when i drink alcohol. i have completly stopped drinking and have done since i found out i was pregnant as i know drinking in pregnancy can cause some horific long term affects to the baby and irreversable brain damage! if any one has any tips to help cut down my intake of ciggarettes more then please share beacuse like all of u i would NEVER forgive myself if anything happened to my baby because of my weakness. and well done all of u for only smoking 3 or 4 no 1 has the right to judge you especialy the non smokers as people really dont have a clue how hard it is to stop unless they have an addiction themselves and if they do then who the f*** are they to judge! im so glad you had the guts to admit to this problem now maybe we can try and help each other. thank you x

[emmiemac]

im so sorry to hear about your sisters baby that is a really shocking story and i hope to god he gets better soon, how may was your sister smoking? i think us smokers need to hear these stories as horrible as they are to help stop this happening to any of our babies as we seem to make excuses for ourselves sometimes to make us feel less guilty about those sneeky fags we are having! is it true about the cold turkey thing being bad for our babies? i know if drug addicts just stop when pregnant it can really harm the baby is it the same for ciggarettes?

[Krisie446]

I wish you the best of luck with your L&D and I'm sure everything will be fine.  Just have faith in God and know that you at least tried to quit.  Please let us know when you have your baby!!!!! Congrats!!

[Krisie446]

I am so glad you resonded to this thread.  I know that just reading everyones posts makes me feel better and makes me feel that I can quit with the support of friends like ya'll.  We can all do this.  Even if some of us just can cut back, a least it's something.  Smoking is a real addication and I can tell you that if you were addicated to alcohol or drugs there would be so much support out there for you and your Dr. would have alot more information for you on how to get help.  But I have not seen that with ciggarettes.  I wish you all the best of luck and keep sending your thoughts and comments, it's good therapy...lol

[petal88]

Firstly well done to all ladies who have cut down. I was a smoker myself- I gave up smoking when I found out I was pregnant with my first baby and started smoking again after I lost him/her to m/c to help me cope. So I know what an addictive crutch cigs can be.  When planning this pregnancy I gave up immediately to get it all out of my system as I want to try to do everything by the book. It was hard... days when I badly needed a cig.  For me I found praying really helped me to see that I could dispose of that crutch.  I couldn't think of having a cigarette now... this baby is too precious to fill his or her wee lungs and body with chemicals such as rat poison.  This will be our first child and we are terrified of anything going wrong this time.  I know it is so hard to quit but has anyone, trying to give up, used nicotine patches?  Apparently they are much safer than cigs and can help you quit.

I am not judging anyone for finding it hard to quit but I don't think it's helpful to make smokers feel ok about smoking during pregnancy.  Would it be ok to let a toddler puff on a cigarette?  As for the comment about the baby going into shock if quit while still in the womb .. well what about the shock it could go into if you continued to smoke and then it went into cold turkey when born? Much worse. I know alcholics and drug addicts baby's become so addicted to the drug that when they come out their wee bodies shake uncontrolably- I have held one of the dolls demonstrating this and believe me it brought tears to my eyes! If a baby gets used to having so many cigs a day in the womb they must go through some withdrawel pains when born but can only tell us by crying or shaking.  If we addicts find it hard to quit how hard would it be for a baby addict who quits as soon as born?
So for all the ladies who have done REALLY WELL to cut down, the earlier you can quit altogether the better.  Please don't think I am being mean... I know there are lots of stories of babys born to smokers who are develop normally (I was one of them) but we are the lucky ones... there are plenty who aren't so healthy and how can it be acceptable to take that risk?  Plenty of non smokers encouraged me to give up and I am grateful for that.. I used to hate it when they would tell me about what I was doing to my body before preg... I would think 'clear off it's my body and I don't need a lecture!'.  But when it affects another body that is so precious to us we should be grateful for any encouragement to give up even if the lesson seems a hard one to listen to.. Good luck to everyone x

[taken062406]

I am not trying to attack you or anything, but i want to reply to your post.  You said that you quit smoking early in your pregnancy and still something went wrong.  The way I see it is if something is going to go wrong, that is what is meant to be.  God has a plan for everyone and everything.  I am 33 weeks prego and I am still a smoker.  I have cut back to about 5 a day.  but my baby girl at 29 weeks was estimated to weigh over 4 lbs.  And about the baby going in to shock if quit cold turkey, what my doctor told me was that it wasnt good to just quit cold turkey.  He said that I needed to ween my self and the baby.  I have had long conversations with my doc about trying to quit totally.  And I have explained to him about my life and all the stress I have been going through and my depression problems.  He said that it is better to keep your self calm and stress free, and if I needed to smoke a couple a day then that would be better for my baby.  there is a huge difference between smoking a couple of ciggs a day and using drugs or drinking alcohol.  Also if everyone thinks back a couple of decades ago, there was nothing wrong with ciggerettes.  Like I said I am not trying to attack you, this is just a really touchy subject to me.  And i am not saying that it is ok to chief down a whole pack of ciggs a day.  But I dont see the point in trying to make them feel guilty for something they are trying really hard to quit.  And trust me I know I feel bad enough every day for it and I am sure they do too.  

[FEOT]

Wow...i never knew there were so many girls out there that smoked (while pregnant) Not trying to attack anyone. I have been a occasional smoker, but havent through out my pregnancy. Im glad that the original poster was brave enough to even post this. Since alot of people can and will judge all of you. I know alot people say its hard to quit this and that. I dont get it though, i been smoking for i dont know wow since i was maybe 18 thats 10 years, i mean a pack would last me a week,  but i never got addicted, that is why i never understood how it happens. My hubby has quit 3 times, this last time he did it for me and the baby, he hasnt been smoking for 3 months now. Yeah its hard but its possible. My hubby has been smoking since he was 14 he is 31. Its possible, but i know its hard. Im glad you girls were able to cut down. That is a start. I wish all of you the best and pray for healthy babies.

[Atia_Julii]

I tend to agree with Petal88.  I'm not here to judge anyone.  Smoking is an addiction.  For me, cutting out caffeine while TTC has been my big obstacle.  All I do know is this. . . I want a baby so badly, and am struggling with getting pregnant.  When/if that does happen, I am going to make sure that nothing I do will negatively contribute to the health of my baby.  Sometimes things just go wrong, and sometimes, no matter how many drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, etc are done during pregnancy, the baby will turn out perfectly.  I would just never take that chance.

Good luck to all of you though. . . :-D

[Avanaar]

How many times do you hear or see on TV about women who did some hardcore drugs while pregnant and *still* had healthy (but, sadly, addicted) babies?  So when it comes down to smoking while pregnant, it's in my opinion, not that bad.  I give you ladies a lot of credit for cutting back and trying to be more healthy for your baby.  

As many have said, smoking *is* an addiction.  My mother, father, brother, grandmother, and husband are all smokers.  I grew up around it, I live with it now.  And yet I am not one (tho I did try to be a smoker when I was in college!  It didn't stick!  I've also had the very rare social drinkers' cigarette ...I always got teased by the 'real' smokers for not inhaling tho >.>).  

Even tho I'm pregnant, my husband still smokes around me.  With our first pregnancy, he was so good about not being in the room/car with me ...or making sure it was super ventilated ...and we lost that baby.  Even tho we tried to be so careful.  With this pregnancy, I thought to myself ...if I was trying to be so good and perfect and healthy and still lost a baby, why should I get myself all worked up again?  So he smokes around me.  And I'm 6 months pregnant today.

Many ladies have already attested to smoking during pregnancy and still having healthy babies.  Even tho I myself would not smoke while pregnant, I'm not going to have a cow about people who do.  My husband has tried to quit many times, but it's a lot harder than he ever thought.  Also, he has a 16 year old son who is very healthy and never had medical problems ...and his ex smoked (cigarettes and marijuana) throughout her pregnancy with him.

Good luck to all you ladies struggling with cutting back!!  I applaud you for your effort to make yourself more healthy for your babies!!!