Smoking

[Fancyspot25]

I am now 20 weeks pg andafter cutting my cigarette smoking significantly, I finally quit completely yesterday. My question is this- I cannot find much information on using nicotine gum, is this safe? I plan on using a few 2mg pieces a day for a week or two.

P.s- if you have nothing nice to say then pass on by this post, your judgment is needed nowhere.

[Fancyspot25]

Thank you for that info. I guess I hadn't thought about that it was the nicotine that constricts the blood flow but it makes sense. Thank you very much!

[Julia M Aharonov, DO]

Look, I am not here to judge you, but you asked me for my knowledge and my opinion, so here it is.
I understand that smoking is extremely addictive, but there are certain things we do for our kid that are very hard, and one of them is being pregnant, taking care of our bodies while pregnant and nursing (and I am not even talking about giving birth!). That is only the start of a difficult life of a parent. So, let me give you the facts that you probably already know, but they are important to repeat.
Smoking while pregnant will:
Lower the amount of oxygen and nutrient available your growing baby.
Increase your baby's heart rate.
Increase the chances of miscarriage and stillbirth.
Increase the risk that your baby is born prematurely and/or born with low birth weight.
Increase your baby's risk of developing respiratory (lung) problems.
Nicotine by itself is a vasoconstrictor, it constricts arteries, including those in your uterus, which are responsible for delivering oxygen and nutrients to your developing baby.
The study done recently in Denmark found that women who used nicotine-replacement therapy in pregnancy had a greater risk of having babies with birth defects than women who did not.
You want to eat right and stay away from all unneeded drugs and alcohol while you are pregnant and nursing or mothering young children. Please take good care of yourself and that way you can be sure you are taking the best care of your child.