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I'm 35 weeks pregnant and still smoke?!?

So i am 35 weeks pregnant and I am a smoker... I cut down quite a bit was unable to quit fully... I feel guilty everyday and everytime that I lite up that smoke... and now I am noticing that my baby is hiccupping whenever I have a smoke... what does this mean??? any thoughts and do you think that the baby will go into shock if I were to just stop now after 35 weeks or is it too late???

Any thoughts would be apprciated and thank you in advance for not judging me on my habit.

Thanks,

~Concerned Mom-to-be (due: Sept. 8, 2011)
Best Answer
1748793 tn?1332620003
are you aware of the effects smoking has on your baby? perhaps if you knew the risk you were placing your unborn child in every time you light up you wouldn't do it...here are some of the effects you may want to consider next time you want a cigarette...

The most serious complications — including stillbirth, premature delivery, and low birth weight — can be chalked up to the fact that nicotine and carbon monoxide work together to reduce your baby's supply of oxygen. Nicotine chokes off oxygen by narrowing blood vessels throughout your body, including the ones in the umbilical cord. It's a little like forcing your baby to breathe through a narrow straw. To make matters worse, the red blood cells that carry oxygen start to pick up molecules of carbon monoxide instead. Suddenly, that narrow straw doesn't even hold as much oxygen as it shoul...

A shortage of oxygen can have devastating effects on your baby's growth and development. On average, smoking during pregnancy doubles the chances that a baby will be born too early or weigh less than 5 1/2 pounds at birth. Smoking also more than doubles the risk of stillbirth.

Every cigarette you smoke increases the risks to your pregnancy. A few cigarettes a day are safer than a whole pack, but the difference isn't as great as you might think. A smoker's body is especially sensitive to the first doses of nicotine each day, and even just one or two cigarettes will significantly tighten blood vessels. That's why even a "light" habit can have an outsize effect on your baby's health...

I really hope you can take charge of your addiction and stop smoking asap...I'm not judging you I'm just speaking out for your unborn child who has no voice!! If you stop smoking today it will NOT kill you but It just Might KILL your baby if you CONTINUE!  
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Avatar universal
Well your kid will deserve an apology when it asks you later in life why he/she has chronic asthma and can't concentrate in school. My mother has 4 children and smoked with me and my younger brother. We both have awful asthma all our lives, we both smoke and both have concentration issues and were both diagnosed with personality disorders. Our other two siblings are really smart and have no emotional or breathing problems at all. Smoking during pregnancy causes behavioural problems later in life so have fun dealing with those mood swings! I'm sorry but how did you not think about this? Your going to have to work extra hard to bring your babies health up when its born and hope your efforts pay off or else you'll be paying for your mistake big time later on. My best friend her mum smoked during breastfeeding and pregnancy too and shes the same can't concentrate in school got bullied for being sort of dumb, smokes and has really bad emotional problems. she cries over everything and I mean everything and her mum puts in down to smoking while being pregnant. Your baby hiccups after you smoke? Cop on to yourself!!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I can only give my personal experiences with smoking and pregnancy. (I didn't smoke during my pregnancy, never have actually.)

My mother smoked her entire pregnancy with me. She "cut down" when she found out. I now have severe asthma, I have to carry an inhaler with me everywhere. I get bronchitis fairly easily. (I've been hospitalized for it 10 times in my life...I'm only 26) When I was born I was so severely jaundiced that I almost died. The doctors said it was a sheer miracle that I didn't. My immune system is absolute sh!t. I get sick easily and stay sick for a LONG time. When I had the flu this past winter it stayed with me for 3 months before turning into pnemonia, which I had for 2 months. And I have a heart condition which will be with me forever.

People have told me that it had nothing to do with my mom smoking...after talking with my ob (my health problems tripled while I was pregnant), my cardiologist and my pcp (primary care physician) they all agreed that all of my health problems stem from my mother smoking. They told me had she not smoked or only smoked one ciggy a week, I'd be about 100% healthier than I am now.

Oh and I was 8 weeks premature and weighed 4 lb 3 oz (I have all of my health records dating back to the day I was born...). I can't run without having my inhaler in hand, I get short of breath when walking up a few flights of stairs (and I am in shape), I can't use 100% of my lungs the last time my doctor did testing I was at 90-95%, I have to go at least once a year to make sure my O2 stats don't fall below 90%. If they do...off to the hospital I go. The doctors and nurses at the hospital I've been going to for the past...well forever know me by name.

There are consequences to anything you do while pregnant. While I got the short end of the straw on the healthyness....it is possible to have a completely healthy baby. You just won't know until you give birth.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Just to let you know, and hopefully put you at ease a little...i know its bad and every person is different but i smoked all through both of my pregnancies and both my girls are perfect. My mom smoked with me and my grandma smoked with her kids. Geez back in the day my grandma could smoke at the obgyn's office. i know its not healthy but neither is the stress of wanting one so bad. as long as your doc knows and hes monitoring you, baby will be fine. Oh and the hiccups...my doc said it was a good sign that she was trying to breath. a sign of good lung development. Smoking could cause your babies to be a bit less in weight though. my girls were 6lbs 6 oz and 6lbs 7 oz.  hope all goes well for you!!
Helpful - 0
1748793 tn?1332620003
good luck and I wish you a healthy baby...take care
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you for all the info and the support.  I know am going to talk with my OB on Thurs and make sure that cold turkey at this point won't shock the baby.

thanks
Helpful - 0
1654035 tn?1332425178
I would quit As Soon As Possible, but I would also talk to my Dr. about it just in case. Even though you are already so far into pregnancy, any amount of time you don't smoke pregnant is going to help your baby.
Helpful - 0
1748793 tn?1332620003
I agree with alliegurl504 I had a friend who smoked during her pregnancy and her son has bad respiratory problems, he has to have daily breathing treatments and can't play with other kids his age because he can't keep up..it's really sad that his childhood is being severely affected and he has to live with this his entire life when it could have been prevented...  
Helpful - 0
1738906 tn?1330449006
GO buy an electronic cigarrette
Helpful - 0
1738906 tn?1330449006
He gets sick alot with upper respiratory problems and he has a permanent awful cough
Helpful - 0
1738906 tn?1330449006
My nephews girlfriend smoked the whole pregnancy and now the baby has CHRONIC BRONCCHITIS it sound absolutley horrible If I were you I WOULD STOP your diaphragm is a muscle that controls breathing sooooooooooooo when it has spasms that causes you to have hiccups. I think you might be causing the baby harm smoking The babys lungs are in the development stage!
Helpful - 0
1577200 tn?1331725719
well every single of us has a habit, that i guess it is totaly okay, i have no idea about baby hiccupping or how the baby act. but one thing i would like to share with u and is , i never smoke in my life,but now i am 12 weeks pregnant i am craving for smoke , but about hiccuping talk to ur doctor to see what she or he is going to say, best of luck  take care :)
Helpful - 0
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