Smoking is OK during pregnancy?!?!

[purplerose]

UGHGHGHGGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :banghead :banghead :mad :mad I'm getting so annoyed with the other message board that I post on! I'm getting mroe and more where I just don't post there anymore!!!! First off, they were talking aobut buying Dobson books, Babywise, etc! :td :tdI put a post for any AP mommas and only like 2 ladies responded!!! :bheart AND they did a post about smoking during pregnancy and that it's ok!!!!!!!!! That it's better for the mom to continue smoking than to put her body through the trauma of just quitting cold turkey! Same with drinking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY DON'T WE JUST ALL SMOKE CRACK WHILE WE'RE AT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :banghead :banghead :banghead So sorry, but I jsut get so mad at that! Why put a poor innocent baby at risk like that. Doing it to your own body is one thing, but to hurt an innocent baby is another!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also I put a post about co-sleeping and most people said NO WAY!!!!!!! The same with bf'ing and baby wearing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am a total outcast there! :cry :hissyfit Ok, I'm done now! Just had to get it off my chest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :hearts :hearts

[sadie]

del

[Cherish]

It is better on the baby if a woman slowly weans herself from the cigarettes. She is encouraged to stop, generally by her caregiver, but it is absolutely true that it is more harmful to the baby for mama to stop cold turkey the minute she gets a postitive pregnancy test.

It is bad for a mama to stop anything cold turkey like that, actually, when she is pregnant. Whether she is an alcoholic or addicted to some other sort of drug. Withdrawl is very very hard on the baby..., remember they get much more of the toxin per ounce of baby than a mama gets per ounce of her own body weight. Does that make sense?

I know many women will decide this is a license to smoke/drink/do drugs just a little and never stop. And clearly the packaging on cigarettes and alcohol warns women who smoke or drink and are pregnant against the dangers of smoking while pregnant and what harm it can cause.

Just wanted to contribute what I know.

[sadie]

del

[milkmommy]

A gradual wean is best.. Ciggie smoke is being shown no JUST to affect the dirrect child but possibly their future children. :(

Deanna

[cannuke]

A girl I went to HS with smoked throughout her 2nd pregnancy because she claimed that if she didn't, she'd kill her son, who was about 3 at the time. Sounds like a good excuse for selfishness, if you ask me. :banghead

Granted, with her first, she claimed that it the only thing she could keep down was McDonald's food (in this whole wide world, there had to be SOMETHING else, KWIM?). Needless to say, we don't talk.

[Leslie]

I did read one source recently that said smoking was no longer considered a risk during pregnancy. But it was the only place I read it (and I forgot where it was, I think it was a magazine), everywhere else said it could cause low birth weight. So there must be some source or study that these women (and their obstetricians??) are reading this. And I'm guessing that's where the magazine article I read got it, too. Maybe there's a study out there where this is coming from?

[bliss]

I've had two friends with two separate ob's tell them this same myth/lie whatever. The one yahoo doc is also the one who told my dear friend in the hospital having her baby that if she didn't have any milk by the time the baby came out then she wasn't going to get any and had to form. feed. How do these people get medical licenses?

[Leslie]

Okay, I'm gonna find that article, or that research, that's allowing doctors to say smoking is okay during pregnancy. I love a good challenge!

So far, I'm only finding articles that say smoking increases a baby's risk of cleft palatte, leukemia, risk of athsma, allergies, The 2001 Surgeon General's Report on Women and Smoking concludes that smoking during pregnancy is associated with increased risk for massive hemorrhaging during delivery, for preterm delivery, and for poor growth of the baby before birth, smoking puts your baby at risk for low birth weight, fetal distress, chronic disabilities (such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and learning problems), some birth defects, preterm birth, and even death. Smoking also increases a woman's risk for infertility, ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy that implants outside the uterus), miscarriage, and abnormalities of the placenta (the structure that nourishes the fetus). . . .

But I haven't given up!

[tiglet]

Oh yikes!
Even What to Expect When You're Expecting (the book I love to hate) says that quitting smoking is the only good choice when pregnant.

[Havilah]

:banghead

An acquaintance told me that her ped advised here to smoke *while breastfeeding* to avoid nicotine withdrawal in her newborn. I can't decide if I believe her or not :rolleyes

[Leslie]

Nah, I can't find it. But I know I did see something. I think it may have been some study that said new tests had found no link bwtween smoking and low birth weight, or maybe that low-birth-weight babies born to moms who smoke showed no more risks of death than normal weight babies . . . it seems like it had to do with the birth weight issue somehow.

[boonpnutsmom]

WE have a new commerical that is really neat, it shows a poster with a hapai lady and then a hapai lady in teh car looking athe poster, getting ready to light up a cigarette. She takes out her lipstick and writes something on the window, her DH comes and helps her out of the car and she throws away her pack...when the door closes, it shows that she has crossed out the number on the poster that SHE WON"T BE A STATISTIC by smoking and harming her baby.

[mom2threePKs]

The really sad thing to me is that pregnancy is a time when women are very likely to be successful at quitting because theya re so motivated to protect their baby. A wise doc would know this and help encourage her and motivate her to quit in whatever way possible. Once she quits in pregnancy she is also pretty likely to remain smoke-free after the baby is born.

Magan

[Leslie]

it shows a poster with a hapai lady and then a hapai lady


Does hapai mean pregnant?

[milkmommy]

I found this :rolleyes not quite pre smoking but pretty close :td
http://www.geocities.com/~msrc/GORMAN.HTM

Deanna

[RealLifeMama]

DH's best friend's Ex-wife smoked through all of her pregnancies because of the same thing- her OB said it would be more harmful to quit. She has had several miscarriages, too, though.
So sad!

[cannuke]

WE have a new commerical that is really neat, it shows a poster with a hapai lady and then a hapai lady in teh car looking athe poster, getting ready to light up a cigarette. She takes out her lipstick and writes something on the window, her DH comes and helps her out of the car and she throws away her pack...when the door closes, it shows that she has crossed out the number on the poster that SHE WON"T BE A STATISTIC by smoking and harming her baby.


We have a radio ad here right now where the narrator is talking about how people put their kids in the car, strap them into their seatbelts and get them all safe and ready to go, roll up the windows, then light up a smoke. Kind of strikes me as tying them up and gassing them, IMO. :/

[Katherine]

My SIL smokes, and I rarely bring it up b/c I don't want to be pushy, but when I have an opening, I try to emphasize to her that she needs to stop BEFORE she gets pg--that her body is storing up toxins and needs time to cleanse itself before she passes it on to the baby I know she wants to have. I know that seems obvious, but a lot of young girls think they can smoke *until*...

I told her she may be 6 weeks into the pg before she finds out, and that's nearly half of the crucial first trimester when birth defects are most common, and toxic substances the most dangerous. :( It's like waiting until you have a terminal disease to start eating and living more healthy. Women really need to have the mindset of taking care of their bodies during their childbearing years--whether or not they "plan" on having kids.

So many people have "have sex" without understanding or being willing to take responsibility for the reprecussions of sex, which INCLUDE among other things: having babies whether you plan on it or not and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in case you DO have a baby.

[Wholly Mama]

So what I'm hearing is, don't quit smoking during pregnancy, as the withdrawal will be harmful to baby. What happens at birth, then?
Don't quit while breastfeeding, as the withdrawal will be harmful to baby. What happens at weaning then? (well, i guess this weaning is more gradual)
Just keep pumping them full of nicotine. That's what I'm hearing!!

[Leslie]

So what I'm hearing is, don't quit smoking during pregnancy, as the withdrawal will be harmful to baby.


Or, quit gradually instead of cold turkey?

[Soliloquy]

What these doctors should be telling their patients is to quit smoking--in whatever way works best for you. I'm sorry, but I do not buy that line that quitting cold turkey is harder on the baby than continuing to smoke. And, quitting gradually is continuing to smoke! How do they know it's harder on the baby? Has there been extensive research comparing babies whose mothers quit gradually with babies whose mothers quit cold turkey? (sorry if that was in the link someone posted--I didn't read that yet.)

Palil was right--the toxins from smoking do not leave your body as soon as you stop smoking. They go down dramatically, yes, but it takes 5-15 years for your body to completely rid itself of cigarette toxins. Generally speaking, after 10 years of not smoking, your lungs will be pink and healthy again, but it does take years. In the meantime, there will always be some of the cigarette toxins in your blood as your body is trying to get them out.

Smoking is bad for you. It's bad for those around you and inside of you. Why would anyone say otherwise, especially doctors?

[MagnoliaMommy]

It is so hard for me not to behave like a raving lunatic when I see a pregnant mom lighting up. :mad
I just was at the obgyn for a checkup yesterday and saw a very pregnant woman just puffing away out in front of the office. It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut. :mad

[Chris3jam]

It doesn't help when a mom, after smoking and drinking her whole pregnancy, gives birth to a healthy, happy, 10 lb. baby boy (they had to do an emergency c-section because the baby was so big he got stuck). My sister did that. Of course, at 4 years old, he was dx's with bi-polar, and has learning disabilities.

[kklibrarian]

I don't have the statistics on low birth weight or anything like that at hand easily, but I do have a really good anecdotal illustration of how bad cigarette smoking can be for your baby. Our daughter's birth mother smoked between a pack and a pack and a half a day throughout our daughter's pregnancy. I know this from the medical form that she filled out when she surrendered her parental rights. DD was born full-term at only 6 pounds, 0 ounces. Gaining weight is still a challenge for DD to this day (she's almost three). She has terrible allergies, suffers from chronic ear and sinus infections, and also has asthma. The weight gain problem may also be due to the fact that DD was malnourished from birth until almost 2 years of age, but the asthma/allergies/respiratory infections are most likely due to the smoking.

It just gives me chills to see a woman who is pregnant lighting up. I've read that it's best to wean off cigarettes slowly if you discover that you are pregnant, but "wean off slowly" still means you should quit. :banghead

Blessings,
Kelly

[sadie]

del

[Soliloquy]

You know hearing 'quitting cold turkey is bad' stuff is so personally hurtful to me. I was a pack-a-day smoker until I found out I was pregnant and quit cold turkey right then. So now I'm supposed to feel bad for that? :( :mad

ETA: My comments are directed towards the article, not towards any of you ladies, who have said nothing offensive to me. :grouphug


You did the right thing! You STOPPED doing something that was harmful to you and your baby.

I don't have a problem w/ preg moms who stop gradually, either, as long as they're trying to stop. My complaint is w/ doctors who say that quitting cold turkey is bad for the baby--even to the point that it'd be better to keep smoking. Doctors should encourage all their patients to try to quit--some will do better cold turkey, some will do better with a gradual wean.

Having never smoked, I don't know firsthand how hard it is to quit, but I can imagine it's very difficult. Good for you, Sadie! :tu

[Lilly_of the_ Fields]

it takes 5-15 years for your body to completely rid itself of cigarette toxins

:spit :eek

that's scary!!! I gave up fully, 5 years ago...yuck, I might still have nasty nico bits in my system! :sick2

[sadie]

Thank you Lisa. :hug That means a lot to me. :)

[kcasmama]

The teenager that lives next door said that his friend said that her Dr. said it was ok to smoke while pg. He asked, "Would that be Dr. Seuss or Dr. Pepper?"

[AprilBr]

A little over a year ago I went to my friend's mom's house where they were for Thanksgiving. She was about 8.5-9mths pregnant and I brought her a gift. At least 3 people were smoking in the house she was in (her mom, her husband and her soon to be sil). We went outside and went to her car. She put the gift in there, sat in the driver's seat and lit one up! I couldn't believe my eyes!! :eek She looked at me and said, "Don't say anything now." I was just speechless! She wasn't hiding it from anyone, she just didn't want me to go off about it. All I could muster out was, "You know that isn't good for you or the baby." Then she went on to say that her OB said that no baby has died from a mom smoking while pregnant and that the baby may be a little underweight! I couldn't say anything, at all. I couldn't believe anyone would believe that! It just disgusts me. She did breastfeed for a little bit but the doc and her mom suggested she stop and she did. It is a wonder that her entire life she did not listen to her mom or any authority figure for that matter but when it is HER body and HER child she listens and does what they say.

[Soliloquy]

The teenager that lives next door said that his friend said that her Dr. said it was ok to smoke while pg. He asked, "Would that be Dr. Seuss or Dr. Pepper?"


Too Funny! But, a great response!! I bet it was Dr. Pepper. Dr. Seuss has too much common sense!

[Havilah]

I was thinking it was Dr. Feelgood :giggle

[Leslie]

I was thinking it was Dr. Feelgood :giggle


:laughtears

[mom2threePKs]

When I was in college I heard a lecture by a physician who started an anti-smoking group called (of all things) DOC. I can't remember what that stands for :doh However, one of the things he said is that doctors have a tremendous influence on their patients in regards to smoking. most people take what their doctors say very seriously. And, get this, most doctors never say a word to their patients about smoking. :banghead He talked about how effective a motivator formeer smokers said just one comment from their doctors are. Can you imagine a doctor that took the time to hold the hand of his newly pregnant patient and tell her how important quitting was and how he/she would be there to help her if she needed it? And instead we are telling all these stories of docs who say its o-kay, its better to continue, don't worry about it. That's nuts! :td

This is from the American Lung Association website...

The most effective way to protect the fetus is to quit smoking. If a woman plans to conceive a child in the near future, quitting is essential. A woman who quits within the first three or four months of pregnancy can lower the chances of her baby being born premature or with health problems related to smoking.20

There is absolutely nothing on that site that says it is better to cut down rather than quit completely. Given the long term health benefits of not smoking adn the statistical eidence that pregnancy is a time when women are particularly likely to be successful quitters I would think that anything other than kindly and compassionately recommending that your patient quit borders on malpractice.

Do we have an emoticon for stepping off the soal box? Anything to do with obstetrics and evidence based practice makes me :td :banghead :mad (Don't even get me started on my two VBACs....)

Too much ranting this early in the morning can't be good for a body!

Magan

P.S. Sadie - I want to add my heartiest congratuations to you for quitting. I have never smoked (I can thank my friend's mother who I watched die of lung cancer when i was 13 for that) but have great respect for those who quit.

[Allison]

I've had two friends with two separate ob's tell them this same myth/lie whatever. The one yahoo doc is also the one who told my dear friend in the hospital having her baby that if she didn't have any milk by the time the baby came out then she wasn't going to get any and had to form. feed. How do these people get medical licenses?

No way!! That is unbelievable! I didn't get my milk for four days after each pregnancy and I nursed through my second pregnancy! How discouraging for a mother who really wants to nurse.

[Garnet]

I also know someone who smoked through her entire pregnancy b/c she claimed that putting her baby through nicotine withdrawal was worse than actually smoking. :mad

The worst part? She got this advice from....her obstetrician. :banghead


*raises hand* yup, a good friend who was pg at the same time as me was told this too.......funny thing is she found out she was pg very early, so you woulda thunk she could've quit w/ out harming the baby...........

[kris10s]

(((sadie))) you definitely did a good thing for your sweet girl.

I saw a pregnant woman (teenager?) smoking yesterday. She looked 6 or 7 months along. Haven't seen one in a LONG time and I don't know if it was my raging hormones or what but I had this insatiable desire to grab the cigarette out of her mouth and shout "what are you thinking?!" But I just looked at DD and kept walking.

[sadie]

del

[hsgbdmama]

:td :banghead Dh and I used to work with someone who held this philosophy, and her daughter was born with an underdeveloped lung and had tons of health problems. Yeah, it's better to keep smoking -- NOT!!!

[UltraMother]

When I was pg, I was at a park, talking with another pg mom, who was smoking at the time. Tbh, I didn't even notice it, but dh WENT OFF about it as soon as we left (and he is quite a hefty smoker himself!). He was mad at her for smoking, and mad at me for standing near her!