pregnancy and smoking

[ALV79]

I'm 7 weeks pregnant and I smoke.  I want to quit.  Every time I smoke I feel soo guilty about what I am doing to my baby.  It's has been really hard on me to quit because I am extremly emotional.  I need some advice on how to cope with the withdrawl symptoms.  Help!!

[JAXX55]

Those are some excellent ideas! I'm going to try it myself, thanks! =)

[ShortMama234]

Okay. I'm here to give you a little advice about how to handle this. It IS difficult, but not impossible. When I got pregnant with my now two year old son, I quit as soon as I found out. Not easy at all, let me tell you. Just to let you know a little bit about how it is when you quit "cold turkey." The first two days are hell. You will be fiending hardcore. But after that milestone, your next one will be to finish out the week. Then the next. Then the next, and you'll see how much easier it gets as the weeks go by.

Here we go:

Non-negotiation Tactic: Okay, think about it. You can't smoke in smoke-free restaurants, movie theaters, or while you're at work or in class at school. You also don't smoke while you sleep. Period. So you have to tell yourself that you can't smoke. Period. And make it non-negotiable.

When a hard craving hits, it's also important to remember that from the moment you find out that you're pregnant, it's about the baby. So, every cigarette that you DON'T smoke helps the baby. Go from there.

Cravings are a *****. So I tried a few things to tame the beast. Spearment gum helped a lot. I got to where I was chewing almost a pack a day for nearly two weeks, but at least it is cheaper than a pack of smokes. Make sure to get some really strong gum. (either Stride or 5 gum) If smoking relieves an oral fixation and you don't like gum, try toothpicks or sunflower seeds. Maybe even peanuts will help. Anything to keep your hands busy!

Also, try meditation when a bad craving hits. Sit on the floor and breathe for about ten minutes. In and out. It's good for the baby and for you too! Just relax and breathe. Sounds so easy, right? It can help sort out those crazy hormones too! So do that and then get a glass of water.

Most importantly: THIS HELPED ME THE MOST. WHEN THE WORST CRAVINGS ON THE PLANET WOULD HIT, I WOULD SIT ON THE FLOOR AND ROCK WHILE I HELD MY STOMACH. I WOULD TALK TO MY BABY, EVEN WHEN HE COULDN'T HEAR ME AND TELL HIM THAT HE WAS WORTH EVERYTHING TO ME AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE MILLIONS OF THINGS I WOULD DO FOR HIM.

So what I'm suggesting to you is this. When you get through everything and you're succeeding but you're three weeks into being smoke free and a sudden craving hits, do this. Sit on the floor and hold your tummy. Remember the beautiful, precious thing growing inside of you and promise the baby that you would never do anything to cause it harm. The words will ring very clear, and you'll be out of the tunnel and on to successfully being smoke free! I hope that this helps. Please keep us updated!

[jen2006]

Chew gum, take a walk when you want to smoke, it's hard, I know.. but find something else to occupy you.. maybe a treat.. like a sucker - so you half look forward to it :)

[pertykitty]

well i smoked for about 20 years. quiting for the pregnancy and breast feeding when i had my first child. im emotional as well having a dh that is gone overseas for 6 months. i just did it. i know the health risks and for me it was an easy choice. talking to your dr about options are a great place to start. you are not the first person to have a difficult time with quiting. please do all you can though. you would feel terrible should anything happen. i dont ever want to start again, after you quit and your nose is sensitive with pregnancy, you can really see how gross and stinky it is. if you dont feel comfortable talking to your dr i am sure there are hotlines or clinics you can go to for support. good luck, pregnancy is hard enough.