Questions & Answers

I cant judge a women who smokes while pregnant. MY grandmother did it with all 8 of her children, My mother did with all four of us, and my aunt did with all 8 of her children (and she smokes 2 packs a day), My MIL did it with her children also. Every single one of us is perfectly fine. Im not condoning smoking while pregnant, being a smoker myself, the day i got my BFP i had my last cigarette that night and that was over a week and a half ago. There wasn't even a question in my head about quitting and actually being pregnant has made it so easy to quit! I know how hard it is to stop, and even to cut back. You have to figure out what is best for you. I suggest going to the Dr and discussing this with them because then you can figure out a game plan together. Good Luck! I know you can do it!

I smoked before my first I had a lot of stress in my life, job family deaths etc I had one ciggy when I was 5 weeks pregnant and felt physically sick with guilt, never touched one again. some people cant stop for whatever reason, my sister never smoked with her first 2 but smoked with her third, they where all healthy babies, only difference being the third weighed less, but that could of happened anyway. I will never agree with smoking while pregnant, but I also think stress is one of the biggest causes of MC, everyone is different, I just kept picturing the baby struggling to breath every time I took a drag, that helped me to never smoke again.

People who don't smoke have no clue how hard it is and are the first ones to jump down your throat and tell you that you are a bad parent. Right now you need support not rudeness. This is what my dr told me. If you can't quit then cut back. When I first found out I was pregnant she told me at least cut back because quitting is very stressful and it could cause alot of stress on me and the baby and possible cause a miscarriage. She told me to cut back as much as possible. She asked me about how many cigs I smoked before I got pregnant I smoked about a pack a day, now I'm down to 5 a day and she told me that was better, but did suggest I slowly quit. I haven't been able to quit. I have a stressful job and i have tried quitting before I got pregnant and just couldn't do it. I'm not saying you shouldn't quit, but just my experience. I smoked with my first child and he's fine. Not saying that's every case, every child is different. Don't stress over it and think you are a bad parent.

My step children's mother supposedly only smoked a few a week while she was pregnant with the boys, and while the oldest is fine, the youngest one suffers from asthma (there is no family history of asthma) and he has practically no immune system. When he was a baby, his lips would always turn blue randomly throughout the day, even when he wasn't cold. The blue lip thing doesn't happen anymore... but he still has asthma and a really crappy immune system, and when he gets sick, he gets REALLY sick. I asked my partner exactly how much she smoked with him, and he said just a few a week, but honestly, he is a train engineer, and used to be away for 3-4 days at a time while she was preggo, so like I told him, it's 3-4 that he KNEW about... she might have been smoking more then that. Still.... there are risks.. and your baby could end up with bad lungs too, just like my youngest step son.

None is best, obviously. But if you are a heavy smoker now...cut back to as little as you can manage on your own and find a way to quit. While every cigarette you smoke can pose a risk for the baby, every cigarrette you can cut out ASAP will also decrease that risk that tiny bit. I don't smoke, never have but understand it can be hard to quit. I suspect it does not help to have people telling you that you are horrible for asking such a question...rather than providing a helpful answer. The fact you cared enough to ask and try to limit your smokes shows you care about the baby and encouragment might help you fully quit. Again none is best...but decreasing as much as you can is a great start and much better than smoking full-time!

Here is an article about smoking during pregnancy. I copied part of it which specifically adresses having only a few cigarettes. The whole article can be found at http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-smoking-during-pregnancy-affects-you-and-your-baby_1405720.bc

"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 don't know that real answer but are you kidding me? Why would you even want to go there? Are you sure you are ready to be a mother, I mean you are going to have to give up a lot more than a cigarette!