I just found out that I’m pregnant!!! What is the easiest way to stop smoking?
I’m so excited to be expecting my first child, and I KNOW that I must stop smoking. Lately I’ve found myself smoking more than usual, what should I do? Cold turkey doesn’t seem to be the best choice for me…any suggestions
Tagged with: best choice • cold turkey
Filed under: smoking
Quitting cold turkey isn’t always the best solution when you are pregnant, it can put a lot of stress on you and that is just as harmfull to the baby as smoking. My midwife told me to cut one cigarette out per week. So if I was smoking 15 per day then next week only smoke 14 until you can quit. Count them out each morning and limit yourself to only the ones you have set out that day. Also when a craving hits try eating a lolli-pop or a popcicle, or munch on some baby carrots or something to distract you to keep your mind off of it. Hope this helps and your are succesfull.
well sence you are already preggo then you have no other option really then to stop cold turkey. Unless you cal cut one out everday or everyother day and keep doing that til you feel like you can just quit.
Go to a hospital and ask to see the babies w/ medical problems due to their mothers smoking.
I just quit cold turkey with my first and now my second.. but this time im not picking the habit back up after i have my new lil one. Its all mental hun, believe you can and you will… good luck
Yeah I’ve got a suggestion realize that you now have a living baby growing inside of you and each day that you smoke is worse on the baby. I don’t know if the patches will be safe since it directly absorbs into the bloodstream that is shared through the umbilical cord with the fetus. The gum may work but once again the nicotine is absorbed into the bloodstream that is shared with baby, Cold turkey is really the best and only option, don’t be selfish and screw your kid over by continuing to smoke. Its proven mother who smoke while pregnant automatically knock 10 points off their babys IQ
I used to work with someone who was able to quit cold turkey once she found out she was pregnant. I think it was just motherly instincts kicking in. I guess use that as inspiration to quit?
It should be easy to stop cold turkey if you love your child enough.I just found out I was pregnant about 2 weeks ago and I stopped that same day and havent looked back, I feel great too! I was a heavy smoker so I know you can do it!!! Smoking is all in your head!! Cravings only last a minute so when you get a craving all of a sudden, think about something for a FULL minute and then the craving will be gone. Good luck.
Congratulations Kitty,
I am 20 weeks pregnant and I was a smoker. I smoked up to my 9Th week of pregnancy and I was so sick all the time that I just couldn’t stand the smell of cigarettes let alone smoke one. You can try letting your heart lead your way by knowing that every drag of a cigarette you take takes oxygen away from your baby. When you smoke and inhale the nicotine your baby cannot breath at that moment so hopefully that will help you a bit but, chances are your heart will take over or the nausea will and you’ll stop soon . If not then talk to your Dr. for some suggestions. I smoked with my second child and he wound up being premature and was in the NICU for 28 days with tubes down his throat and they had to inflate one of his lungs because they weren’t fully developed and I.V’s in his head it was a horrible horrible thing to go through and I just had to watch it can you imagine what that poor innocent baby was going through?Hopefully some of these scare tactics will help you stop. Not trying to sound or be mean just trying to help you and your baby.
People chew Nicorette gum and wear Nicorette? patches because they contain nicotine. When I wanted to stop smoking, I bought lots of bags of candy; and whenever I wanted a cigarette, I reached for candy instead. It worked, but I really wanted to stop > my lungs couldn’t handle it anymore.
hey its easy dont buy it .as simple as that
There is no easy way, other then to just quit. You need to do this for your health and for your child’s health …best of luck.
think of the baby and every puff you take off that cigarette you are hurting your unborn baby who did not choose to smoke,try sucking on a lollipop. ideal situation would of been for you to have quit prior to getting pregnant.
Cold turkey is the only way for me…. Just remind yourself why you are doing it…
And when you get the urge to smoke… designate a "buddy" and call them immediately to help you not pick up the cigarette. Or find something to occupy yourself until the urge passes. Changing part of your habits is also helpful… if you smoke first thing with a cup of coffee… skip the coffee and have tea… just vary your routine when you would smoke… and remember always you are doing it so you can have the healthiest most beautiful baby… he/she will appreciate it!!!! I wish you the best… it is hard to stop smoking. Congrats on seeing the need!!
Congratulations! Now stop smoking. I am sure you dont want your child to have respiratory problems and when you consider that you wont be a lot of good to your kids when you are dead it does make sense to stop. I smoked 40 a day and yes it was difficult, but if i can do it anyone can. I am sure you would rather have a lovely, healthy baby than a cigarette.I really wish you every luck in the world.
I’m sorry to have to break the news to you but cold turkey is really the only way to go. I smoked for over 13 years and through 3 pregnancies. Contrary to the propaganda that the antismokers would like you to believe, all children of women who smoke during pregnancy do not come out as hideous deformed beasts that are drooling morons. My children have tested in the genuis range for IQ. With that said, I am glad that you see the need to quit. During my first three pregnancies trying to quit was so stressful for me that the doctor told me to just continue smoking because the stress was too much for the baby to bear, and I almost miscarried in each pregnancy, with the third being the closest to actual loss. I did cut down as much as I could which was still hard but I was able to get down to less than a half a pack during two of the pregnancies. My mother had breast cancer when I was pregnant with one of my children so that was the preg I had the most problems with. I smoked alot more than I should have and the baby was delivered two weeks early. The doc said the stress of the cancer treatments, taking care of my mom, and feeling guilty for smoking is what put me into labor early, not the actual smoking. I wasn’t complaiing too much though as I was carrying her around my knees anyway lol. She also tests in genuis although I was almost 2 packs a day with her. None of my children have any respitory problems. It wasn’t about loving my kids. No mother could love her kids more. Smoking was an actual physical addiction for me. My body needed the drug. For some people it’s a mental thing and for some it’s not. There is a reason nicotine is called a drug and it is regulated by the government. What I did to quit was this: For about a month or two before I quit I smoked as much as I possibly could (you said you’ve been smoking extra anyway – no need to increase it) so that I would get sick of it. I mean I smoked til I got nicotine headaches. I would not recommend this for you because of the baby but you already have desire to quit and I was trying to generate some. i was not pregnant at the time. When I decided enough was enough, I enlisted the help of my husband who also smoked and we quit together. It seemed very easy for him, he was probably a mental smoker. You will need someone that is willing to call you at least once every couple of hours to see how you are doing, especially during the first few days. Someone that will be supportive if you admit that you’ve been craving a smoke really bad. I also used hard candies, and gums to keep my mouth occupied as well as straws, pencils, pens, and any other cylindrical items at hand to hold in my hand. The first week I used those methods. I also started exercising. You could also do that but I would recommend talking to your doc about what exercises or stretches would be safe for your pregnancy. The second week I avoided anything cylindrical for my hands so as not to remind my body of cigarettes. I used squeezy balls, worry rocks, and house cleaning to keep my mind off the cigarettes, even though my body was screaming. I literally felt like some drug addict detoxing, especially once the first few hours had passed since I last had a ciggarette. It was very strange and I didn’t like it one bit. The first three days were the absolute worst and I comforted myself that if I could get through that, the rest should be easy. I did relapse a few times, but I was never too hard on myself and I never bought a pack. I always bummed one from others lol. It is very difficult and you need other people to support you alot, especially since you are pregnant and your emotions and hormones are going crazy anyway. I wish you the best of luck and I hope quitting is as easy for you as the other posters seem to think it is. The benefits once you are free of it are instant from better tasting to easier breathing. If I can stop after 13 years, anyone can in my opinion. Good Luck
i was a smoker when i got pregnant with my first and only child at the age of 33 ..after being told that i may not ever concieve,when i found i was pregnant i was so happy. knowing that smoking was something that could very well damage or distroy this most wonderfull blessing…that was incentive enough for me ,but that was me so just evey time you want to light up put a lollipop in your mouth instead and emagine your precious little one sucking on it instead right now ,what you do "BABY" do good luck have healty baby…
just belly up and just stop!, it’s really that easy!
Quit Buying…………………………….
Well i am only 10 and think smoking is gross. So try hanging up signs that says" Smoking will kill me and my baby" that will help
Find a quiet place, close your eyes and imagine your baby puffing away on a cigarette. If that doesn’t help then I don’t know what will. Try talking to your Doctor for tips.
Kitty:
Congratulations!!!!!! And guess what,, You don;t have to quit smoking. Hundreds of thousands of women enjoy smoking while pregnant every year. Here’s what you do. Get a kitchen timer and set it for one hour. When bell goes off you can light up.
I’ve had several friends swear by it. I know you will be a wonderful mom. Good luck.
Hi,
Since I quit, I’m constanly now being asked by friends, "How Do I Stop Smoking?"
I really empathise with you, I quit my 20 a day habit in a pain-free way!
No stress, no cravings, no weight gain, no pills, patches or gums.
(I’d tried everything else, like you)
The program I followed was recommended by a friend and now boasts a 90% success rate and is 100% fully guaranteed – can’t say fairer than that.
If you really intend on quitting this is it.
All the best..
http://tinyurl.com/t7a82
well i just found out that i am 11 weeks and 2 days pregnant. all i can say is that I’m not going to quit smoking. my sister in law just had a baby and she smoked two packs a day through out the nine months and the baby came out 8lbs even with perfectly healthy lungs and everything else. that also what my mom did when she had me.
I quit like around 10 weeks ago and i feel so much better. My doctor scared me to death that’s why i quit. I didn’t realize how many health risks there were from smoking. She told me everytime you want a cigarette instead of lighting one up drink a full glass of water. You can also take a jog until you get out of breath then you won’t want one. When you are out of breath you don’t wanna smoke, well i don’t ne ways. And always have a pack of gum on hand that always helps too. Well hope this helps. Good luck Girl.
First of all, congratulations!
You are about to create the miracle of life! I ensure as a mother, that you want this baby to be is healthy as they can. What you do now impacts the growth of your baby and your baby future health.
I believe that "cold turkey" is the best method for you. Hypnosis is also an alternative. In the meantime there are couple of exercises I would like you to do. Right now, smoking is as much of a habit as it is an addiction. I want you to first work on the habit part. I want you to think about the times that you most associate with a cigarette; after eating, in the car, on the telephone, with your coffee etc. from now on you cannot smoke during those times. For example, you must lock your cigarettes in the trunk when you drive the car. If you really need a cigarette, you can stop the car get outside and smoke one but you cannot smoke in the car. It will take about two weeks to start breaking the habit. During this time you’ll start realizing how few of your cigarettes you actually enjoy.
The second thing I want you to do is start imagining the smoke and poisons (there are more than 3000 components to cigarettes at least a dozen of them are cancer-causing for you and possibly your baby) going into your lungs into your bloodstream and into the baby’s bloodstream. Imagine the baby starting to become irritable, coughing, hacking, kicking etc.. I want you to imagine this with every cigarette that you inhale. If you do this, you will notice in about two weeks that you really start hating your cigarettes. At this point, you’ll be ready to "walk away" it won’t seem as though you are getting up anything, but rather starting a new life with you and your baby.
Additional resources include and one cars "the easy way to stop smoking", the American lung Association, the American Cancer Society, also I would be happy to send you a copy of a paper I wrote on "how to go cold turkey". I am currently working on a project to help pregnant mothers quit smoking, unfortunately it will not be finished in time to help you. I would be interested in your input however.
Once you have done the above "homework steps" and are mentally at the point of hating your cigarettes, please feel free to contact me via e-mail or through my discussion board for further assistance.
Best wishes,
Sincerely,
Kirk G. Voelker MD
Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine
Founder Quit Doc Smoking Treatment Network
http://www.QuitDoc.com
Please Note: This note was dictated using Dragon Naturally Speaking v8.0 while exercising on an eliptical trainer, so excuse any transcription errors.