Smoking When Preganant, What Are The Benefits?
i found out i am 5 weeks pregnant with my second child, when i asked my dr to help me 6 month’s ago with giving up smoking she said the nhs was strapped for cash and could not help me. (was not pregnant then). Do they have a policy on helping pregnant women with giving up smoking. i am currently on nicotine patches(£15 per week) which i can’t afford, and yes i know if i can afford to smoke i can afford to buy patches but still need the odd cigerette every 3 days or so, after 3 day’s i feel the withdrawel symptoms more than ever and so does my bloke..I have rang my local nhs stop smoking centre but they never answer or return my calls.could anyone tell me what i can do to get help with this. thanks if you can 
31 Responses to “Smoking When Preganant, What Are The Benefits?”
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November 21st, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Does no one read! this woman says she is giving up and wants to know what benefits she can get in the way of financial help! idiots!
firstly good on you for trying, you’re better than me a had stopped already when i found i was pregnant but i started again halfway thru (i have heard it all so no one has need to think bad of me i was disappointed enough myself)
there are mixed views but my dr wouldn’t give me patches as i only smoked 1 or 2 a day and the intake level from a patch was stronger, but if they do prescribe them which they should if it’s beneficial to your baby it should be free as you’re expecting xx
November 21st, 2009 at 7:11 pm
If you cant give up smokiing then you should not be having this child it is totally unfair to a baby which didnt asked to be brought into this world-Kristy
November 21st, 2009 at 7:29 pm
well …i am with u & i know u can give up smoking . just u need will-power & support. whenever u want 2 smoke just think of the creature inside u . what he or she gain while u smoke.good luck.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:01 pm
I am sorry, but I stopped smoking the second I found out I was pregnant — JUST STOP! or your going to have a premature baby(most likely) That will have breathing problems and will go on to have breathing problems the rest of its life…you want more for your baby don’t you ?
If you can’t just stop cold, I would atleast try to call the center again, or find someone that can help you with this. I just had a preemie myself but because of toxemia, not from smoking, but I have witnessed what smoking and other drugs do to babies, and it isn’t pretty…
Please find the strength some how hun.
I wish the best for you and your unborn baby.
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:21 am
Just go cold turkey for a week and you will be over the worst of it – smoking whilst pregnant is the WORST thing you can do to the health of your unborn baby.
November 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 am
Absolutely none, don’t get me started. Please find help soon. I once saw a piece of film footage that showed a baby in the womb whilst Mum was smoking. The amount of smoke and poison that the Baby inhaled was horrifying.
November 22nd, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Try a different Doctor
November 22nd, 2009 at 5:52 pm
You can get your patches on prescritpion now that you are exempt. You should get your maternity exemption certificate at around 10 weeks. If you cannot wait that long you can still ask your doctor for patches, gum etc on prescription and pay the standard £6.65 or you may be exempt already, i wont be so nosey to ask if you are but if you are its all free for you now. There are many pharmamcies that do stop smoking sceams and you get all patches etc for free if you just go alone to the pharmacy one a week and have your progress monitored by the pharmasist. Good luck.
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:16 am
there are no benefits….i quit cold turkey the day i found out i was pregnant…i chewed alot of gum,mainly big red…and i drank alot of water
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:16 am
Absolutely none whatsoever.
November 23rd, 2009 at 6:52 am
some chemists do none smoking one on one as well useully free werth a go thats if you havent tryed the chemist yet
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:22 pm
My father was puffing smoke when my mother had me.
Benefits: You get the odd relief and ‘high’
Drawbacks: I came ou alright, but with breathing problems eg. asthma.
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:43 pm
please please please do not smoke. you shouldnt even smoke around your 1st child. 2nd hand smoke is so harmful.
things that can happen to your unborn child:
Autism
Asthma
Stillbirth
Clubfoot
Wheezing
Birth defects
Hyperactivity
Ear infections
Premature birth
Low-birthweight
Hearing damage
Fewer brain cells
Immunodeficiency
Middle ear disease
Ectopic pregnancy
Tourette’s syndrome
Colic or excessive crying
Nicotine withdrawal at birth
Obesity and type II diabetes
Abnormal lung development
Deficits in visuospatial memory
40% higher chance of infant mortality
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Optic nerve hypoplasia and visual impairment
Placental abruption and placenta previa
Oral clefts in the lip and/or palate
Alterations in medial temporal lobe brain function
50% greater chance of mental retardation (I.Q. less than 70)
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Increased lifetime testosterone levels for your unborn daughter
Increased risk of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis for your daughter
Diminished future fertility (fewer eggs) for your unborn daughter
160% increase in the risk of your child having behavioral problems
Diminished sperm count/smaller testies for your unborn son
Brain damage to serotonin neurons and possible lifetime depression
Average of $704 in extra neonatal costs per smoking mother
Average childhood inpatient hospital costs of $900 over first 5 years
and some risk factors:
You are more likely to have a miscarriage.
Your baby is more likely to die before birth.
Smoking can cause placenta previa (Dangerous situation where the placenta covers the cervix.)
It can cause a placental abruption (Where the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus denying all oxygen to your baby.)
It increases your risk of a preterm birth.
please try to find help to stop smoking. i know that it is very difficult to do
November 24th, 2009 at 12:11 am
It’s best for your baby if you give up. Boots are doing buy one box of patches get one half price & if you use the 25% off coupon they have it’s works out, BOGOF. If you get prescription for Dr, will cost you the prescription. If you have a low income try claming for tax credit. you will get free prescriptions with that. You need to use the highness strength patches when you start, then you will not feel the need to smoke. hopes that’s a help to you.
November 24th, 2009 at 2:08 am
I understand it’s hard to quit, but when i found out i was pregnant it was easy to quit straight away. I just went cold turkey. Have you tried this? Everytime u feel like a smoke just think of what your’e doing to your child. Try chewing gum or something? Good luck.
November 24th, 2009 at 3:38 am
cut down..on how much you smoke..and if your down to one ciggarette a day then just toss it out…if your quitting cold turkey i suggest when your in need of a cig pop a jolly rancher or some type of candy in your mouth..or chew on straws
November 24th, 2009 at 6:58 am
I have been a smoker then a non-smoker so many times that I’ve lost count. Last May I stupidly started smoking again and then found out I was pregnant in September. I immediately gave up but it is easy for me to say and do, I had intended on giving up anyway.
You really should try and give up. My midwife asked if I was a smoker when they did the first home visit and said they have a midwife who specialises in helping expectant mothers give up. You should make some enquiries and well done for looking into it. I think you know yourself that it isn’t good for your unborn child.
There really are no benefits for smoking whilst pregnant. Good Luck
November 24th, 2009 at 7:39 am
just do without, 1 week is all you need.
sure it will be bad, but think of the day you have to tell your child your dying of cancer.
what will make you feel worse?
November 24th, 2009 at 9:06 am
I don’t know of any resources that help pregnant women quit smoking, unfortunately. If you find one, please let me know!
There are no benefits to smoking when you are pregnant. In fact, doctors say that quitting doesn’t affect your baby in regards to withdrawls, and is safe to do. Not quitting can lead to low birth weight, birth defects, not to mention problems with the mother’s health. You can do it! It’s a tremendously hard but you’ll be glad you did.
November 24th, 2009 at 10:22 am
The patches are just as bad! I am no one to judge I smoked about 10 a week when I was pregnant but felt s-h-i-tt-y about it all the time.
Your doctor should have been more supportive maybe change surgerys?
I know how hard it is and I was working in a pub so I was around it all the time.
Good luck and I hope everythin turns out all right for you and the unborn!
November 24th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
My mom had me when she was smoking and I ended up with two holes in my throat. So she started to chew a lot of gum. So I say when you want to smoke pick up a back of gum.
November 24th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Benefits????NONE!!!Your baby will lose oxygen!!
*sigh*
November 24th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
hi when i gave up last year they asked me whether i was pregnant or not, they should not give you patches because that can harm the baby go back to the doctor and ask to be put onto something else good luck
November 25th, 2009 at 12:26 am
Have you checked to make sure that it is OK to use the patches while pregnant?!
Giving up smoking will always require will power, no matter what support you get. If you can’t give it up, it is not your doctor’s fault! It is up to you – if you really want to, you will be able to. No excuses.
November 25th, 2009 at 2:26 am
you are not for real
November 25th, 2009 at 3:30 am
Smoking while pregnant is extremely irresponsible for you as a mother. The baby does smoke aswell because the nicotine goes into your blood stream which then travels to the baby. This can cause child-hood cancer. I can tell you now its the hardest thing to deal with. My eldest daughter was diagnosed with cancer at 18 months.I don’t smoke and never have. Yet i kept thinking..what have i done to cause this ( apparently she was born with it!) if you smoke and this happens..it will be almost 50% your own fault..and if your child dies….imagine how you’ll feel then? quit now…its the best thing for you and your baby
sorry i have a very strong opinion about smoking and drinking while pregnant, you have a responsibility for your babies health before it is even born……be a grown-up and quit now
November 25th, 2009 at 8:37 am
There are no benefits to smoking while pregnant.
It damages the baby. Miscarriage rates, birth defects, stillbirths, maternal deaths are all higher among women who smoke while pregnant. Babies born to women who smoke are generally smaller, have more breathing difficulties etc. etc.
Imagine yourself looking at a damaged child and having to spend the rst of your life thinking “If only I’d given up the ciggies”. Sort it out yourself and stop trying to blame other people
November 25th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Smoking is never good for babies and never good our bodies. Its bad. It is one of the causes of stroke, heart disease and cancer. So, if you ever think of smoking again, just think of the harm it could do to you and your baby.
November 25th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
first off did you ask your doctor if you can wear the patch well pregnant???? my doctor had said that was not an option.
if you really wont to quit do it now, the longer you wait and the farther along the harder it will be on your baby. I know quiting smoking is very hard I just recently quit my self, changing your routine helps it’s like reprogramming your mind. If you had a smoke after you eat do something Else get into the routine to do dishes, you have to replace the habit with a new habit (good one) if you were use to having a smoke after putting kids to bed change that with something active for 15 min like, cleaning chewing gum what ever it takes, as soon as you feel like having one get up and do something active for 15-20 min, drinking a glass of water fast helps. just think of the good start to life you will be giving your baby if you quit, and better shape and breath you will have for when you are in labour. good luck you can do it
November 25th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Some doctors will tell you that it’s not good for you or the baby to quit cold turkey. I’ve never tried the patch… my smoking habit was more of a need to hold and puff on the cigarette. i just cut back slowly. switch from lights to ultra lights… smoke only half a cig instead of a whole one. eventually you’ll be down to 2 a day, then 1 then none! even when i got to that point i would bum puffs off of other people’s cig’s. it’s hard to quit when those around you are smokers. but it’s possible. i had to avoid situations where i knew people would be smoking… and i made my bf do it outside. good luck… you can do it!!
November 25th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Ok my mom smoked while pregnant with me my sister and my brother WE ARE ALL FINE. All healthy born at term and no lung problems. Same with my 5 nieces and 2 nephews. Which their mothers smoked with them the entire time. It won’t hurt the baby.