Smoking when pregnant. (page 2)

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Human and animal studies have confirmed, repeatedly, that pre-natal exposure to tobacco smoke leads to:

1) lower birthweights,

2) Highly increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome post-natally

3) lowered IQ in these children and greatly increased levels of ADHD and a host of other behavioural disorders before adolescence

4) greatly increased incidence of asthma, CPOD and heart defects during early childhood.

Imagine what such a woman is exposing her developing child to :carbon monoxide; Carcinogens including: polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons ;

aromatic amines, nitrosamines; tar; benzo(a)pyrene vinyl chloride; catechol, phenol, cresol; Ciliotoxins and pulmonary irritants; radioactive compounds and

formaldehyde; benzenes, the list goes on and on.

Smoking during pregnancy should be considered a criminal act of child abuse. Most people would not expose our pet dogs to such toxicity let alone a developing fetus,

yet millions of women still do this on a daily basis. Its beyond belief.

I was wondering, despite the risk of any other medical defects, do you think that the unborn baby becomes addicted to the nicotine itself, so after the birth the baby has to deal with the withdrawal symptoms?

I have not read all the responses -so forgive me if I repeat anothers answer. I smoked when My Alan was born..& after he was born. He was a smoker from the age of 10( unbeknown to me) My husband caught him at a ball game -He came home & said" Alan is at the Ball game with sparks flying from his arse_" he thought it was funny because my hubby was a heavy smoker...I thought he meant he was running alot that is why he had sparks. I said "Oh little darling"When Alan became an adult -Hubby & Him used to kid me about it, they had put one over on me. Sad to say Hubby died from Cancer of the Lungs, Alan died also with a heart attack ( Dr had told him to STOP years before ) he was 46 years old. You decide??? Did I help kill HIM??????? I say YES!!!!! I quit when he was an adult the ONLY ONE good thing the WatchTower did for me. MADE me quit to get dunked.But then I took so many into the dark side ...Oh God forgive me...Like Swaggard said publicly "I HAVE SINNED"""

AlmostAtheist

Does anyone know if using nicotine gum or the patch is just as bad, still a bit bad, or not at all bad? I would imagine "still a bit", but I don't have any data.

Dave

MsMcDucket

Being a nurse that started smoking at the age of 43, I guess I'm not one to answer this question. People ask me why I started smoking and I said because I figured I'm old enough now. My children asked me what I would do if they started smoking, and I told them if they wanted to start smoking at the age of 43 that it would be fine with me. I waited until they were teenagers are older (the oldest is in her 20s) before I started. My husband has smoked every since I have known him. I don't know why some people are affected more by smoking than others.

Some people die in early and some die in old age. As far as smoking goes when you're pregnant it is frowned upon in today's society. It wasn't unusual to see women smoking and taking a sip of wine back in the 60's. Back in the day, they knocked the woman out with powerful anesthestics too! Although, my mom delivered most of her babies the old fashioned way, all thirteen of them.

My dad was a smoker and a drinker and died in his 40's. I think the drinking is what killed him.

Anyway, in this day and age, you shouldn't smoke while pregnant. It has been linked to lower birth weight in newborns.

lonelysheep

I'm not a smoker, so I've never had to go through the torture of quitting (or trying to).

From the women I know who did smoke while pregnant, all within the last 3 years, their babies were fine. One weighed 7 pounds and the other was 4.5 pounds-both full term. The 4.5 pound birth weight scared me and I knew it was from smoking. Both children are fine still.

More women are open about this and do smoke while pregnant and in public nowadays. I do think this just shows how addictive nicotine really is.

mama1119

I personally feel that women who continue smoking, knowing the risks, during pregnancy are very selfish women.

restrangled

I was a smoker and quit the minute I found out I was pregnant. It actually was easy at the time because cigarettes started tasting bad and I didn't know why....(2 mos. PG)...it took me another couple of weeks to quit.

My first boy was only 6 pounds and a few ounces, miserable, colicy, and a real pistol as a baby. The second boy was 9 pounds and just a big happy teddy bear.

I don't know if it had anything to do with cigs, but I suspect it did.

Sadly, I started smoking again 5 years later and have been unable to quit since.

r.

Smoking when pregnant.