Scared - Austin,TX

I smoked also, but when I found out I was prego, I stopped cold turkey. I was shocked at how easy it was! I know that is not what you want to hear probably, but it's true. I did start smoking again once I weaned my son at 8 months, so I had quit for 18 months and WENT BACK! I still kick myself about it. It's more trouble than it's worth, because every time I smoke, I have to wash my hands (up to elbows because I am a freak! :)), and change my shirt because I am scared it will affect my son.
It's stupid of me to still do it, but I do try everything I can to make sure my little guy isn't affected. Try and go cold turkey, you may just surpirse yourself!! And if you do BF, definitely don't consider smoking again until baby is weaned. That was my problem, if I hadn't been able to have a couple glasses of wine I probably would've never went back to it!

PS- Congrats on being a mommy! :)

Is this pregnancy something you wanted? Are you married? What part is freaking you out? Have you seen a doctor yet and talked about your fears?

As far as the smoking...I'm not a smoker, but does thinking about that little life inside you, give you enough will power to stop - now? If not, go get help immediately. There are programs out there, and your doctor should be able to help too.

Well, I smoked before I was pregnant with my first and smoked for over 10 years. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I went cold turkey. It must have been hormones or something because for the most part I didn't even crave it. My husband still smokes to this day and I have been smoke free for about 4 years and now don't even like the smell of it. Start reading some books, such as What to Expect when you're expecting, and my favorite, The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy. These will give you great insight into what to expect and month by month what will happen as you go along. Everything will work out and for the sake of you and your baby, this may be just the thing you need to quit smoking for good! Good luck!

Hi K.,
Please don't be scared, it's the most beautiful thing you will experience in your lifetime :)
I had a co-worker that when she got pregnant was able to stop smoking, but as soon as the baby was born she went back to it again. Think about the positive things, how good it will be for the baby for you not to smoke and try your best. I would recommend that if you can't stop cold turkey, then start little by little. I don't smoke and hate smoking all thanks to my parents who smoked all my life and I suffered from Asthma as a child. But as far as I'm concerned my mother smoked with all her pregnancies (4 girls) and all of us were premature. When I was born they didn't think I would make it. But here I am 40 + years later :)
So, take it easy, a step at a time and don't panic. See if family and friends can help you out and try google to see if you find more info on how to quit gradually.
Best for you and your baby :)

This pregnancy may be a blessing in disguise even if you're having a hard time seeing it that way.

As far as the smoking goes, I'm also not a smoker, so I don't know what it's like to have a nicotine addiction, but if you want to do what's best for your baby, you'll quit now.

Being a mom (or carrying a baby through a pregnancy) means having to give up a lot of yourself and doing what's best for the baby. It doesn't stop when you have the child, the sacrifices just change.

Maybe this will help - when my daughter was 10 weeks old (and the day before my son's second birthday), I was diagnosed with cancer and went through 5 months of chemo - horrible chemicals (literally poisons) were put into my veins every 2 weeks in hopes I would survive. So far I've been lucky. My ONLY wish during the process was to be able to be their mom and give them the lessons in life they need. For now, I'm cancer free, but there is a real possibility it can return any day. I only have one treatment option left, a stem cell transplant. If that wouldn't work, I will die. We don't know what caused my cancer and likely never will. It doesn't matter.

What does matter is making the most of each day! Try to see this pregnancy as a blessing!

Good luck!

I was a smoker and a drinker on the weekends when I found out I was almost 10 weeks pregnant so I understand how you feel. I was able to quit smoking within 2 weeks by just slowing down a ton. How I thought about it was......would you blow smoke into an infant's face? It's one thing to poison yourself and something completely different to do the same to a little person without a voice. Just a thought and I hope all goes well. CONGRATS!! :0)

Don't be scared, but the biggest thing is you need to quit smoking. If you don't the baby can be born with a low birth weight and other problems including breathing problems. My mom smoked with me and I have asthma. But don't worry everything will be fine. tell some of your family and get a family/friend support group going. It really helps. I am 37 weeks pregnant with my first baby, so I am scared too. :) good luck to you. and congrats.

Don't stress over quitting, it will cause more harm than good. I was a smoker too when I found out I was pregnant. I knew I couldn't go cold turkey. So, I started cutting down.

I would usually start the morning with a whole cig. Then through the day, as I got a craving, I would lite one up, take a few drags until the urge went away, then pop the cherry out to save for later. I would usually get 3 smokes out of it this way. After eating I would smoke a whole one.

Gradually the cravings went down. It took about 3 months to quit completely. The last month I would only smoke on Saturday and Wednesday night. Saturday I worked a waitress job to earn extra money. Wednesday night was our bowling league night.

Now I'm not saying the cravings don't come around. It was 8 years in December when I quit and I still have a craving now and again. What keeps me from picking back up the habit is 1) I know the taste would not be the same, 2) it would choke me and I would cough my head off, 3) it would make me naucous just like it did when I first started, 4) I don't want my child to have to worry about a parent that smokes and shortening my time with him, and 5) I just flat out could not afford it as much as they cost these days!

Good luck, I know it's tough. But you can do it.

Definitely talk to your OB. Also a great web site for pregnancy and moms is www.babycenter.com, it has articles, bulletin boards you can post questions on and chat rooms. I found it extremely helpful when I was pregnant.

As far as smoking, I would recommend to cut down and not go cold turkey. My sisters OB recommended this because the stress of quitting cold turkey was worse than cutting down, but the decision should be between you and your doctor and you need to do what is right for you. Some people may be able to quit cold turkey and that is great for them but for others it is not that easy.

Good luck!

I had tried to quit smoking before I ever got pregnant and couldn't do it, but the moment I found out that I was pregnant I quit. I did take a couple "puffs", but only for a few days and then it just didn't taste good. We both have since quit, hopefully never to return! Pregnancy is a scary thing...especially for a first time mom! If you have found a Dr, then discuss all your concerns and fears and hopefully they will be able to calm/answer some of them. Try not to stress yourself out too much, it will only make you want to smoke more. After all, that is how smokers calm down. Good luck to you!!

Of course you're freaked out. Finding out your pregnant is scary no matter whether it was planned or not. Everything will be just fine.

Definitely quit smoking. You can talk with your doctor about methods to help you quit so you're no longer harming yourself or the baby.

Congratulations!!!

Just DO it - SOOOOO much better for the baby and for YOU!!!!

I am a smoker...so I can tell you how I did it! I just never lit another cigarette after finding out I was pregnant. It was easy for me because I had the mindset that smoking was just NOT something you do while pregnant-end of story!

The way you worded your request for help makes it sounds as if you didn't just stop (or that u are still smoking now?) and that is NOT good! If you have quit and are just not sure you are able to continue with the quitting, I say to you "You can do it girl! You are strong enough, don't ever forget that"

Talk to your doctor ASAP! He will be able to help you...when I was pregnant and they found out I was a smoker they had all kinds of resources/advice for me on how I should go about quitting and when I told them I had already quit they were amazed so I am sure the Dr.'s have seen this all before and can help you figure this out!

Good Luck!

I smoked until I found out I was pregnant. I was totally stressed out and scared too, because it was unexpected. I tried cold turkey, but it didn't go well with the extra stress. I was super excited and happy about the baby but money was tight and I was worried.

I ended up buying one extra pack. What I did was allow myself to have 2 cigarettes a day at first, then just one. Knowing I could have that one or two cigarettes made it easier to get through the cravings. And I did not let myself smoke them at all my "usual" times. Like in the car or after meals, when I would normally want them. So I was breaking the habit part of it while still allowing myself a little bit. I would have that one allowed cigarette at a really odd time, making myself go out of my way to do it. Or if I was having a lot of anxiety at that moment.

I started being able to wait it out, because I wanted to still have my one available to me later if the anxiety was even worse at that time. So it was helping me learn to deal with the anxiety on my own, without nicotine to help. Pretty soon, I found I didn't need them near as much. I have always had issues with anxiety and was never able to quit before because of it. Then, once that last pack was gone, I just took it easy for 3 days. The first 3 days is the hardest, after that you should be done with the withdrawals and be on your way to being an ex smoker. I gave myself about a week extra to quit with that last pack, and it was so helpful.

By that time the morning sickness was kicking in pretty bad and I didnt really want to smoke because everything made me feel so sick. I was a little grateful to the morning sickness for that.

If you need to take a little bit of time to do it, don't feel bad. I knew I was pregnant as soon as I missed my period, so I still quit before a lot of women with irregular schedules would have known they were pregnant. Also, there was NO WAY I would have been able to smoke and deal with the looks you get if you smoke while pregnant. I knew it was bad for both me and the baby, and I did care, so I could never have been able to stand the guilt if people saw me smoking. I also munched on a lot of crackers which helped with both the smoking urges and the morning sickness.

You can totally do it if you try. Breaking the habit part of it is really important. The addiction part is gone in 3 days. So giving myself that extra pack to wean myself off them and get rid of my usual "ritual" cigarettes really helped. Good luck and Congratulations! Start taking those prenatals!

Just don't buy anymore cigarettes....chew gum; eat candy....you will regret it if you don't. Call your doctor--see if any of the "quit smoking" medications or gums are safe during pregnancy. You HAVE to quit. Your baby is in danger if you don't.

I know how you feel. I felt the same way when I found out I was pregnant. The way I dealt with it was to think to myself that if God thinks I'm ready for this, then I must be. I tried to stay focused on the bigger picture. I looked at all that I have to offer a baby. I stayed grateful.

As far as smoking, I too am a smoker. I did not quit while I was pregnant. I cut down a lot, but I did continue to smoke throughout my pregnancy. It's not the right thing to do, and I'm not proud of it, but it's the truth. My child was not born premature, and she was completely, 100%, healthy. However, I believe smoking can make infants more likely to develop allergies. My child doesn't have any right now, but some of my siblings did (my mom smoked with all five of her pregnancies).

As to why I didn't quit, well, it helped me relieve stress. It was the lesser of two evils - the other being using an illegal drug or drinking alcohol. I had a turbulent pregnancy - death of close family member, new marriage, trials relating to my step-daughter being molested, buying a house, etc. These are not excuses. I felt awful for smoking while I was pregnant. It caused me to isolate myself, and probably lead to more stress due to the fact that I beat myself up about it and I isolated myself.

Whatever you do, know that things will be OK. You'll have a beautiful baby to care for, and remember, God chose YOU to care for that baby.

the only times my mom ever quit smoking were when she was pregnant and when she was on chemo, and those times only because the smoking made her sick.

It might be easier to cut back a little at a time, otherwise you may stress your system out too much, with the quitting smoking plus being stressed about the baby.

Being pregnant and a smoker is a tough thing to be going through. I have been a smoker most of my life. When I first got pregnant with my first child, I was so sick I had to quit. But when I stopped feeling sick, it was so hard not to light up. I was not perfect but I had alot of support. I had my husband not smoke in the house anymore and eventually things got easier. Of course my dumbass started smoking again after I finished nursing each of my babies. Hhhh. Not smart.
My advice to you is hope that your morning sickness is bad enough to make you quit and make sure you have a solid support system to keep you quit. That is where I failed. My husband continued to smoke. Now we are both at a point where we both want to quit and it is so hard.
Good luck to you and know that we are here for you if you need support as well!

Picture your baby with a cigarette in its mouth. That would cure me from the urge. It's not about your needs anymore. It's about this precious new life. You will be so proud of the strength that you didn't know you had!

Also, are you freaked out about the pregnancy because you are not prepared to provide for this child, not married, or just overwhelmed with the idea? If you don't think this is the right time, you can put the child up for adoption. It is the most unselfish gift I can think of to give a couple who cannot have children but could provide a loving home with a mom and a dad.