Smoking

[starstruck2011]

Did anyone completely quit smoking or did anyone have a battlw with trying to quit?

Im still smoking now although ive cut down to ten a day from 25 a day. I feel so bad everytime I smoke but due to boredom and work stresses, its just so hard. That 5 minutes 'cool down' from the work environment is just so important!

I joined new leaf 0 they gave me patches - they didnt work nor take away my cravings. Ive tried all 3 things offered by NHS and now Im PG I cant have zyban etc to take away cravings.

ANyone else in my position?

 

[LaurenMM]

Hi hun hope u dont mind me popping over and sharing my 2 cents lol I was a 30-a-day smoker before I was pregnant and I just did via sheer willpower. I am a very paranoid worrying sort of person and I didnt wanna risk anything going wrong with me or my baby. I was the person who started to panic if I didnt have a fag for an hour and now, nearly a year after quitting, it makes me feel sick. I tried the patches, the inhalers etc and nothing works as well as cold turkey and I tell you, the sense of proudness and achievement you have about yourself after is amazing

I know its not the nicest thing either but I lost my grandparents to smoking related illnesses and I really dont want to put my daughter through that or any of the illnesses I encountered as a smoker (bronchitis, chest problems etc). If I can do it, you definitely can xx

 

[Squeakz]

if you were to stop cold turkey what would it be about it that you missed the most? obvs the nicotine but maybe try level 3 patches? would it be somthing to do with your hands? at work could you not go for a 5 minute walk and talk to someone on a phone or something?use carrot or cucumber sticks in place of cigarettes?? when i found out i was pg i just had to stop straight away! i was an absolute cow for about 3 days and then the nicotine craving calmed down and it was the habit of going for one when i would normally (like after dinner etc) that i found hardest.....

you can do it sweetpea. Also we put up signs around our house like 'J doesnt want to deal with us dying prematurely' 'he deserves healthy lungs' etc...... xx

 

[Maria1977]

You can do! I'm not a big smoker at all, but I love smoking. I know it's a bad habit but I enjoy it. With both my pregnancies I have quit cold turkey. Don't get the point prolonging keeping nicotine in my system.

I miss it most days, especially stressful days, but I will not put my baby at risk.

There are so many health complications for unborn babies from smoking, including hole in the heart, and also every cigarette you smoke restricts oxygen to the baby, so for the time you take smoking a cigarette there is no oxygen getting to your baby.

You can do it hun, it's not easy, it's on my mind quite often but it's for the greater good so there is no contest. Baby wins every time!

xxxxx

 

[mrz85]

Hope u can quite soon..I went cold turkey but then again I was a very light smoker good luck !!!!!!!!!!

 

[starstruck2011]

they are all really good comments! i dont know what it is I will miss.
I really shouldnt be so selfish and I know im harming my baby. Due to the stresses of spliting up with babys father, moving house, being alone, was possibly terminating 3 weeks ago - quitting smoking was the last thing on my mind.
I need to make a date and stick to it and do it properly. I even thought my first scan last week would give me the umph but nothing.
I feel so bad

 

[BevG]

i always said i would quit when i got preg. i smoked from the age of 17 until 29. i had a 20 a day habit easily. the day i got my BFP i smoked the last pack i had bought and never had one since. my OH still smokes and its been hard at times to not steal his fags lol but i remind myself why im doing it. the nicotine is an obvious miss but after a couple of weeks its the psychological cravings that are worse. i bought a pack of dummies and when i craved a cig i got one of those out and played with it in my hand or put it in my mouth and nibbled on it. it helped me occupy my hands and mouth when cravings were bad and reminded me of why i was quitting. now i hardly think about it at all and i havent needed to get out the dummy for ages.

 

[starstruck2011]

you mean actual baby dummies? or dummy cigs? Good idea wither way?! lol x

 

[JoD]

I gave up a couple of years ago... used to smoke about the same as you 25-30 a day. I tried NRT, read books etc and failed. In the end a friend of mine who was training at the time to be a hypnotherapist suggested I used visualisation and to create a image firmly in my head.

Sounds silly but it worked, I be in a small dark room with no windows. Smoke was pumping in and filling the entire room and I was basically choking to death on it!! I can still picture it in my head now clearly 2 years on and feel the emotions trying to escape.

If I was pregnant and smoking I'd perhaps visualize myself blowing back cigarette smoke directly into a newborns face, concentrating on the baby's cries, facail expressions, tears from the smoke burning its eyes etc. Then every time I'd get a craving I tell myself that after I'd taken a minute to see this image in my head I could have one if I still wanted one. This is what I did and never reached out for another fag again.

The worst you will feel from nicotine withdrawral is a little niggly, this feeling can be far outweighed with a huge sense of achievement if you allow yourself to feel that way.

Good luck, you'll get there x

 

[pregpixie76]

my oh bought me e-cigs not cheap at 75 quid and they contain about as much nicotine as nrt however im still smoking ciggies and i do feel really guilty for it and cant seem to quit.i also know its not healthy for the baby and my mw and ob know i smoke and asked me to at least cut down if i couldnt quit.
i know i have to find a way to say ok i can do this and just stop smoking.
Jod your idea is fantastic im good as visualising so im gonna give this a go.
ironically i didnt smoke when i was preg bk in the late 90's i took up smoking at 27 yes stupid i know.

 

[starstruck2011]

god i feel sick thinking about it - blowing it in babies face etc. thats helped me more than you realise. god i feel ill thinking of like tht

I have a 5 yr old brother also and the same thought on him is just as bad....

 

[Jayjay027]

There was a debate on 'The Wright Stuff' yesterday about whether or not parents should smoke around their children. A midwife called in and she said it absolutely sickens her when she sees babys born with low birth weight or smoking related illnesses and THEN the mother feels bad when its too late!
She said midwives just want to scream 'YOU poisoned your baby! I hope you're proud!'

She also said that as soon as the placenta is delivered, you can tell right away if the mother has smoked - because it is covered in black tar! Your baby's only lifeline while in the womb, covered in black tar.

Nothing in the world is more important to me than my baby's health, including my own selfish cravings.
I appreciate its difficult to quit, but you must understand what you are doing to that little tiny life inside you, and that should be enough!

I'm sorry if I sound like I'm lecturing, but this topic really sickens me! Seeing pregnant women smoke - I literally want to scream at them that they are disgusting!

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[starstruck2011]

I'm sorry if I sound like I'm lecturing, but this topic really sickens me! Seeing pregnant women smoke - I literally want to scream at them that they are disgusting!

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its ok I understand because I do actually feel the same about myself.

Theres a few other hidden facts that have occured in my life that have led me to not look after myself nor my unborn child. no excuses really I know. But i have taken the positive step to change things

 

[Jayjay027]

Good luck with quitting!! Really hope u do it x

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[babyem]

I know that you know how harmful it is to LO, so I won't go on about that...

But the harm it does to a smoker is unreal! I worked on a medical ward during my placement, and so many of my patients had COPD (coronary obstructive pulmonary disorder) and heart failure, and all of them said they used to be a smoker, and most only quit because they had no choice in hospital. They all had to have oxygen for the majority of a day, as well as nebulisers and bipap machines to deliver medicine, constantly, day in day out. And they all wish they had never smoked. Some of them were only in their 40s/50s, no age to be having to think about the care they want for the end of their life, and having to make arrangments for when they die.

Its horrifying to think that fags are legal, especially as they contain such harmful chemicals.

Its like you are preparing yourself for your own death, as they contain embalming chemicals.

 

[x kylie x]

I know that you know how harmful it is to LO, so I won't go on about that...

But the harm it does to a smoker is unreal! I worked on a medical ward during my placement, and so many of my patients had COPD (coronary obstructive pulmonary disorder) and heart failure, and all of them said they used to be a smoker, and most only quit because they had no choice in hospital. They all had to have oxygen for the majority of a day, as well as nebulisers and bipap machines to deliver medicine, constantly, day in day out. And they all wish they had never smoked. Some of them were only in their 40s/50s, no age to be having to think about the care they want for the end of their life, and having to make arrangments for when they die.

Its horrifying to think that fags are legal, especially as they contain such harmful chemicals.

Its like you are preparing yourself for your own death, as they contain embalming chemicals.

My uncle died a few weeks ago from copd he was only in his 50s, my nan also has it they both smoked x

I am so proud i can say i have stopped x

 

[CARNAT22]

I stoped 3 days after finding out I was pregnant - I went on to miscarry but never went back to smoking.

I am now 9 months as a non smoker and I am so bloody proud of myself.

Sadly I still haven't had a sticky bean BUT I know that I will never, ever smoke again! I smoked 10/15 a day for longer than I care to admit but have found it easy to stop?? I know I am lucky BUT if you stop using the right method it can be easy....

xxxxxxxxxx

 

[babyem]

I know that you know how harmful it is to LO, so I won't go on about that...

But the harm it does to a smoker is unreal! I worked on a medical ward during my placement, and so many of my patients had COPD (coronary obstructive pulmonary disorder) and heart failure, and all of them said they used to be a smoker, and most only quit because they had no choice in hospital. They all had to have oxygen for the majority of a day, as well as nebulisers and bipap machines to deliver medicine, constantly, day in day out. And they all wish they had never smoked. Some of them were only in their 40s/50s, no age to be having to think about the care they want for the end of their life, and having to make arrangments for when they die.

Its horrifying to think that fags are legal, especially as they contain such harmful chemicals.

Its like you are preparing yourself for your own death, as they contain embalming chemicals.

My uncle died a few weeks ago from copd he was only in his 50s, my nan also has it they both smoked x

I am so proud i can say i have stopped x

I am very sorry for your loss, it is a nasty horrible and painful disease, but I'm glad you don't smoke anymore, its a credit to your uncle and nan

It doesn't just destroy one persons life, it destroys whole families. Its so sad to see men and women who are in a hospital bed, but even worse at times to see their husband/wife coming in and seeing them and they know they only have so long left with their loved one. It breaks my heart. x

 

[weefoggy]

I miss smoking... A lot! I was a 15 a day and I loved smoking however I managed to quit cold turkey about a week after my BFP, I smoked my last cig then said to myself right that is it I am now a non smoker and I've never looked back or had even as much as a sniff of a cigarette. I still think about it most days and i miss it so bad sometimes however my little girl inside me is more important and I'll do anything to keep her safe. It truly is mind over matter, it is tough but it is worth it, I just hope I have the same willpower once she is born as it's great to smell smoke free all the time and my chest feels fab. You can do it, you've just got to put your mind to it! Good luck xx

 

[Lou12]

My mum was a smoker from the age of 16 and as she got older she was eventually smoking about 30 per day. She stopped smoking 4 years ago (after a 36 year habit). And she stopped cold turkey. She was ill for a couple of weeks with a chest infection and everytime she tried to light up, she'd have a coughing fit that caused her a lot of pain in her sign - so she didn't have one for those weeks and just didn't go back. She said she still misses them even now but would never go back.

Also my OH gave up a year and a half ago - again cold turkey. He used to smoke a couple of big tobacco pouches per week, so not loads. He just decided one day that he didn't want to smoke any more, so didn't. He nearly gave in twice - the first time he turned around before reaching the shop, the next time the shop was closed.

Just wanted to mention these stories really to say it can be done. And I'm so bloody proud of them both - particularly mum because she used to smoke so much.

Good luck hun.