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my friend is 27, and pregnant with her 3rd child. she smokes about a pack of cigs a day and ive always tried to encourgage her to quit since she found out she was pregnant , shes about 35 weeks pregnant now. i said something to her the other day about how its never to late to quit smoking because the less cigs you smoke, is better for her and her unborn daughter. she told me its too late to stop smoking and if she does stop smoking, her daughter will go through withdraw in the womb and be still born. is this true ?? is it actually "better" to keep smoking, but cutting down towards the end of the pregnancy ? im just curious.

2007-03-02 09:46:08 · 17 answers · asked by Ashley N 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting Pregnancy

17 answers

The baby would go through withdrawal, however the baby will go through withdrawal after birth as well, unless she plans on letting the baby smoke. So that excuse is BS.

Can you pass this on to her though, breastfeeding even if she continues to smoke can not only negate some of the damage from smoking in the womb but can also help prevent further damage.

http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/smoking.html
Breastfeeding and Cigarette Smoking
By Kelly Bonyata, IBCLC

Should a mother who smokes cigarettes breastfeed?
What happens to babies when they are exposed to cigarette smoke?
How does does smoking affect breastfeeding?
How to minimize the risk to your baby if you smoke
References and More Information
Should a mother who smokes cigarettes breastfeed?
First of all, a mom who can't stop smoking should breastfeed. Breastfeeding provides many immunities that help your baby fight illness and can even help counteract some of the effects of cigarette smoke on your baby: for example, breastfeeding has been shown to decrease the negative effects of cigarette smoke on a baby's lungs. It's definitely better if breastfeeding moms not smoke, but if you can't stop or cut down, then it is better to smoke and breastfeed than to smoke and formula feed.

The more cigarettes that you smoke, the greater the health risks for you and your baby. If you can't stop smoking, or don't want to stop smoking, it's safer for your baby if you cut down on the number of cigarettes that you smoke.



What happens to babies when they are exposed to cigarette smoke?
Babies and children who are exposed to cigarette smoke have a much higher incidence of pneumonia, asthma, ear infections, bronchitis, sinus infections, eye irritation, and croup.
Colic occurs more often in babies whose mothers or fathers smoke or if a breastfeeding mother smokes. Researchers believe that not only does the nicotine transferred into mother's milk upset baby but the passive smoke in the home acts as an irritant. Babies of smoking parents fuss more, and mothers who smoke may be less able to cope with a colicky baby (due to lower levels of prolactin).
Heavy smoking by breastfeeding moms occasionally causes symptoms in the breastfeeding baby such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea.
Babies of smoking mothers and fathers have a seven times greater chance of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Children of smoking parents have two to three times more visits to the doctor, usually from respiratory infections or allergy-related illnesses.
Children who are exposed to passive smoke in the home have lower blood levels of HDL, the good cholesterol that helps protect against coronary artery disease.
Children of smoking parents are more likely to become smokers themselves.
A recent study found that growing up in a home in which two parents smoked could double the child's risk of lung cancer later in life.


How does does smoking affect breastfeeding?
Smoking has been linked to:

Earlier weaning. One study showed that the heaviest smokers tend to wean the earliest.
Lower milk production
Interference with milk let-down
Lower levels of prolactin. The hormone prolactin must be present for milk synthesis to occur.
One study (Laurberg 2004) indicated that smoking mothers who live in areas of mild to moderate iodine deficiency have less iodine in their breastmilk (needed for baby's thyroid function) compared to nonsmoking mothers. The study authors suggested that breastfeeding mothers who smoke consider taking an iodine supplement.
Although smoking has been linked to milk production and let-down problems, this may be related to poor lactation management rather than physiological causes. Dr. Lisa Amir, in a review published in 2001, concluded that "Although there is consistent evidence that women who smoke breastfeed their infants for a shorter duration than non-smokers, the evidence for a physiological mechanism is not strong."


How to minimize the risk to your baby if you smoke
The ideal: Stop smoking altogether.
Cut down. The less you smoke, the smaller the chance that difficulties will arise. The risks increase if you smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day.
Don't smoke immediately before or during breastfeeding. It will inhibit let-down and is dangerous to your baby.
Smoke immediately after breastfeeding to cut down on the amount of nicotine in your milk during nursing. Wait as long as possible between smoking and nursing. It takes 95 minutes for half of the nicotine to be eliminated from your body.
Avoid smoking in the same room with your baby. Even better, smoke outside, away from your baby and other children. Don't allow anyone else to smoke near your baby.

2007-03-02 10:07:23 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

When I was pregnant with my second child my doctor told me that the baby does go through withdrawl when you quit and depending on how much you smoke the baby could actually go into shock. At that time I was working in a convience store where I could smoke right there at the cash register and I was smioking about 21/2 - 3 packs a day. So my doctor said for me it would be better for the baby to cut back more and more until stopping all together. Someone who only smokes 1/2 - 1 pack a day might not have the same risks and should probably stop immediatly.

2007-03-02 18:00:08 · answer #2 · answered by acwallace81 1 · 0 0

If you've never smoked before, you have no idea how hard it is to quit. Telling her how dangerous it is, or how she's gonna get cancer and give her baby asthma, is just causing her stress, which makes her smoke more.

There are some theories out there, that all this fear (true as the facts may be) and warnings on cigarette packets cause stress in smokers, which prevents them from quitting. I know, as an ex-smoker, that when I was stressed I'd smoke more. So telling her about the dangers, as I said, is not going to work one bit.

The more you harp on about it, the worse it will get. Smokers can often be like children. They'll smoke just to make a point. 'You say I can't some, well I'll show you,' type of attitude. So my advice to you is to stop nagging her, it's not working

Now:

Go out and buy her Allen Carr's book, "Easy way to stop smoking". It's not a thick book and she can finish it in less than a week. Allen Carr has a 90% success rate with getting ppl to quit and staying quit. I used his book, even though I didn't want to quit at the time, and his methods really does work.

Give your friend the book, and ask her to read it as a favour to you - tell her, you don't want her to quit, and she doesn't have to quit after reading the book, but you thought it was interesting. There's a good chance she'll quit after she read the book.

Allen Carr used to smoke, so he knows exactly what a smoker goes through in order to quit. He doesn't scare ppl into quitting, instead he uses positive reinforcement, and you WANT to quit after reading his book.

2007-03-05 13:11:01 · answer #3 · answered by elainevdb 6 · 0 0

I don't know if I'd worry so much about the withdrawal, but all the other side-effects,such as the risk of having a low-weight baby and going into premature labour.I quit smoking when I found out I was pregnant. It wasn't easy, but I did it. And I think you're right, cutting down would be better than continuing to smoke a pack a day,surely!

2007-03-02 17:51:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

the baby may go through some withdrawal in the womb, but it will not hurt the baby as much as continuing to smoke will, cutting back on the amount smoked every day will help, but the best way to avoid having problems with the baby is to stop totally, i have never heard of a baby being stillborn because of withdrawal.

2007-03-02 17:59:53 · answer #5 · answered by Becky 2 · 0 0

Print out some stuff on Asthma from the American Lung website. Does she smoke around the older kids? Sounds to me like she does not care about her kids too me. And maybe tag along to her next doctor appointment and tell the doctor. What does the babies dad think??

2007-03-02 17:53:09 · answer #6 · answered by Barbara 4 · 0 0

dude your friend is really dumb because she should not be smoking in the first place but w/the pregnant it is worse she could stop and have a will to save her baby still and if she cut back now it still help with the baby but if it still go on the baby will proble not have a life :'( im srry but you still could still and help your friend and what not but it would kind of still be better to stop now well good luck
bye

2007-03-02 17:56:04 · answer #7 · answered by step-on-me 2 · 0 0

This is just not true.
Your friend is either fabulously misinformed or tired of everyone telling her to quit smoking.
Too bad that baby girl isn't coming home to someone like you instead!

2007-03-02 17:58:32 · answer #8 · answered by alexdarc 2 · 0 0

Smoking During Pregnancy: The Risks to Our Children
When a woman continues to smoke during pregnancy, the risks to the unborn child are great. These statistics come out of the 2004 Surgeon General's Report on Smoking*:
Research has shown that women's smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of pregnancy complications, premature delivery, low-birth-weight infants, stillbirth, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
The nicotine in cigarettes may cause constrictions in the blood vessels of the umbilical cord and uterus, thereby decreasing the amount of oxygen available to the fetus. Nicotine also may reduce the amount of blood in the fetal cardiovascular system.
Nicotine is found in breast milk.
Babies of mothers who smoked during pregnancy have lower birth weights.
Low birth weight is a leading cause of infant deaths, resulting in more than 300,000 deaths annually among newborns in the United States.
In general, pregnant smokers eat more than pregnant nonsmokers, yet their babies weigh less than babies of nonsmokers. This weight deficit is smaller if smokers quit early in their pregnancy.
Smoking by the mother causes SIDS. Compared with unexposed infants, babies exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are at twice the risk for SIDS, and infants whose mothers smoked before and after birth are at three to four times greater risk.
Mothers' smoking during pregnancy reduces their babies' lung function.
In 2001, 17.5% of teenaged mothers smoked during pregnancy. Only 18% to 25% of all women quit smoking once they become pregnant.
Smoking by children and adolescents hastens the onset of lung function decline during late adolescence and early adulthood.
Smoking by children and adolescents is related to impaired lung growth, chronic coughing, and wheezing.


I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU TALK TO YOUR FRIEND...ITS NEVER TO LATE TO STOP.

2007-03-02 17:53:29 · answer #9 · answered by angie 4 · 0 0

Your friend is a big dummy and I'm really sad for her baby.

That sounds like an excuse...she just wants to keep smoking.

2007-03-02 18:18:50 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

I think its bad because she can have problems will given birth or in labor. your firends child could die or become very ill by having smoke being put in the tub or thing she uses to eat from or breathe from.So i thing it is a good idea for her to quit in the life sake of her baby girl.

2007-03-02 18:02:40 · answer #11 · answered by A$!AN P3R$UA$!ON 1 · 0 1

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