is this true or false?

Question

I know that you should def quit smoking when you're pregnant. I'm a smoker and I just found out today that I'm pregnant (only like 2-3 wks) and when I was talking to a friend she said that if you quit smoking cold turkey, that since it messes with your body, like put in some sort of shock from lack of nicotine, it'll mess with your baby too...is this true? or is it better to gradually quit?

Answer 1

Well it's a double edged sword. Yes, the stress from quitting cold turkey is bad on your body. Stress is one of the number one factors leading to a miscarraige. Then again, both the smoke and nicotine are bad on your baby as well. I'd talk to your doctor and see what he/she thinks of quitting and how it should be done. Most doctors recomend the gum because it has some of the lowest doses of nicotine. Some recomend the patch, but I've noticed that not as many do since it had a more direct connection with your bloodstream. I would definately recomend quitting as soon as you can. Even smoking for the first trimester can lead to low birth weight and birth defects. Good luck and congrats!

Answer 2

Well both..you are early on that if you quit now it should not affect the baby..but the more you wait then yes you should cut down before quitting. I smoked w/first pregnancy and currently smoking w/this one..but I usually smoke almost 2 packs a day and I'm down to half a pack a day. I've been smoking for 10 years and the doc said to gradually cut down to quitting if I can but half a pack won't do much and at the most it would do w/the birth weight is affect it by 1/2 a pound at the most.
For some it's easy to quit and for others it's not. In the 10 yrs. I've smoked I have never tried to quit so it's hard but I know that while being in the hospital I will try since I will be in there for 3-4 days I hope it helps.
Good Luck!

Answer 3

Not only is quitting cold turkey safe, it's one of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby while you're pregnant. As soon as you give up your cigarettes, your baby will start getting more oxygen, and the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and other complications will drop.

Quitting cold turkey can be difficult, especially if you're a heavy smoker. As your body adjusts to life without nicotine, you'll probably feel restless and irritable. The good news is that your baby won't share in the misery. There's no evidence that babies go through nicotine withdrawal, and they certainly won't miss a daily dose of tar and carbon monoxide. Besides, your withdrawal symptoms will fade in two or three weeks, and then you can finally stop thinking about cigarettes and start thinking about getting the baby's room ready.

For most women, the only risk to the cold-turkey approach is that it might not work. (Heavy smokers at high risk for seizures are the exception. For them, quitting abruptly could potentially cause a seizure.) If you're smoking a couple of packs a day, you may need to take a more gradual approach to quitting. Cut down to a pack a day, then to a half of a pack. The ultimate goal, of course, is to get to zero — and the sooner the better. If you still can't fight those cravings, ask your doctor for help. Quitting may be hard, but a healthy pregnancy is worth the effort.

Answer 4

i smoked through all my pregnancies, but i have a medical condition and the medication has more risks than cigarettes do and i only smoked 10 a day if that. I have epilepsy and stres triggers my seizures and cigarettes are a know stress reliever so i stopped taking the meds on advice from my doctor and limited my smoking to 10 a day, it was the lesser of 2 evils, either i stopped smoking and risked my baby being born with a birth defect from my meds or i smoked with no meds.
I have 3 children who are all healthy and happy.
Please keep in mind 20yrs ago women were smoking in the delivery rooms while giving birth to babies and the only reason why its such an issue now is because activists and organizations make it such a big deal taking attention away from bigger issues at hand. It's all part of social brainwashing, 20yrs ago if you saw a woman smoking while she was pregnant there was no problem with it, today people act like its the biggest sin ever when really its not.
The same doctors that will say don't smoke it's bad for you are smokers themselves and only tell you that because they are obligated bylaw to do so.
I am not justifying why i smoke i am simply saying there are more dangerous things out there besdes smoking that can be harmful to your baby, like pollution from all the cars on the road, that is much worse, or the lead that is pumped into the air by factories who refuse to conform to state regulations and slip by with minor fines, these things can harm your baby. Let us not forget that tobacco is grown in the ground and people have been smoking it for hundreds of years with no effects on their unborn babies.

Answer 5

You should not listen to friends about medical advice. Where does she get her information?
You should do what is best for you, that is what will help you quit.
Are you able to quit completely without a relpse? Do you need to do it gradually?
If you try to quit cold and restart you are just sabotaging your efforts. If you have amazing willpower and you can think of your baby before you light and that can motivate you to put it out then maybe you can just quit.
My advice is to speak to your doctor or OB about what your options are and if any quitting treatments are safe for you.

Also the thing about the mothers that smoked...
How your body is affected by carcinogins is genetic.
My great grandmother smoked for 65 years, she had emphasema but she did not die of a smoking related disease at the age of 88.
My mom died at the age of 55 of oral cancer due to smoking. Her husband, the same age is stll alive he still smokes and used to drink heavily, but again is still alive.
My husbands grandmother is still alive at 90 and used to smoke. She has outlived a few of her children who never smoked.

Answer 6

I think that your friend is full of it. Talk to your OB-GYN doctor about this. It is good that you want to quit to have a healthy baby.
If you need to quit - contact the American Cancer Society about ways to quit.
I quit smoking when I found out I was pregnant too. I was about a three pack a day smoker at the time. My daughter was 9lbs.7 ozs. and was very healthy and had not problems due to the fact that I had quit.
That was 26 years ago before they had all of the "help" that is available today. She is in the Air Force and a Staff Sargent .

Answer 7

No i smoked for 7 years before i had my first born and when i foud out i was pregnant i quit cold turkey once i took that pregnancy i stopped that same night cause i didn't want to harm my baby.

Answer 8

You need to quit cold turkey and not pick the habit up after you have your baby. Did you know that in the State of California you can receive a ticket if you are caught smoking in your car with a child in the car with you? It is that serious!!!

Answer 9

I had 3 children and smoked with each one and they are fine. My sister never smoked and her two children have asthma. Its the luck of the draw I think. And by the way I gave up smoking and my kids are now in their 20's so dont be saying I wont know how they turned out.

Answer 10

Im twelve.

I have the IQ of 157.

My mom quit cold turkey when she found out I was going to be born.

A general once said, "Smoking is the leading cause of premature death, deformity and mental illness of babies in the U.S.A.

Unless you want your child to be stupid, don't listen to this friend.

She doesn't know what on earth she's talking about. (NO OFFENSE)