Should my fiance quit smoking completely while pregnant?

Question

Well we have been told by two doctors that yes completely quit where as 2 others have said no just cut way way back because now that she is 20 weeks along the effects of quitting could be even more damaging to the baby. I just need to get more of a majority opinion. Most of all though i want to find out which really is worse!

Answer 1

I agree with 'lovin it" It is a crock. The anti smoking crowd will have you believe smoking causes everything, because they want to brainwash everyone to the point where it has become mass hysteria. Why must everyone exaggerate?
Like 'expecting a baby girl" I too have smoked while pregnant with my two children, and they were born healthy, are currently healthy, and will stay healthy. I am also pregnant again, and although have cut back, still smoking. My kids didn't have low birth weight, SIDS, down syndrome, or any other problems you keep conjuring up. If you have had these problems, it's probably because there's something else wrong with your body, or your family genes. Stop blaming smokers for every single problem.

Answer 2

Quitting is best. But, every doctor has a different opinion. I have had doctors tell me to quit, I've had doctors tell me to cut back, and I even had a doctor tell me he'd prefer to see me on the patch than to continue smoking (which is nuts since in that case the nicotine and other substances go directly in to the blood stream and feed the baby directly. But, I didn't like him at all anyways). I smoked all the way through my first 3 pregnancies, and 2 out of 3 babies were perfectly healthy. My 3rd baby had unexplainable medical problems when he was born and spent his first 10 days at the NICU in children's hospital. Now that I am preggo with #4, it has been a long, hard struggle to quit, but I did it, and feel great knowing that whatever happens once she is born, I have done everything I could to have a healthy pregnancy.

Answer 3

It ticks me off how some of these people say "if she cares for her baby then she'll quit" and blah blah blah. What horsesh!t.

Of course people against smoking will tell you to quit, and so will most doctors. I have been with my OB for a while now and I smoke (significantly less than what I used to) and she said the most harm it will do to my baby is cause a low birth weight. And trust me, I DO care about my child regardless of what whichever mindless twit thinks.

I would say that I would have to agree with the latter of the two, although it is still her own choice to make. If she does decide to quit, the chances of your baby detoxing after birth will be great if it's not VERY soon.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Yes quit! And stay quitted after the baby is born. And you should quit too. Having a father who smokes is also bad, and if you quit together you can support each other. The toxins from the smoke linger in your household furnishings, carpets, clothes etc. Clean everything thoroughly. But don't go overboard with lots of strong cleaning agents or repainting everything. The chemicals from those can be damaging too.

If she can't quit (and let's face it, tobacco is more addictive than heroin) then cutting down is better than nothing. But quitting is best of all.

And she should definitely breast feed - her breastmilk will help to protect the baby from some of the negative effects of smoking.

Answer 5

Quit

Answer 6

Yes she should quit. Smoking is hurting her baby's growth and potentially her own lungs. If she gets lung cancer or other smoking related illness it will not help her in caring for the baby. Also after the baby is born he/she could get asthma, ear infections and other health problems from the smoke. Any doctor that says it doesn't matter or will hurt the baby if she stops is out of their mind.

Answer 7

The stress of quitting is what may be harmful the the baby if she quits cold turkey, but the irreversible damage that she is doing ot the baby while still smoking is worse than tryiong to quit. She needs to look out for your baby firstly and to do that most effectivley she needs to quit now. Please research online what happens to fetus's that are exposed to smoking while they are developing - it is quite shocking. If you are a smoker too, you need to quit as well to support her. All the best

Answer 8

i am a smoker and pregnant. i quit with my first 4 and all resulted in a loss. i am now on #5. i am only 2 weeks and the docs are monitoring me closely. i would like to quit but have not. i have however cut back big time. about 2-3 a day. i have heard many things about quiting. but i know back when i wass born there was no pressure on women to quit and i am fine, my husband is, my cousins are, so i i would encourage her to quit but know that it will not be easy for here and support her as she tries to quit

Answer 9

I was about 18 weeks with my first, I was told that it could harm more then help and to cut back, my daughter was and still at 3.5 years old is the healthiest child out of all of the ones I know. She also weighed 7 lbs 11 ozs. I personally wouldn't risk it, so I'd just let her be.

Answer 10

Quit completely.

Here's why. Smoking, as well as all the negative effects for your fiancee, has the following effects on her unborn baby after 20 weeks:
Cigarettes cause micro-traumas within blood vessels. The largest collection of blood vessels, and the fastest developing vessels in your fiancees body are around and supplying her uterus. The micro-traumas may have no long term effect on her, but they reduce the ability of the uterus to deliver oxygen and nutrition, and to remove waste from the baby.

That can lead to early delivery (too early for the baby), with the ongoing health problems associated with that outcome.

Second, the poor in-utero environment for the baby leads to developmental problems with the lungs, gut, and brain. It retard the physiology of the child with lifelong implications for growth, intelligence, learning ability, lung efficiency and heart conditions.

This horrible list is what you get if you smoke when pregnant. Giving up at any time will cause the usual 48 hours of withdrawal, but the benefits to your child so massively outweigh that small period of discomfort that I am staggered when ever I see pregnant women smoking.

It is child abuse. It is utterly avoidable harm.
If you knew someone was going to do something to your child that could more than triple their likelihood of dying early from a heart attack AND double their chance of getting asthma or other breathing difficulties, AND stunt their growth AND diminish their learning capacity so reduce the chance of them getting a good job and a good lifestyle - Wouldn't you stop them?

Just because it is the mother being selfish and smoking is no reason to let her carry on.

Stop her now. Don't let her start again when the child is born, either, because children who grow up with smokers for parents have another equally hideous catalogue of heath problems.

Stop her now. She is carelessly, thoughtlessly, selfishly causing lifelong health problems for your child.

Show her my answer if she doesn't throw the cigarettes away NOW.