Managing Quitting Cold Turkey
Tips For Quitting Smoking When You’re Pregnant
If you’re like many smoking women, quitting will never be easier than in early pregnancy, when you may develop a sudden distaste for cigarettes.
Otherwise, there is plenty of help for smokers who want to kick the habit. Among the strategies that have made quitters out of smokers are hypnosis, acupuncture and relaxation techniques.
If you’re comfortable with a group approach to quitting which builds in support consider programs run by Nicotine Anonymous, the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society and Smokenders.
Or seek support online from other pregnant women who are trying to call it quits. Check out smokefree.gov or cdc.gov for more information and help.
Should you try nicotine replacement therapy or Chantix when you’re expecting? Ask your practitioner. Your doctor can help come up with an individualized plan for you depending on your specific circumstances.
Can I Use A Nicotine Replacement During Pregnancy
Nicotine gum and patches release nicotine into the bloodstream of the smoker who is trying to quit. Although these products can reduce withdrawal symptoms and decrease cravings in smokers who are trying to quit, the safety of these products hasnt been adequately evaluated in pregnant women.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends that nicotine gum and patches be considered in pregnant women only after other nondrug treatments, like counseling, have failed and if the increased likelihood of quitting smoking, with its potential benefits, outweighs the unknown risk of nicotine replacement and potential smoking.
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Why Is This Important
This study suggests that e-cigarettes are as safe as nicotine patches for pregnant women. They may also be more effective at helping women to quit.
Only about half of the women returned saliva samples, possibly because it was challenging for women in late pregnancy or with small babies to study instructions, provide samples and post them back. The researchers say that the differences between the groups may have been larger if more women had returned samples.
The results may also have been influenced by media coverage of several young people in the US, who used e-cigarettes and developed a severe lung condition. Ultimately, it was found that e-cigarettes were not to blame, but this news story led to some women stopping e-cigarettes in favour of real cigarettes.
Fewer women in the e-cigarette group had babies with low birthweight. The researchers say a possible explanation is that women in the e-cigarette group smoked less.
Some women used neither e-cigarettes nor nicotine patches. The researchers suggest that women may need more encouragement to make use of these products and of the support phone calls.
Secondhand Smoke Harms Your Baby
If your partner or anyone else who lives with you smokes, their smoke can affect you and your baby before and after their birth. You may also find it more difficult to stop if someone around you smokes.
Secondhand smoke can also reduce your baby’s birthweight and increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome , also known as “cot death”. Babies whose parents smoke are more likely to be admitted to hospital for bronchitis and pneumonia during their first year.
To find out more about quitting and to get support, your partner can call the NHS Smokefree helpline on from 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.
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The 5as Or 3as Approach
The recommended sequence for delivering tobacco treatment interventions in clinical settings, including maternal care settings, is known as the 5As approach. The 5As should be used at the first antenatal appointment and during subsequent appointments4,11,30. The approach can also be shortened to Very Brief Advice or the 3As 4,11,12. The emphasis for the 3As model is for the maternal health team to ask and document the smoking status of all pregnant women, to provide brief advice to women about the importance of smoking cessation and act to support cessation by referring pregnant women who smoke to available quit-smoking services either within the maternity care team or community who will then provide evidence-based quit smoking assessment, assistance, and follow-up . We review here the key elements of the 5As delivery in maternity care settings.
3As approach for smoking cessation in maternal health settings
Ask
- I have never smoked or have smoked < 100 cigarettes in my lifetime
- I stopped smoking before I found out I was pregnant, and I am not smoking now
- I stopped smoking after I found out I was pregnant, and I am not smoking now
- I smoke some now, but I have cut down on the number of cigarettes I smoke since I found out I was pregnant and
- I smoke regularly now, about the same as before I found out I was pregnant.
Advise
Assess
Assist
Q: Once You Quit Smoking How Long Does It Take To Improve Reproductive Health
Dr. Austin: The good news is that many health benefits are visible within weeks or months of quitting. But some effects arent seen for a year after quitting. So, of course, the sooner you quit, the better.
For women, the positive effects of quitting smoking can be detected in the eggs in three months. Since it takes 90 days to produce the egg that will be released during your cycle, the egg that you ovulate in three months is starting to be made now.
Dr. Vij: For men, the cycle of spermatogenesis is three months. Any change you make in lifestyle, medication or surgery will generally take three months to impact sperm health. After quitting, its best to wait three months before testing sperm quality.
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How To Quit Smoking During Pregnancy
More than one in 10 pregnant women still continue to use cigarettes – endangering themselves and their baby. Although quitting can be a challenging process, stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life.
Reviewed byDr Colin Tidy
24-Jul-19·8 mins read
Smoking rates in the UK have dropped significantly, with 5.9 million people smoking compared to 7.7 million in 2011. According to NHS England, though, more than 61,000 pregnant women were still smoking last year at the time they gave birth.
“We do know that it has been shown to cause really serious damage and increases the risk of stillbirth, prematurity and sudden infant death syndrome ,” says Clare Livingstone, professional policy advisor at the Royal College of Midwives.
“It couldn’t really be worse and we really want to find a way to avoid the tragic consequences for women and their families.”
Each cigarette contains more than 5,000 chemicals, including nicotine, which is highly addictive. Many of the chemicals cause cancer and others are poisonous, including hydrogen cyanide, ammonia and carbon monoxide, which cause harm to a developing baby.
Cigarettes can also restrict the essential oxygen supply to your baby and as a result, their heart has to beat harder every time you smoke.
Take Advantage Of Free Online Resources
The American Legacy Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating people about the dangers of smoking. They created a website called BecomeAnEX. The website offers information about quitting smoking, free tools to help you get started, advice to help you continue on the path to a smoke-free life, and the support of an online community where you can connect with other pregnant women and others who are trying to quit, and ex-smokers who want to give you support and share their experiences.
Sign up for free support from the government organization SmokeFree Women, including their 24/7 SmokefreeMom program that sends you daily advice, tips and encouragement to help you on your journey toward becoming a non-smoker.
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Smoking During Pregnancy: Risks And How To Quit
Smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products can cause serious health issues for a pregnant person and fetus. Health officials strongly advise people not to smoke while they are pregnant.
Cigarettes contain toxic chemicals that a person breathes in when they smoke. If a person smokes while pregnant, these chemicals can also affect the fetus.
This article will detail the effects of smoking while pregnant, including the effects of secondhand smoke and e-cigarettes.
Smoking at any time during a pregnancy can harm a person and fetus.
Research from 2020 suggests that the biggest benefit can occur if a person stops smoking before 15 weeks of gestation.
If a person stops smoking before 15 weeks, it can
- inflammation in the choroid, which is part of the eye
- blue or purple marks on the skin, known as blueberry muffin spots
- Edwards syndrome, a serious genetic condition that can affect how a baby develops and grows
- scalp abnormality
- coloboma, which is an area of missing tissue in the eye
- micrognathia, a condition that causes an undersized lower jaw
- umbilical hernia, which is where part of the bowel pushes through a weak spot on the abdominal wall
state that people who smoke have more difficulty becoming pregnant. Additionally, they have a higher risk of never being able to conceive.
The also notes that stopping smoking before becoming pregnant is safest. However, stopping smoking at any stage of pregnancy can still help prevent further problems from developing.
- premature birth
Is It Safe To Use E
No. The nicotine, flavors and other chemicals in e-cigarettes can harm you and your baby. Breathing in someone elses e-cigarette vapor also may be harmful. More research is needed to better understand how e-cigarettes affect women and babies during pregnancy.
If youre pregnant and using e-cigarettes, talk to your health care provider about quitting.
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Get In The Right Mindset
I know this is scary, but quitting smoking while pregnant is an incredibly positive thing for your baby. I want to help you get ready by sharing these things with you. Youre going to be okay and you can do this!
- Get your support system involved: The more people who are behind you, the better off youll be when cravings come knocking on your door. Make sure you tell loved ones about your plan and ask them to stick by you through tough times. When the worst does happen, remind yourself why you wanted to quit smoking and take comfort in knowing that each day without a cigarette is one closer to being smoke-free for good. how to quit smoking while pregnant
Do You Know:
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Using A Patch To Quit
While there is no evidence to suggest that nicotine patches are harmful to fetuses directly, likewise there is no evidence to back up the contrary. Regardless though, the nicotine it provides you is still
much less harmful to your growing baby than actually smoking. And adopting the patch isnât a replacement for smoking forever. Rather, it is the temporary solution as you also ween yourself off your nasty habit all together.
As with adding anything specific like this to your body, we recommend consulting your healthcare professional first. But once you get the go ahead to stock up on patches, remember to remove them before bed and to keep at a 15 hour maximum per every 24 hours. Opting for a patch may not be the easiest or even most comfortable way to quit smoking, but sometimes that nicotine fix is what is effecting you the most and these will provide that.
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She Knows: How To Quit Smoking While Pregnant
With the January 2014 Surgeon Generals Report on Smoking and Health citing 108,0000 pregnancy and birth-related conditions linked to infant mortality and low birth weight, you may be more determined than ever to kick your nicotine habit to the curb. But, before you go cold turkey, check out these tips on how to quit smoking while pregnant.
Quitting cold turkeyTossing your pack and swearing off cigarettes is an ideal way to avoid the risks of smoking while pregnant, but, the side effects of quitting during pregnancy can range depending on whether youre a light or heavy smoker, advises Dr. Alyssa Dweck, OB/GYN and healthy mama brand medical advisory board member, but can include restlessness, jitteriness, irritability and in severe cases seizures can occur. The good news is that most of these symptoms you experience wont cause harm to your baby-to-be and often are the most difficult in the first two weeks of quitting. The American Pregnancy Association recommends that you increase your chances of success by listing the benefits of quitting, changing your daily habits, building a strong support system and setting a quit date.
When deciding how to quit smoking while pregnant, remember that there is no one-size-fits-all method.
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Use Of Stop Smoking Aids When You Are Pregnant
Some products can make it easier for you to quit. Nicotine replacement therapy comes in several forms, including patches, chewing gum, lozenges or mouth spray. These deliver clean nicotine and are considered safe. They can really help if youre trying to give up.
Nicotine replacement therapy doesnt contain any poisonous substances like carbon monoxide or tar, but provides some nicotine to help you cope with the withdrawal symptoms . That means its better to use NRT to help you give up rather than smoke during pregnancy.
During NRT, the dose of nicotine is reduced slowly. When smokers are considered able to stop without suffering too much from withdrawal symptoms, the dose is stopped .
The use of electronic cigarettes is also increasing as an alternative to tobacco smoking. Yet its not always clear whats in them, and they might contain other damaging substances besides nictoine. So using electronic cigarettes is not advised during pregnancy as the long-term risk to your unborn baby is unknown .
Last reviewed and updated in March 2018
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Smoking During Pregnancy Effects On Your Unborn Baby
If you are pregnant, every time you smoke a cigarette, it reduces oxygen to your unborn baby and exposes them to many toxic chemicals.
Some of the many damaging effects of cigarette smoke on your unborn baby include:
- reduced oxygen supply and nutrients due to carbon monoxide and nicotine in tobacco smoke
- slower growth and development
- increased risk of birth defects such as cleft lip and cleft palate
- the babys movements are weaker in the womb for at least an hour after smoking each cigarette
- impaired development and working of the placenta
- harming the development of babys brain and lungs.
Can I Cut Down And Still Get A Free Vape
No, this stop smoking programme will consist of committing to the not a single puff rule so you will need to commit to quitting completely. During pregnancy, it is advised to quit completely and not cut down, as even one cigarette can be harmful to your baby. As part of the programme, you may take part in CO Monitoring to keep you on track.
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It Is Never Too Late To Quit Smoking During Pregnancy
Quitting smoking before getting pregnant is best. But for women who are already pregnant, quitting as early as possible can still help protect against some health problems for their developing babies, such as being born too small or too early. It is never too late to quit smoking.
It is important to quit smoking for good. A women might think it is safe to start smoking again after her baby is born. But babies of mothers who smoke may breathe in the secondhand tobacco smoke that can harm their health. Although quitting for good can be hard, the benefits are worth ita healthy baby and many more years of good health to enjoy with him or her.
If you or someone you know wants to quit smoking, talk to your healthcare provider about strategies. For support in quitting, including free quit coaching, a free quit plan, free educational materials, and referrals to local resources, please call 1-800-QUIT-NOWexternal icon TTY 1-800-332-8615.
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