I have been leery about starting this thread in my "Due In" board, because it is pretty controversial. But I kinda wonder what ladies on this website think about the following issue:

Smoking while pregnant?

-for or against?
-if against, what do you think when you see pregnant women smoke?
-if for (or "unopposed"), what do you say when people confront you on the issue? How do you defend it?

I know that if this post goes anywhere. . . there will be pissed off people. But better here than with people that you actually know in person. I just wonder what other people think. I have my own input, and wonder how common it is.

And while we will likely get a little heated here (like the spanking vs. beating thread), let's please try to exclude the childish words that were used in it!

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I smoked when I was pregnant with my last son, and would never do it again. I managed to quit with my other kids, but not with my last. I don't know why. When my son was 2 weeks old, he began having seizures. We later found out he had a calcium deficiency, but until we found that out, I seriously thought my smoking had caused his seizures.

What would I say to people, well I never had anyone tell me I was a horrible person for smoking while pregnant, so I can't really answer that. How do I defend it? I don't. It was a bad decision and like I said, I would never do it again.

Kim

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"Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged." -- Ronald Reagan

At least you realized that it wasn't good. Hope his seizures were diagnosed and easily treatable. I work with two girls who smoked while pregnant, without a second thought. Their reaction is "my kid is ok."

If you don't mind my asking, why did you start back after you had your babies? If you were able to keep from it for 9 months, why start back? The stress? Just wondering.

My grandmother smoked for years and YEARS. Then she stopped cold turkey when I was a kid. And about 5 years or so later she just picked up the habit again. It's strange.

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With 4 boys in the house at the time, stress was HUGE. Then with all the problems we had with my oldest son, that added even more stress. I still smoke to this day as it relaxes me.

Kim

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"Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged." -- Ronald Reagan

Figured that was the reason. When she picked it back up my Great-Grandmother was terminally ill. So, stressful. I am not sure, but she probably even smoked while pregnant with her kids, in the 60's, early 70's. She is going to my childbirth classes with me, so it is really awkward when the nurse talks about the effects of smoking while pregnant, because I wonder what she is thinking, having already done it.

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lurking but i have never even tried a cigarette. i cannot imagine smoking while having another living thing in my body.

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1 yr old~ 21 lbs 5 oz and 32 1/4 in.

I am a smoker but never smoked while pregnant. I know a lot of people say they smoked while pregnant and their kids turned out fine or their mother's smoked while pregnant and they turned out fine. My parents stuck me in the front seat of the car with no seat belt and put me in a crib painted with lead paint and I turned out fine. We now know the damage smoking can do to an unborn baby so we need to use that knowledge. Yes, the child may turn out fine, but it may not. I feel that is a big risk to take. Also, many people do not take into account the fact that your baby WILL have withdraw once it's born. So if you feel the withdraw symptoms are too bad for you, think about how the baby will feel. Trust me, I know quitting smoking for those nine months is hard but I look at it this way, I can make the decision for myself to smoke, I just don't feel I have the right to make that decision for my baby....

Good luck to anyone trying to quit and hang in there, you can do it!

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FUNNY MATERNITY, BABY, KIDS AND FAMILY T-SHIRTS AND GIFTS

http://www.cafepress.com/hotmommatees

I was a smoker before I got pregnant. For me it's not a choice, "do I quite, cut back or continue"? I want the best possible start for my child and I feel the only way to do that is to be free of tobacco or any substance that is not normally consumed by a body for the purpose of surviving.

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no no no! Anything putting baby at risk gets a no from me. I hope I'd never be that selfish that I couldnt give up an addiction for 9 months to birth a child.
(Hi abbielynn from Polars!) LOL

Against. I don't know that I'd really think anything if I saw a pg woman. Maybe she's really cut back or in the process of trying to quit, unless I know her, how am I to know what her situation is?

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formerly pwfaith

Definitely against. And any Dad's out there ought to support their wife and quit too!

romanic

Ok! I thought I would sound judgmental if I just came out and said my views on it, which are the same as most of yours. I don't have anything that I am addicted to. But if there were something I liked a whole lot, like Beef Jerky, or Orange Juice, and it were medically proven that it definitely caused delays and birth defects, I would no longer consume them. I can't think of how I could rationalize it. I would blame myself for every little thing.

I am pregnant now, and I have noticed that there are actually some people who will go out of their way not to smoke in front of me! It actually shocked me, that they recognized that it was unhealthy, so they stepped outside. But there are others still who act like there is nothing wrong. I just wonder why that first group wouldn't give me that respect before conception.

Here, in TN, they just recently passed a law that went into effect Oct. 1st that bans smoking in public places, and for a certain distance from entrances/exits. But there are still people that light up outside the door to Wal-Mart. Like I don't have to walk through that air. I understand that it is each person's choice whether or not to smoke, and they can make that decision. BUT, I think that it should be confined to the home or the car. I don't twant to breathe that crap. Doorway smokers, I want to hit people like that with my car.

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No absolutely not. There are other things that are "maybes", like drinking coffee, because most doctors say that even two cups a day does not pose a risk to the child, but there is no evidence to show that smoking does not pose a risk to the child, in fact quite the opposite. And this may make me sound like a witch, but I instantly lose respect for a pregnant woman who smokes, or a parent who smokes with their children around. I know a couple who have three grown children. One of those suffered from bad asthma, and yet they would all the time smoke in front of him in the house. I have seen many a person smoking inside their closed car with their child inside. Unfortunately, people do not want to accept the risks. They want to live in their fantasy world, choosing to believe that no one has proven the risks etc. etc. etc.

I have to admit that i did smoke through part of my first pregnancy and all through my second pregnancy thank god both my children are fine my oldest is 20yrs. and my youngest just turned 10 she did have one problem for the first year of her life which was constant ear infections. but neither one has any learning disabilities or asthma or alergies thank god. I just wish i never would have picked up a cigarette in the first place. i finally have quit hopefully for the last time it has been 3 months and I am having a heck of a time i have to constantly chew something crunchy ice chips, carrots, apples, crackers, chips, does anyone know when this feeling will go away. i am doing this cold turkey because the patch does not work. I even smoked with the patch. smoking has done nothing but ruend my life. i am 39 and already have breathing problems if you smoke quit not for your children as well as for your self before it is too late. even though my children came out ok doesn't mean that there is not a risk every one is different my children were just lucky but i do know of children who were not so lucky.

in my post above i put if you smoke quit not for your children as well as for your self before it is too late.

I ment to say if you smoke quit for your children as well as for you self before it is too late. sorry for the error
I would have fixed it but i don't know how to go back in to edit. can any one tell me how to do that

I have to admit I was a lifetime smoker (30 yrs) until a year ago when I was finally able to quit, but for each of my pregnancies (3 sons, all grown now) I had to quit it made me sick to smoke. That was how I figured out I was pregnant each time! I would get sick smoking before I even missed my period. My body flat out rejected the smoke! Maybe if I had kept trying I could have forced smoking, but I was to excited about being pregnant and even back then it was known that smoking during pregnancy was bad. I did however, smoke around my kids after they were born and now all three of my boys are smokers. I wish I had stayed quit after the first pregnancy even though my husband smoked. I really am sorry that I exposed my children to smoke while they were growing up and that they all are smokers as adults. That has a lot to do with them seeing there father and I smoke the whole time they were growing up and I know it. All of you mothers out there who smoke, try hard to quit so you don't raise smokers. Do you really want that for your kids? I usually hate the soap box and especially from reformed smokers but I'm just saying....

I smoked from 18 until 22. The day I found out I was pregnant, I quit. Didn't have another one until after he was born and I was stressed from school. I smoked for a week or so and then asked myself why in the world I was doing it. I stopped and haven't had another one.

I am against smoking while pregnant. A friend of mine did it and tried to tell me that her OB said it was ok. Yeah, right. I think you should do everything you can to stop.

I live in TN, too and that law is great. I was so excited to see it in effect.

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-Brandy

I've never been a smoker, and I'll never condone smoking. I can't imagine what it's like to try and quit, and how hard it has to be, pregnant or not, but it breaks my heart that women do smoke during pregnancy. What about the father's too though? Should they have to quite as well? In a perfect world, they both would kick the habit, and everyone else in the world.

Are you in my head? lol I completely agree here as well as the post about dogs. I wish people weren't allowed to smoke anywhere in public. In your car and in your house should be generous enough. Tennessee passed a law banning smoking inside establishments (except for membership clubs and places where under 21 not allowed) and a certain footage from entryways. And people still do it with no repercussions. If you want to kill yourself, fine. Go ahead. But don't drag me down with you! If I just loved smoking crack, I wouldn't do it outside the door of Wal-Mart dammit! And what if I liked setting things on fire? Would I be allowed to do it at McDonald's? no.

And as for fathers quitting, I think that they should. If for no other reason than to show support. My husband and I were 22 and 24 when we conceived. We went out and drank socially on occasion. I never had a thought of drinking while pregnant, or even the months leading up to because I wanted to be pregnant so bad. Once we found out I was pregnant he didn't have one drink. He felt like, why should he if I'm not.

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Im a smoker, but not during pregnancy or while brestfeeding, I hope to stop for good this time because I bf for 2+ years I go like 3+ years with out and manage to start up again. It's hard to quit but I did as soon as I got bfp. I don't say anything to people who do smoke while preggy that is thier choice even if I don't agree with it.

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