Pregnant

[Emma1782]

Hi all
I am 20 weeks pregnant and today I have brought a vapour pen.
Before pregnancy I was smoking 20 a day. Up until today I have been smoking 10
but felt terribly guilty so decided to buy a vapour pen.
I'm hoping it's a lot less harmful than cigarettes
and is ok in pregnancy?

 

[retired1]

That would be up to you and your doctor. Yes, they're a lot safer than cigarettes, but I'm pretty sure there aren't any studies that show e-cigarettes are completely safe for pregnant women.

Ask your doc.

 

[Emma1782]

Unfortunately, like my midwife said no there aren't any studies to show, but surely ecigs have to be better than all the chemicals in cigarettes.
X

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Unfortunately, like my midwife said no there aren't any studies to show, but surely ecigs have to be better than all the chemicals in cigarettes.
X

Welcome to ecf. I totally agree ecigs are much better than cigs, but please talk to your doctor. The other side of this coin, is that some say the stress on the body during pregnancy coupled with the stress of quitting smoking isn't good. I suppose, if it were me, I would opt for ecigs. But I would def talk to a med professional.
good luck and let us know how it goes...

 

[Emma1782]

Yes when I mentioned it to my midwife she didn't know because of the lack of studies and testing on pregnant women.
All she offered was a smoking cessation clinic, but I have tried the NRT's such as patches, gum etc in the past and they didn't work.
It seems medical professionals aren't going to say they are safe as nobody really knows
But comparing the nasties in cigarettes to those of ecigs surely it's got to be a better option
X

 

[Chas F.]

I agree. vaping is a whole lot less harmful than smoking for your unborn child. Ultimately the choice will be yours but here's a link to the latest study: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...onic-cigarettes-pose-minimal-health-risk.html

 

[crxess]

Welcome to ECF and congratulations

No, there is nothing you can put into your body that cannot be passed to the baby. If it reaches the blood stream it can be exchanged.
So, just like Coffee, Candy or anything else - Do so in Moderation if at all. Walk as much as possible to keep in good health and pump plenty of oxygen to your little one.(helps with Nic fits to)

Best wishes for a beautiful Healthy Baby!

 

[Tvan]

Welcome! I strongly suggest seeking the advice of your Dr.

 

[jSquared]

This is a really tricky one, and I sympathize with you Emma. Mrs jSquared has always said that she'd stop smoking if she got pregnant, and, after reading a similar thread on UKV the other day, I asked her what she'd do now that she's a vaper. Same answer. She's a nurse, but her answer wasn't based on the notion that vaping may be bad for or harmful to pregnant women - it's just her stubborn streak! Personally, I wouldn't have a major problem with her vaping in moderation if she was pregnant. Smoking on the other hand...

JJ

 

[Emma1782]

Hi everyone thanks for your comments
The way I see it is that my midwife has offered me smoking cessation which uses nicotine in the products such as patches, gum etc, and what I'm vaping is nicotine so what's the difference?
I felt really guilty when smoking cigarettes which in turn stressed me out as I knew the possible consequences this had for baby. Not sure how I'm feeling while I'm vaping, not as much guilt but still putting something into my body I perhaps shouldn't. It's the not knowing x

 

[Hoofhearted62]

congrats on the pregnancy, and good lick with the vaping

 

[baseballmom]

good for you for /cutting down/quitting cigarettes! i'd check with your dr/midwife, but there are 0 mg juices out there too if you don't want any nicotine either

 

[MizzHalloweenQueen]

While nicotine itself is a risk to the unborn, I would do whatever you think is right. When I was pregnant my doc even told me not to quit smoking cigs because of the stress so I only cut down. Is that right? Probably not depending on who you are. You just need to do what you are comfortable with.

 

[Micchi]

Congrats on the baby! I was in this situation not too long ago. (I delivered a very happy, very healthy baby boy in May. )

The best advice I can give you is to trust your instincts, and listen to your body. I would get horribly nauseous if I even took a few puffs off a cig, but would nicfit like nothing else. I was an absolute terror the first few weeks I didn't have a cig. The PV route at least made the stress manageable.

My recommendation is to stick with pre-filled cartos during the pregnancy, or use strictly 0mg juice. Because nicotine absorbs through the skin so easily, the potential of you getting a mild OD (and thus, potential harm to the baby) poses a much bigger risk for you than it would a normal person. Using pre-filled or 0mg nic will reduce that risk substantially. I would also get several strengths of nic, as well - 0mg, 6mg, 12mg, maaaaaybe 18mg. Stick with the 0mg as much as you can, but have a puff of the higher strengths when you're really craving.

Good luck, and welcome to ECF!

 

[Emma1782]

Yes I can understand why a doc would say that cutting down is better than quitting. I'm getting myself stressed about stinky cigarettes and it's not good, I need to get myself away from them or I'm going to spend the rest of my pregnancy worried what I'm doing to my baby x

 

[Emma1782]

Hi thanks for your advice, I've found in this pregnancy I want to smoke more, perhaps it's me rebelling subconsciously as I know I shouldn't. I've got an 18mg and a 12mg but I might not touch the 18 and get a lower mg.
I just really really hope I can stick to it and be off the cancer sticks forever x

 

[MizzHalloweenQueen]

Yes I can understand why a doc would say that cutting down is better than quitting. I'm getting myself stressed about stinky cigarettes and it's not good, I need to get myself away from them or I'm going to spend the rest of my pregnancy worried what I'm doing to my baby x

Try your hardest not to stress, from what I have heard/read stress is worse on the body than smoking. Have a tiny puff if you need it I like to think that it wasn't that long ago that pack a day smoking and drinking was okay during pregnancy and our parents are just fine. Not saying its okay to do so but you get what I mean.

 

[dianeofarcadia]

good for you for /cutting down/quitting cigarettes! i'd check with your dr/midwife, but there are 0 mg juices out there too if you don't want any nicotine either

as a mom of six (five are biological), I smoked through most of my pregnacies...
You might could explore this option. While said to check with your midwife/doctor. You could have a small reserve of nic with low levels (6mg) for those stressful moments and have the zero (with flavors!) for the day to day.

I know as speaking with my doctor yesterday, anything is better than smoking all those chemicals in his words. Good luck and congratulations - enjoy the upcoming days ahead. Best wishes.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

My and am NOT giving medical advice as I am NOT a Healthcare Professional.
Nicotine can cause issues while pregnant.
First and foremost confide in your Dr...I always stress this to all vapers.
Have you considered 0 Nic vaping?
"If" you can't go without realize nicotine via vaping is a far less efficient system of nicotine delivery than smoking because the vape particles are too large to enter the bloodstream via the lungs- most absorption takes place in the mouth and nasal area.
My "personal" advice would be to not vape at all BUT if that's not possible you could try 0 nic or low nic juice. Above all I would not want to see you smoking while pregnant considering all the additives in tobacco.
Best of Luck and congrats.

 

[jSquared]

Apart from the fact that the OP has already done so, what exactly does everyone think she will achieve by talking with her doc/midwife? In the UK, an awful lot of GPs are very uninformed about or completely oblivious to vaping and e-cigs in general. More often than not, so-called healthcare professionals will actually try to discourage people from vaping through sheer ignorance. Even if they do know a little about e-cigs, many GPs will send patients on a smoking cessation course regardless of their own personal opinions - as Emma found out. Why? Because they're financially incentivised to do so!

Emma raises a very valid point: is NRT harmful to unborn babies and, if not, is vaping any better or worse? The simple answer is: we just don't know. There have only been a handful of studies on the effects of nicotine (from smokeless tobacco) on pregnant women and child development and, as far as I know, they all proved inconclusive.

Vaping is fundamentally different to other forms of NRT because of the way the nicotine is delivered. We have absolutely no idea exactly what the long term effects of inhaling vaporized nicotine, PG, VG and (crucially) flavouring are to ourselves let alone babies in the womb.

It is becoming more and more obvious that vaping is much much "safer" than traditional smoking. Is it as "safe" as NRT? Who knows. Is it "safer" than complete abstinence? Absolutely not.

At the end of the day. It's a personal choice. Emma is the only one who can decide whether or not she's comfortable with it. Having said that, I sincerely hope that other parents and mothers to be (I know you're out there!) will chime in with their thoughts/opinions.

EDIT: Micchi and dianeofarcadia just have!

JJ