I'm 9 weeks pregnant - advice please!!

[olderthandirt]

I can't believe this question is even being asked. 9 months of uncomfortable angst vs. A possible life time consequence for your child. If you have to ask you're not ready to be a mother.
I know I sound rude, but how on earth could you risk it, especially with feedback on a online forum...no personal offense to forum members

Hmm, that was rude..

Hey sineadm, even though I'm a guy (old guy at that) I can say I've been there. With that, simply be strong with your decisions and trust that those decisions will be well guided by one of the stronger forces we humans have got going for us, those of a mother.

Strength to you, relax and enjoy what's yours!

EDIT: Nailed It Snarky!!

 

[TWISTED VICTOR]

A serious pickle with a lot of good advice, so not much I can add, but, although I can't speak for anyone but myself I would like to reply. The only complications I've heard the doctors warn about is low birth weight. I really doubt they've linked it to nicotine, just smoking in general. Obviously, the best thing to do is quit, but realistically that's not something everyone can do. For instance, all the males on my dad's side of the family have suffered from heart problems and died in their early 50's. My dad was no different. Even though I was with him at the time of his fatal collapse, I still finished off his last pack of smokes. Now, at almost 46 years old I'm very aware of the odds against me and in recent years given much thought to whether or not I'd quit if I suffered a heart attack and survived. I'd like to sound wise and say yes, but I'm sure, in reality, I wouldn't. Just like Dad didn't when he had his quadruple by-pass. I'm an addict, we all are, and that's the nature of the beast. I'm strong-willed enough to break or change a habit, but more than just willpower comes into play when an addiction has a stranglehold on us. So, no condemnation here. Quit if you can, vape if you must, exercise, eat nutritiously and do all within your power to have a healthy baby. Congratulations.

 

[Mordred]

Interesting question.

Option 1: You quit. This is, of course, a wise choice on a long-term basis. However, there is some serious stress involved here and you may well be putting yourself and the unborn child at risk by quitting. Especially if you then find out that you can´t quit and pick the habit up again.

Option 2: You continue to smoke. This will impact negatively on your pregnancy. That said, many smokers have had children with no problems whatsoever.

Option 3: You vape instead of smoking. While this does reduce YOUR risks of lung cancer and gets rid of the carbon monoxide, it still leaves you with the problem of nicotine. Now, nicotine isn´t very harmful, at least no more than say lots of caffeine, but it´s still not ideal.

So, it all depends on your ability to quit nicotine. If you feel that you can do it without freaking out, then that´s the way to go. What better motivation could you ever find?

If, on the other hand, you are emotionally or psychologically fragile and forsee serious complications from quitting, then it may well be wiser to switch over to vaping.

Imho, quitting altogether remains the best choice, on the whole.

 

[sherid]

I can't believe this question is even being asked. 9 months of uncomfortable angst vs. A possible life time consequence for your child. If you have to ask you're not ready to be a mother.
I know I sound rude, but how on earth could you risk it, especially with feedback on a online forum...no personal offense to forum members

It not only sounds rude; it sounds nauseatingly judgemental.

 

[TWISTED VICTOR]

I can't believe this question is even being asked. 9 months of uncomfortable angst vs. A possible life time consequence for your child. If you have to ask you're not ready to be a mother.
I know I sound rude, but how on earth could you risk it, especially with feedback on a online forum...no personal offense to forum members

And this doesn't speaker for me. I live in the real world. I love kids ( I have 5 sons and 2 daughters) and delivered my 2 youngest at home, but I've also lived the nightmare of several addictions and know its nature in form and function. kyivish hasn't faced the demon for what it really is.

 

[thewomenfolk]

If you really love your baby, you'd put yourself in a perfect world where he'd be safe from all the food you eat, the drinks you drink, the cars you drive, the sinners you hang out with, and the terrorists overseas.

Twisted Victor said, ....more than just willpower comes into play when an addiction has a stranglehold on us. So, no condemnation here. Those are my sentiments too.

If you were my daughter I'd be tickled pick to see you vaping instead of smoking, pregnant or not. I'd encourage you to give up the nicotine just as I'd encourage the teenage boy down the street or anyone else.

Please let us all know the name, the weight, the length, you know...all the important details!

 

[Fataliya]

I'll offer a different perspective, though YMMV.

I have 5 children, and with ALL of them, I was advised (By Dr. with 1st child, Military Dr. with 2nd child, and midwife with last 3 children) to NOT quit cold turkey, because my withdrawal symptoms could be harmful to the fetus. I smoked 1.5-2 packs a day.

I was told, instead, to slowly decrease my smoking, even if it was only by 1 cigarette a day. With my last child, my midwife finally told me I could use the patch, so I used that to "quit".

Whatever you do, make sure you check with your OB/GYN to make sure that they know what you are planning (whether quitting, cutting down, or vaping), and they can advise you.

Whatever you choose, I hope it goes well for you, and congratulations on your baby!

 

[lkim65]

Wow, most of the posts on this thread sound just like the 'self-righteous' ones that you turn around and complain about. Sure, it would be best if you quit smoking because it is bad for you. However, if you can't, then you can't. The one thing that doctors seem to attribute to smoking and pregnancy is the possibility of a lower birth rate but that is about it. My parents and their Baby Boomer generation were/are a bunch of smokers; it was so commonplace, yet their children weren't born with two heads or three ears or a myriad of diseases. My mother was a smoker and had 7 healthy children. My sister is a smoker and her children are all healthy. If I were pregnant and still smoked, I would continue to do so, since I know I couldn't just quit. And if if I were to become pregnant now, I would continue to vape. Frankly, I would ask your doctor. Tell doc you can't quit smoking and it's either smoking or vaping. See what he/she thinks is the better alternative.

 

[Kent C]

OP's been run off a month ago - 2 posts. Moderators should just close this embarrassing thread.

 

[Vapen8]

Some people have said thier Dr. told them the stress from quitting smoking cold turkey was bad. I don't really know much about it, but I wouldn't reccomend niccotine in any form because it causes physical changes in your blood pressure, heart rate and more.
You should do more research on quitting smoking and premature births associated with quitting, and low birth weight, SIDs associated with smoking.
What is your Dr saying? get a few opinions.
good luck. Im sure you and your baby will be fine...congrats!

 

[Lightgeoduck]

OP's been run off a month ago - 2 posts. Moderators should just close this embarrassing thread.

I have to agree... I would hate to see this post be recycled over and over again
opinions this opinions that.... enough opinions on this topic

Duck OUT

 

[Snarkyone]

It is rather idiotic at this point I agree.

 

[Scooter Bob]

I also agree here. If and when you can not fight the urge to SMOKE!, vape as low as you can stand. Smoking is so far worse on the pregnancy, it'd be foolish to give up vaping if the time comes where you must have the experience of smoking. Even with average nic levels. vaping has to be the best option if you have to get a fix from something. jm2c

Ok, i really have to chime in here. So far all i have seen in this thread is "no smoke, no vape, no nic, nothing." Why is it that everyone is so quick to forget that we are dealing with a human being here, with real weaknesses that need to be acknowledged? A woman doesn't cease to have the same vulnerabilities as everyone else just because she's pregnant!

The truth here is, even in the most extreme of circumstances, a person may not be able to quit everything. This is a reality we need to deal with for what it is.

That said, sinead, my best advice to you is reduce the potential harm to your child as much as possible. Reduce the harm of everything, gradually so as not to relapse, i.e. switch from smoking to vaping, then lower nicotine levels bit by bit, etc. If you quit everything too fast the shock to your system may do more harm than good, and you'll be more likely to rebound back to square one! Just take it easy, and don't put too much pressure on yourself (extra pressure and anxiety is no good for the child either, and it may drive you to smoke more!).

I've heard doctors say that if you absolutely cannot quit completely, at least reduce your intake to a few cigs a day rather than a pack; it will lessen the risk. That same logic applies to vaping as well. If you find yourself unable to quit, cut back as much as possible under the guidance of your doc. I think you'd be surprised at how successful you'll really be

And of course, congratulations

 

[Scooter Bob]

If plan A fails then I will look into purchasing the e-cigarette with no nicotine. My gut feeling is that it has to be better than analogue smoking.

There lies the meat of the situation!. Even without the pregnancy, I'd suggest getting a kit wit at least 2 batteries, and a sampler pack of nic carts, from Zero to 24MG. Keep it on the shelf, just in case, and then you really should have a master plan after the birth of vaping instead of smoking, as long as you might still feel the need for the nic in your body. I never had kids, my mom had all 5 of us while smoking, and there was surely some low weights and maybe some alergys we wouldn't have had down the line.

Here's my vaping history. I'd quit smoking going on 3 weeks, felt strong, and a good friend locally was a distributor of e-cigs so I bought in "just in case." There has been episodes where I snuck a real cigarette in certain situations, where I would have normally bought a whole pack on the way home...not these times! I use zero nic today, but I do have other levels in hand just in case.

My point is, it's not demeaning to yourself to be have the 3-cig on hand, and you really should totally quit analogs after the baby is born. My mom quit instantly after reading a reader's Digest back in the 60s about the harms of cigarettes. She had a strong will.

I'd buy into the e-cig and be ready. Bob

Hi again

I have read all the comments and really appreciate all your help and honesty.

Here is what I think I am going to do:

The first ultrasound is in 3 weeks time. I will quit cold turkey again now with the positive outlook on achieving a successful ultrasound. Rather than thinking of quitting for the whole 7 months, I'm going to focus on getting through just these 3 weeks and then realign my goal to making it until the first scan and so on. Just take it each small stage at a time. I hope you understand my plan here!!

If plan A fails then I will look into purchasing the e-cigarette with no nicotine. My gut feeling is that it has to be better than analogue smoking.

Thanks again
Sineadm

 

[cassavetes]

Yeah, what Kent said.