Fetal Developement

Quitting smoking is the hardest thing. Unfortunately, no amount of begging, pleading or shaming is going to help. Offer to help keep her busy during times when she will have down time, like on the weekend. Keeping your hands busy is the key!!!! Most of all, be there for her to talk to. I smoked for forever and I will say the most successful way to quit is to just set your mind to it and never touch one again. If you cheat, you fall right back into your old habits. You have to totally change everything you have ever done. Good luck to her and what a great friend you are!

Tobacco is one of the most addictive chemicals out there. The only way your friend will be able to quit, is if SHE wants to. Even then it is so hard many people can never kick the habit. She can go to the American Cancer Society website to get information and suggestions on ways to stop.

One of my best friends was able to kick the habit 4 years ago. She had tried many times. This time she had acupuncture, she used smokers gum and she asked every person around her to help her not to take a smoke.

I cut up tons of carrots, celery, cucumber, apples and jicama for her to keep in her fridge at home and at work. She also carried a Ziploc bag of these with her at all times. This seemed to help when she had an oral craving. She said she would become anxious when she could not have a “ciggie”. She drank lots of hot tea when this would happen.
She also became a huge bi—h. After about 2 weeks, her husband was about to throw her out of the house, but she began calming down.

Another friend stopped by smoking a whole cigarette and every few days, his roommate gave him a shorter cigarette (like a pacifier, shorter till there was nothing). This worked for him, he said he drank lots of coffee during this time.

Be sure to tell your friend you are proud of her each time she is able to do without. Comfort her when she fails and let her know she CAN do this. Remind her that this is her first gift to her child as a mother. There is nothing worse than picking up a baby that smells like cigarette smoke. You always want to give your child the best.

You are a good friend to want to help her.

Here's a good resource that goes though all the effects:
http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,5854,00.html

The article also suggests methods to stop. There is a link to email to a friend. Tell her that this goes beyond the usual "smoking is bad" talk - it's one of the things that directly effects the fetus while she is actually smoking and for the long term. Some doctors say it's worse than some street drugs.

One thing to say, besides it just being bad, is that when she is smoking she's denying her baby oxygen. That specific fact kind of brings it home. Several studies have shown that the stress gives many babies a fast irregular heartbeat called tachycardia.

Hope the article helps, it's short, detailed and details positive action, including medicine her doctor can prescribe to help quit.

Hi Camille,

My college roommate was a smoker when she was pregnant many years ago. She felt terribly guilty about this, but was addicted. My way of dealing with it was to love her unconditionally. I knew she felt bad enough already and had all the information she needed. I'm sure your friend knows how bad this is for her baby...and herself. Encourage her and drop the subject. If you feel you have to say something, just say,"I know you'll quit when you're ready. I have faith in you." Sometimes the more we pressure people the more stressed out they get and the habit (which relieves anxiety) continues.

You are a good friend to be concerned about her and her baby.
Good Luck and Best Wishes to your friend!

D.

I know someone who was able to quit after going to a hypnotist. From what I recall, he was asked to say 3 things that made him want to vomit... He said, the smell of vomit, the taste of vomit and somthing else. The hypnotist put him 'under' and told him the next time he tasted tobacco, he would taste vomit in his mouth... The thought of smoking would make him smell vomit... etc.

It worked for him. Maybe your friend is willing ot try it? It wasn't that expensive...

As for details other than "its dangerous for the baby":

According to the U.S. Public Health Service, if all pregnant women in this country stopped smoking, there would be an estimated:
* 11 percent reduction in stillbirths
* 5 percent reduction in newborn deaths

Cigarette smoke contains more than 2,500 chemicals. It is not known for certain which of these chemicals are harmful to the developing baby, but both nicotine and carbon monoxide play a role in causing adverse pregnancy outcomes.

How can smoking harm the newborn?
Smoking nearly doubles a woman's risk of having a low-birthweight baby. In 2004, 11.9 percent of babies born to smokers in the United States were of low birthweight (less than 5½ pounds), compared to 7.2 percent of babies of nonsmokers (1). Low birthweight can result from poor growth before birth, preterm delivery or a combination of both. Smoking has long been known to slow fetal growth. Smoking also increases the risk of preterm delivery (before 37 weeks of gestation) (5). Premature and low-birthweight babies face an increased risk of serious health problems during the newborn period, chronic lifelong disabilities (such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation and learning problems), and even death.

The more a pregnant woman smokes, the greater her risk of having a low-birthweight baby. However, if a woman stops smoking even by the end of her second trimester of pregnancy, she is no more likely to have a low-birthweight baby than a woman who never smoked (6).

A recent study suggests that women who smoke anytime during the month before pregnancy to the end of the first trimester are more likely to have a baby with birth defects, particularly congenital heart defects (7). The risk of heart defects appears to increase with the number of cigarettes a woman smokes.

Can smoking cause pregnancy complications?
Smoking is associated with a number of pregnancy complications. Smoking cigarettes doubles a woman's risk of developing placental problems (4). These include:

Placenta previa (a low-lying placenta that covers part or all of the opening of the uterus)
Placental abruption (in which the placenta peels away, partially or almost completely, from the uterine wall before delivery)
Both can result in heavy bleeding during delivery that can endanger mother and baby, although cesarean delivery can prevent most deaths.

Smoking in pregnancy increases a woman's risk of premature rupture of the membranes (PROM), when the sac that holds the baby inside the uterus breaks before completion of 37 weeks of pregnancy (4). (Usually, when it breaks, normal labor ensues within a few hours.) If the rupture occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy, it often results in the birth of a premature baby.

Does smoking during pregnancy cause other problems in babies or young children?
A 2003 study suggests that babies of mothers who smoke during pregnancy undergo withdrawal-like symptoms similar to those seen in babies of mothers who use some illicit drugs (8). For example, babies of smokers appear to be more jittery and difficult to soothe than babies of nonsmokers.

Babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are up to three times as likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) as babies of nonsmokers (5).

More details at http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1171.asp