people who smoke while pregnant (kinda ranty)

[smileyeagle1021]

OK, Kinda political, kinda social problem, kinda keeping back beating sense into people, but what is with the idiots who smoke while pregnant... It's something that I'm seeing more and more often now, do these people not understand what harm they could be doing. I was reminded of this topic over on CS, specifically with

b) the info is piecemeal, how many people here have heard teens say 'oh, smoking just reduces birthweight, so it'll be an easier labour!'
.

oh, those people piss me off to know end. I had a friend growing up who's mother did that too him (his birth mother, not the kindly lady who adopted and raised him). Am I wrong to think that these people are the greatest scum on the earth, only slightly better than rapists and murderers... but in those cases at least their victim has a chance to fight back and defend themselves... these women who are too lazy to quit smoking while pregnant are doing harm to a defenseless life at best for no other reason than because it is hard not to, at worst because they are like the person scruff was talking about.

sorry, had to vent about that after reading that on CS.

[anriana]

Have you ever been addicted to something? Not quitting is a bit more than "being lazy."

Should smoking during pregnancy be illegal?

It greatly annoys you that people are ignorant about the effects of smoking and pregnancy in general. Is it better to attack the people for not being educated or the system for miserably failing to educate them?

[AFPheonix]

It's not like it's a secret or anything. Hell, it's printed on the packs in large letters. Besides, if these people were to mention to their gynos that they were still puffing away you can bet they'd be getting an earful.
This is an example of willful ignorance, not of society's failure to educate.

[Lace Neil Singer]

As far as the piecemeal crap goes; read:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...hildbirth.html

[Boozy]

Am I wrong to think that these people are the greatest scum on the earth, only slightly better than rapists and murderers...

That's a bit over the top, I think.

Women who smoke to keep the baby's birth weight down don't understand all the problems that go along with low birth weight, like heart problems, aneurysms, and respiratory disorders. Babies don't outgrow these problems; they follow them throughout their lifetime.

If these women truly understood that, I think we'd see less women smoking while pregnant. Unfortunately, we hear lots about smoking causing low birth weight, and very little about the effects of that low birth weight. I can understand some dimwit saying to themselves, "The baby will be born small, but it will grow. That's what babies do. So no big deal."

Health care providers should set these women straight; but 1 in 5 women in the US do not receive adequate prenatal care. Many women on the lower end of the economic scale (who incidentally, are more likely to smoke) either receive no medical attention during pregnancy or are rushed through quick exams at free clinics.

This is more stupidity and ignorance than malice; so no, I will not compare women who smoke while pregnant to a rapist or murderer.

[iradney]

My Mom smoked while pregnant with me. So I have to say I take great offense at smileyeagle's comment about them being slightly better than rapists etc. My Mom and Dad did without so that my Sis and I could get a good quality of life. My Sis was born braindamaged (not due to smoking, it was a genetic thing http://www.rettsyndrome.org.uk/ and http://www.rettsyndrome.org/).

She took care of my sister for 9 years before Sis had to go to a special home. And that was only because my mom has arthritis in her one shoulder, and could therefore not pick my Sis up without the fear of dropping her. My Dad worked long hours and I was 2 years younger than Sis, so I couldn't pick her up. Does that sound like someone who is slightly better than a rapist to you?

</rant>

As mentioned before, the withdrawal symptoms that your body goes through when you quit smoking while prgenant, can cause complications with the baby. That's obviously for unplanned pregnancies. If you are trying to conceive, then yes, it makes sense to quit smoking before the egg and sperm have a romantic date.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I'm against it, but only cuz the baby is basically being forced to take in nicotine without giving its consent; same as people who go on the booze or take illegal drugs while up the duff.

[BlaqueKatt]

I threw out a full pack the day I found out I was pregnant-(I found out when I was 3 days pregnant)-the DR saw the pack in my pocket and all he had to tel me was "every cigarette you smoke puts your baby in stress for 30 minutes while the nicotine clears your system. The stress is caused by the constriction of the umbilical cord which is what causes the low birthweight-the baby is starved of nutrients." If all doctors told women this-then maybe you could defiantly say smoking pregnant women have issues. My mother was told to smoke b her doctor as she had gestational diabetes and it was "the only way to keep me under 10 pounds"-this was in the 70's.

[Lyra]

I threw out a full pack the day I found out I was pregnant

I admire anyone who quits like that, since I'm not like that. I've tried many times to quit. Sometimes I was trying harder, while other times I wasn't, and as of now, I've been smoking for 28 years. Kudo's to ANYONE who can just walk away, throw them out, or "just stop." I'm completely jealous.

That being said, I smoked while pregnant with my son. When I found out I was pregnant with him, we had been married for 12 years. After the first six years, we pretty much came to the conclusion that we couldn't have children, and moved on. The next six years only confirmed this, and then, "bam", I'm preggers.

I really tried for the first month to just drop the habbit. For many reasons, this did NOT work for me. I was seriously stressing about it, and spoke with my Dr, and was in tears. He said cold turkey was proably a bad idea in my case, at that time, so cut back. A Lot. Which I did. A Lot.

Yes, he had a low birthweight (6lb 5oz, full term), but that is NOT the only reason for low birthweight.

Low weight babies run in my family. My mother was 6lb 7oz. My dad: 6lb 10oz. Neither of my grandmothers smoked. I was 6lb 4oz, and my mother DID NOT smoke when she was pregnant with me (hadn't even started it then), but DID smoke with my brother, and he was a flippin moose, comparitively speaking, at 9lbs even. My sister-in-law has two kids with my brother, 6lb 2oz, and 6lbs 4oz. She didn't smoke AT ALL.

Everytime some nurse in the hospital would comment that the reason for his low birthweight was my smoking, I resisted the urge to slap her. That, along with all the breast feeding propeganda just about gave me an anneyrism. As if I wasn't already feeling inadequate, what with being overweight myself, having just undergone a C-section, being a brand new (completely clueless) parent, and having had about 2 hours sleep in 2 days.

Now, I realize that my little family is just a memory of a drop in the bucket compared to all the statistics, but there are exceptions to every rule. I'm sure my smoking contributed to his small birth size, but it wasn't the ONLY reason. I definitely did not continue to smoke to "keep the birthweight low", and I've never been a rapist/murderer. Although, my hospital stay after birth made me come very close to the murder part.

While women that CHOOSE to smoke while pregnant to keep birthweight low are definitely idiots, I also agree that lumping them in with people that rape/murder others is just a teeny bit over the top.

Just my experience/two cents.

[Teysa]

My mom smoked when she was pregnant with me. Mind you, I'm not sure how much was known at the time about the risks of smoking during pregnancy. I was about 6 weeks premature and weighed in at 4lbs 11oz. Other than that though, I've had no major health problems.

[blas87]

I've never been pregnant and never plan to be, but having several friends my age who have at least 1 kid each, most of them did smoke while pregnant. Thankfully, most of their kids are normal and healthy.