I don’t know if any women have had this issue - but as a smoker (5-10 cigarettes/day) I have unexpectedly become pregnant, and while it is still early on, I need to quit smoking! I don’t know how, they say not to use the patch or anything with nicotine in it.
Does anyone have any suggestions? It is harder than I thought it would be!
I’d say support is the issue.
For example, is the father a smoker & do you have daily contacy with him? If th answer is in the affirmative to both questions, I strongly recommend he quit smoking as well. It has a “share the pain” type efffect and you can offer one another support and encouragement.
I gave them up while my 2 were in utero. If figured what’s good for the gander is good for the goose.
The method that worked for me was the “mayonaise jar” approach. Fill an empty mayonaise jar halfway with the cigarette butts and ashes. Fill with water and close the lid. Everytime the urge to smoke starts gnawing @ you, get your mayonaise jar, unscrew the lid, take a wiff and the odds you’ll still be craving a smoke will drop dramatically. I don’t recommended this method if you have a weak stomach, or are in the morning sickness stage.
Good for you jellen, and congrats on the little one!
I never quite quit with my first pregnancy–I smoked two a day and then started right back into a pack a day once he was born. But with the second one I did quit full on. He’s six months old now and I’m still a “non-smoker” and loving it.
I didn’t use any of the gimmicks or aides, just quit cold turkey. What seemed to help the most for me was telling myself, “You are not going to BUY any more ciggarettes.” I avoided convienence stores and newstands where the temptation (and ciggy-buying habit) was strongest for the first few weeks, but after that I didn’t really have much of a problem. It was almost like I tricked myself into thinking that I wasn’t so much quitting smoking as just being thrifty. And the 30+ dollars I was saving a week added up to a nice maternity leave nest egg so that I didn’t have to struggle so much with no income.
If you end up with morning sickness at all that might actually help, because the smoky smell can really aggravate your stomach. Whatever you decide to try, just be persistent and think of that little guy inside you depending on you to make the right choice. Best of luck!
Just quit. Don’t play around with your baby’s development.
I know it’s hard. It was the hardest thing I ever did. But I just bit the bullet and didn’t smoke, no matter what. It was 11 years on Thanksgiving day. I wasn’t pregnant but I was miserable just the same. But it passes.
You might try sucking on a peppermint any time you want to smoke?
I went through the same thing.
I told my husband that I would be bitchy for a while and just quit. I chewed gum and carried pencils around between my fingers. I quit for about 5 years and two babies before I started again.
Congradulations and Good Luck !
I never quit. It wasn’t as big an issue 27 years ago. I had a small baby.
I’ve never been a smoker, but I seem to recall this hint: When you get the urge to smoke, purse your lips as if to whistle, then inhale deeply. That’s supposed to help the urge pass.
Just as a semi-related aside, my daughter was telling me about her supervisor at the carwash - the woman is pregnant and was going on and on about how terrible it is to have caffeine while pregnant, as she puffed on her cigarettes. :eek: I drank a large diet Coke just about every day of my pregnancy, and it doesn’t seem to have caused my daughter any problems. Of course, she’s an annoying teenager now, so who’s to say… 
I smoked when I got pregnant with Aaron. I quit cold turkey because the morning sickness made the smell and taste unbearable. I stayed smoke-free until he was about a month or so old. Now, I smoke, but outside and away from him.
I need to quit again.
Robin
My Mom quit for nine months with all five of her pregnancies. The first thing she did after she left the hospital was buy a pack of cigarettes. I don’t know how she did it, or why she couldn’t stay quit, but that’s what she did.
I say a few shots of whiskey will set you on the right track. Just kidding. No whiskey.
I’m not quitting smoking, but I am trying to slow down on it (I smoked two packs one day and just said, “Damn! That’s WAY too much.”). What am I doing to slow down?
Eating sunflower seeds. Cracking the shells in my teeth, prying out the meat with my fingers, and eating it has helped with my need for oral/hand occupation. I don’t feel as much addicted to the nicotine as I am to the act of smoking. I’m having a hell of a tim cutting down while driving, tho.
I had to quit recently because of pregnancy, hasn’t been easy, but a nurse I know swears by tootsie roll pops. Everytime you get a craving to smoke, get a sucker. She says it works really well. I only used it for the first few weeks or so. I try to think of the baby when I get the urge to smoke. Other important things are to stay away from people who do smoke and rewarding yourself for not.
Other people claim sunflower seeds (in the shell) are good. I hope this helps.