Guidelines for a smoke-free pregnancy

Smoking during pregnancy is dangerous for both the mother-to-be and the unborn baby. The risks are proportional to cigarette consumption. During this period even more, passive smoking is also very dangerous. You are pregnant and stress about quitting smoking? Kwit has prepared a guide to a tobacco-free pregnancy for you. And if you don't want to go through this ordeal alone, why not convince your partner to go through it with you?

Pregnancy and Tobacco, a hazardous combination

Once the immeasurable happiness you felt from the news has subsided, a new thought – far less joyful — crosses your mind and quietly starts to settle: how will I manage to stop tobacco for good? The days go by, and you don’t light a single cigarette, but you begin to experience withdrawal symptoms and one question keeps coming back: is smoking this harmful for my baby? Your numerous medical appointments have convinced you that tobacco and pregnancy are not compatible.

This extremely hazardous combination is well-known and yet underestimated. Around 17.2% of women keep on smoking during the last three months of their pregnancy. Tobacco during pregnancy dramatically enhances the risks of extra-uterine pregnancy, premature childbirth or placental abruption. To put it simply, it multiplies the risks of having complications during the delivery for both the baby and the mother.

Consuming tobacco during pregnancy is also dangerous for the baby’s development. The risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is 3 times higher and in utero growth retardation is common in babies who have been exposed to harmful cigarette smoke. The effects are visible as soon as the baby is born because of difference in height and weight, or poorly developed lungs, unable to function without medical help. Researchers have shown that cigarettes’ components cause an imbalance which can alter the neuronal development of the fetus. As they grow, these children will have health issues such as asthma and respiratory disorders, hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioral disorders and will have a lower IQ compared to children at the same age.

It seems that the effects of tobacco don’t cause the same health issues with boys and girls. Young girls exposed to tobacco during fetal development suffer from early puberty with the onset of menstruation between the ages of 8 and 10, which significantly increases the risk of adult breast and uterine cancer. Young boys have more liver damage and sometimes serious liver problems.

So, convinced? Here is the guide to a smoke pregnancy!

Guidelines for a smoke-free pregnancy

• Do not turn to nicotine substitutes during your pregnancy, because like tobacco, nicotine increases the risks of severe hypoxia, anoxia and asphyxia.

• Take advantage of your medical appointments to seek advice from specialists on smoking during pregnancy. This is an opportunity to discuss your use of tobacco and has advice about tools that can help you quit during your pregnancy.

• An iron will and unexpected energy will enable you to let go off tobacco and prevent you from relapsing. Maternal instinct grows well before childbirth, and this is precisely what will give you the strength to overcome the symptoms of smoking cessation. Believe in yourself.

• By quitting smoking before your baby is born, you're setting a good example for your growing baby. He will never see his mommy with a cigarette in her hand, so it will not encourage him to touch tobacco.

• Don't hesitate to start new and relaxing activities during your smoking cessation. Consider starting prenatal yoga or mindfulness meditation. Not only will these activities relieve you of accumulated stress, but they will also take your mind off the symptoms of smoking cessation you are currently experiencing.

After the delivery, beware of relapses

You have achieved a tobacco-free pregnancy by making your child's well-being a priority. Why mess it up now? Your baby is still just an infant and should not be exposed to tobacco more often. Tobacco is harmful during pregnancy but also afterwards!

6 good reasons not to resume smoking after the birth of your child:

• If you decide to breastfeed, smoking is strongly discouraged because nicotine decreases breast milk production and goes directly into your baby’s system through your milk.

• The risk of sudden death is higher in newborns who are exposed to tobacco, so try to convince the daddy to stop. And why not use our advice to convince him?

• Passive smoking is just as deadly as actually smoking. Inhaling tobacco smoke can cause chronic otitis as well as serous hearing impairment.

• Children of smokers are twice as likely to smoke as children of non-smokers. So the ideal is not to expose your children to tobacco.

• By permanently forgetting about tobacco, you increase your life expectancy and therefore your chances of seeing your children grow old and your grandchildren grow up.

• It will improve your relationship with your partner.. You'll both gain vitality at a time when you need it to raise your baby!

Don't be one of the 82% of women who return to smoking after giving birth. Think of all the effort you put into your pregnancy, take this opportunity to move towards a smoke-free life!

If you need help, don't hesitate to download Kwit and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. We will help you overcome your cravings and will gladly share your successes. Also join the Kwitters community, and feel free to visit our tobacco-free pregnancy page!