I’M CRAVING A SMOKE

Q: I’m 27 weeks pregnant and I smoked in the beginning of the pregnancy but it was making me sick. I have stopped, but now I’m craving cigarettes. Can I smoke while I’m pregnant? Will it harm my baby? A: Tina answers: There’s no soft answer to your question. When you smoke so does your unborn baby. Smoking is toxic and it means you will pass toxins onto your baby. Nicotine easily crosses the placental barrier and impairs the absorption of calcium, vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals required by a developing foetus. There is also evidence to suggest that the transport of amino acids across the placenta may be impeded. As a result the foetus will not develop or grow as well as it should and this can lead to a low-weight baby. A lowweight baby is more likely to be placed in intensive care. Not only this, once the mother has given birth, she will cut off the supply of nicotine to her child and shortly the baby will begin to suffer the effects of nicotine withdrawal and cry more than usual. Some researchers suggest that smoking may lead to the mother eating less and that her smaller weight gain may also account for the lower birth weight of the baby. Although the baby quickly gains back the lost weight, by age seven a child of a mother who smoked during her pregnancy is still more likely than other children to be shorter in height, slower at reading and lower in social adjustment than children of nonsmoking mothers. Tips to quit smoking: Ask for help from your doctor, midwife and from family and friends. Make a list of all the good reasons for wanting to stop. Put it in a place where you can look at it often. Set a date to stop – the sooner the better. If you are struggling, start cutting down in the meantime. Surround yourself with non-smoking materials and read up as much as you can about the detrimental effects of smoking. Learn about your own smoking habits and how to cope with the urges that will occur after you stop. Surround yourself with positive people who will reinforce the reasons for wanting to quit smoking. Contact a Stop Smoking organisation and invest the time and money by going along and getting support from people who are in the same boat as you are. Remind yourself that there is no better time to stop smoking than before or during pregnancy and that this is an act of unselfishness and love for your unborn child.