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Quitting smoking during pregnancy

The benefits of giving up smoking when a woman is pregnant are not in doubt. The damage from smoking is cumulative, as detailed above. When she stops smoking, the damage is halved. Obviously, the earlier the woman stops, the bigger the benefit to her baby.

 

Moreover, since smoking has all sorts of health problems for the woman herself; pregnancy is a good time to quit smoking permanently. Certainly, the incentive is bigger. In the UK, about 30% of smoking mothers manage to stop smoking during pregnancy. Over half of these stay off cigarettes permanently. The same rates have been reported in France and Australia.

 

 

Other problems for the child related to parental smoking

If you are a smoker, your child is at increased risk of suffering from asthma and "glue ear", a leading cause of deafness in children. Moreover, if you are planning to breast­feed, you may find it quite problematic because smoking interferes with milk production.

 

Adverse effect on the baby from quitting smoking

There are absolutely no problems to the baby as a result of the mother quitting smoking. It may be quite difficult to achieve and sustain on her part but, once achieved, all she has done to herself and her baby is good.

 

The use of Nicotine Replacement Products in Pregnancy

Nicorette and other similar products which come in the form of tablets, gum, inhalational spray and skin patches  are  now licensed for use during pregnancy. However, this endorsement comes with a large dose of caution. These products contain nicotine, albeit less than that in cigarettes. This means, a prior risk-benefit assessment needs  to be made before they are prescribed or used. Ideally a smoking quitting strategy in pregnancy should not employ these products.

 

The case for Zyban and Chantix in Pregnancy

The use of  Varenicline (Chantix)  and Zyban (Bupropion) is similarly not advised during pregnancy or even during breast-feeding.

 

Many cities and towns across the world have banned smoking in public places. These include such large metropolis as New York, London, Amsterdam and even Beijing. Moreover, anti-smoking campaigns, like the one above, can be seen in many places. The imperative for a pregnant woman is stronger in view of her caring responsibility for the vulnerable unborn child