To the ex-smokers

anabell31
anabell31 Posts: 268
in Chit-Chat
I saw on several different threads that a lot of people on here successfully quit smoking or are in the process of quitting, so maybe you can help!

My friend just found out that she's (very unexpectedly) pregnant and desperately wants to quit as soon as possible, but she read somewhere that quitting cold turkey puts more stress on the baby (not sure how true that is). I don't smoke so I can't be of any help to her.

Do you guys know of any tips to make quitting a little easier that I can share with her? I mean, obviously it won't be easy. But I'm really proud of her for being responsible and making this decision and would like to help out any way I can.

Replies

  • chatnel
    chatnel Posts: 688 Member
    I did the Paul Mckenna hypno book and cd and it worked for me. At the end of the day the mind is much stronger than cravings you just have to really want to quit.
  • snoopytwins
    snoopytwins Posts: 1,759 Member
    Is she a heavy smoker? For me, I quit cold turkey when pregnant but I wasn't a heavy smoker. She should talk to her doctor and he or she should have some good suggestions! Congrats to your friend!
  • chatnel
    chatnel Posts: 688 Member
    oh also I found it hard during work as missed my smoke breaks so instead I would go for a walk around the building
  • anabell31
    anabell31 Posts: 268
    I did the Paul Mckenna hypno book and cd and it worked for me. At the end of the day the mind is much stronger than cravings you just have to really want to quit.

    Hmm, is it very expensive? She's not in the best financial situation right now but I'd totally buy it for her if it would help.
  • StrawberrySt
    StrawberrySt Posts: 235
    I agree with Chatnel - if she's really ready she will quit, and being pregnant I think she has a pretty big reason to be motivated!

    The Alan Carr book 'Easy Way to Quit Smoking' is a good one too. She can read it while she's smoking and cut back and commit to having her last cigarette when she's finished reading the book. It's a mind power thing and if she's in the right headspace it could really help.

    Otherwise she may need to be careful of nicotine replacement (patches, gum) as you can get addicted to these and it may not be great for the baby.

    She really needs to discuss it with her Dr and come up with a game plan.

    You are a great friend for wanting to help!
  • anabell31
    anabell31 Posts: 268
    Is she a heavy smoker? For me, I quit cold turkey when pregnant but I wasn't a heavy smoker. She should talk to her doctor and he or she should have some good suggestions! Congrats to your friend!

    I dunno how much she smokes, actually. She had quit for several years but started up again due to a TON of stress. And I will pass your congrats on to her! Thank you!
  • hhayes06
    hhayes06 Posts: 189 Member
    If she asks for advice I would tell her to start by cutting back on the number of cigs she has daily and to ask her doctor for advice. There are medications that are safe for pregnancy that can help her to quit if she needs it. Congratulations and good luck to her.
  • zacksnana
    zacksnana Posts: 3,230 Member
    My daughter quit cold turkey with no problems when she found out she was pregnant because she did not want to harm her baby. My daughter in law did not. Her child has been hospitalized with respiratory problems and been on inhalers and meds for the past 4 years. It comes down to what is most important. And i am a former smoker so i KNOW how hard it is.
  • curtnrod
    curtnrod Posts: 223 Member
    Stress is self inflicted...
  • nostalgicfortune
    nostalgicfortune Posts: 54
    Gum and working out...

    Everytime i got a craving i would mimick wherever i would go to have a smoke... and chew a piece of gum instead

    when it was really bad i would just go for a walk/jog

    Surround yourself with people who don't smoke because most cravings are initiated by seeing/smelling smoke

    cravings only chemically last for 2 weeks... then it's just learning to replace the motions in everyday life

    *I've also had several friends who had luck with acupuncture *
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    my mother smoked while pregnant with me-I was born under 5 lbs and became a smoker myself-SHE JUST NEEDS TO QUIT!

    My mother died from lung cancer-I quit cold turkey on Jan 7th 2012.
  • chlorisaann
    chlorisaann Posts: 366 Member
    The new electronic cigs could help too as you can get the inserts with different amounts of nicotine including one with no nicotine, but tastes like a cig... and they have none of the formaldehyde and tar....


    also... Not the best for the waist line or teeth, but Dum Dum's helped me quit in 2002! It gives you the oral and manual manipulation that is missing!
  • BlueMacaroniArt
    BlueMacaroniArt Posts: 122 Member
    It's strange but the Quit Now Android App helped me. It tracks how many days and dollars you have saved to the minute along with the health changes. I didn't cheat because I didn't want to 'reset' my stats and now its been 73 days. :) Good luck to your friend! i have heard that about the cold turkey and the baby, I guess it may depend too on how attached she is to them. I've know lot of women that immediately quit for that reason but there were a few that struggled with it.
  • MaryB2
    MaryB2 Posts: 331 Member
    Is there something she really wants but can't afford? I smoked A LOT and quit cold turkey. My reasoning was that I was saving that money for a motorcycle. That made it easier for me to do since I had been a bike for several years. After about a month it was only hard when I'd go out drinking.
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
    she read somewhere that quitting cold turkey puts more stress on the baby (not sure how true that is).

    Pretty sure that's just an excuse smokers use to not quit.

    I quit cold turkey when I was 4 months pregnant with my son. He was born perfectly healthy and remains so.
  • jfrog123
    jfrog123 Posts: 432 Member
    I quit cold turkey when I found out I was pregnant with my son. A few weeks later in a moment of weakness I picked one up and took a puff. It made me soo sick I didn't have the urge again for the rest of the pregnancy. I started up again later and smoked for years. I quit last July cold turkey. If she is motivated she can do it. I wish her great success.
  • babyshme
    babyshme Posts: 310 Member
    Ahhh but if you look at the new studies and when she talks to her ob. She will find out, quitting cold turkey will not put stress on the baby. It will actually help the baby. It will put stress on her. She has 2 options. She can quit or she doesn't. She gets to pick. Smoke free for 8 weeks and I did it cold turkey. I still have some insane cravings. I just don't cave in.
  • gpstrucker
    gpstrucker Posts: 930 Member
    Quitting cigarettes is very, very hard. She just has to really, really want to quit and then simply stop smoking them. I am probably not the best example because I did quit cigarettes after more than 30 years, but I do still smoke a pipe (don't inhale a pipe).

    The only real way to stop smoking cigarettes is to simply not smoke them. I know that sounds simplistic, but that really is the only way to do it.
  • anabell31
    anabell31 Posts: 268
    Thank you guys so much!! I will relay all of this to her and work out a plan of action :)
  • seeled
    seeled Posts: 93
    I quit cold turkey over a year ago.It is mind over matter. I am not saying it will be easy. Maybe try sunflower seeds, gum, etc to help her. My hardest part was what to do with my hands when it normally had a cig. in it
  • chlorisaann
    chlorisaann Posts: 366 Member
    I quit cold turkey over a year ago.It is mind over matter. I am not saying it will be easy. Maybe try sunflower seeds, gum, etc to help her. My hardest part was what to do with my hands when it normally had a cig. in it

    This is where the Dum Dum suckers helped me!!
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
    I agree with Chatnel - if she's really ready she will quit, and being pregnant I think she has a pretty big reason to be motivated!

    The Alan Carr book 'Easy Way to Quit Smoking' is a good one too. She can read it while she's smoking and cut back and commit to having her last cigarette when she's finished reading the book. It's a mind power thing and if she's in the right headspace it could really help.

    Otherwise she may need to be careful of nicotine replacement (patches, gum) as you can get addicted to these and it may not be great for the baby.

    She really needs to discuss it with her Dr and come up with a game plan.

    You are a great friend for wanting to help!

    I second the recommendation fro Allan Carr's book - it is amazing how well reading that book works for some people (myself included - I've been cigarette-free for about 7 months now). The first 3-5 days are the hardest if you go cold turkey, because of the physical withdrawal, but after that it was relatively easy. Tell your friend to try to substitute healthy behaviors when she wants to smoke - go for a walk, drink water, snack on healthy stuff like veggies and fruits (oranges are supposed to work particularly well). I think the long term benefits of being smoke-free will be much more imprtant to the baby than the short-term stress of quitting.
  • teach54
    teach54 Posts: 22 Member
    Gum. Lots and lots of sugar-free gum.
    And sugar-free hard candy to suck on. It's important to have something to keep your mouth busy. Low-calorie snacks like celery and carrot sticks are also better to put in your mouth than cigarettes.

    I gained 25+ pounds in the 2 years after quitting, which is why I ended up here. Your friend will, of course, gain weight due to pregnancy, but may add some extra if she replaces cigarettes with food. However, my nutritionist sister-in-law says 15-20 extra pounds from quitting is still way healthier than continuing to smoke. And in the long run, that's what we want for ourselves, and our loved ones.
  • dreamingchild
    dreamingchild Posts: 208 Member
    I quit cold turkey and my baby was okay. I think quitting is in the mind so make sure she is ready or it won't happen.
  • suzieqcookie
    suzieqcookie Posts: 314 Member
    i was in the same situation with my 3rd child, she was definitely a "bonus" baby! my dr recommended i not go cold turkey and suggested i cut my intake by half each day... by the time i got down to 3 i was just done.

    best of luck to her!
  • Cheryl4726
    Cheryl4726 Posts: 17
    When I had my son nearly 22 years ago, I was told I should give up smoking or if I was going to get too stressed trying to quit, at least cut back as much as I could, which is what I did, he was born weighing 8lbs 4oz with no problems, and is now 6ft 2", may be I/he was just lucky.
    Everyone is different, and a bit like with dieting, she needs to find what works best for her, having a friend like you who is willing to help and not judge will be a big help to her.
    Congrats and good luck to her.
  • Cambrendle
    Cambrendle Posts: 104 Member
    I didn't read all the responses - but She can try an E-cig - there are cheap disposables she can start with - like $7 here for supposedly equivalent of 1 pack of cigarettes. If she uses only the E-cig and NO cigarettes at the same time - after about 2 to 3 days the cigarette smoke will gross her out - in addition to the pregnancy hormones making it seem even more puke worthy.

    That's how I quit - with the E-cigs - been off cigarettes now since June 2011. Any other way I'd quit before I was never satisfied, and started back up..... that worked well for me, and pretty affordable.

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