is the patch safe when your pregnant?

[jafreak]

hey. im thinking about buying the patch so i can quit smoking. when i was 12, i was under a lot of stress and found that cigarettes helped take some of the stress away. i got addicted and here i am, 14, 7 months pregnant with my boyfriends child. aiden is due march 2nd. i really want to quit so i can live to see him grow up and see my grandkids. i was wondering if the patch was safe when you are pregnant. if i ask my obgyn, my mom would know that i still smoke and i would get into a lot of trouble. i really want to quit and i know its not safe smoking while im pregnant, and it could be bad for him, so i want to quit while its not too late. help plz.

[Mar]

Hon, the patch is just regulated doses of nicotine that are absorbed into your body at various intervals, to replace the nicotine in the cigarettes. The only advantage is that they cut you down on those levels gradually, over a period of weeks/months. By the time you'd completed the program, you'd have had this child. Not to mention the cost factor-the patch programs, even the store brands, are VERY expensive. Also, it just occurred to me that I doubt a store would even sell you the patch since it's nicotine.....most likely you'd have to be 18 to purchase it, same as cigarettes.

 

Your best bet is to just QUIT. You're very young and I can't imagine you've gotten that addicted yet. Try chewing gum, getting some hard candies to suck on, eat fruit, veggies, etc. If you feel a craving, eat something healthy instead and think about how much that baby is appreciating that carrot stick or apple as opposed to the smoke being sucked in. Not to mention your health as well! I worked for the state in a Birth To Three program, and saw the results of young mothers who smoked throughout their pregnancy....the child in question was often born with jaundice, had weak muscle tone, underdeveloped lungs, etc., and the problems extended later into life. NOT what you want to see happen to this child, he's having a hard enough time developing in someone so young!

 

Please quit now. You've waited a rather long time, but "better late than never." And STAY off....secondhand smoke is just as damaging as smoking directly. I wish you and your child the best of luck and a healthy life!

 

Mar

[avman]

Well I don't mean to freak you out completely, but if you've been smoking these whole 7 months of your pregnancy then the damage is already done. Quitting now, while a good idea, probably is too late to prevent hurting the baby.

 

During a pregnancy, most of the major structure of the baby is built during the first trimester. Thats when things usually go wrong if the mother is drinking, doing drugs, or smoking.

 

Please stop smoking immediately. And no, the patch is NOT safe during pregnancy. Make sure the doctors know that you have been smoking so that they are ready when your baby is born. The baby may require special care and they are likely to want to run some additional tests.

[jafreak]

hey. i started when i was 12 and i get addicted to anything really easy. ive tried to quit cold turkey many times, but it never works more than 4 days. i want aiden to be healthy when he is born and i never realized how bad it is for him. i want to quit now, but i think its too late for the patch. my sister smokes, and with the insurance we both have, free from the state of new jersey, includes the patch, when your health is in bigger risk. she has asthma, so she can get the patch free. she has no desire to quit, which i wish she would, but she doesnt want to. she is going to try to get it for me. i will keep trying stopping cold turkey, and then if i do not succeed, i will start the patch right after aiden is born, the day i have him if i have to. thanks

[Mar]

Just one thought: what's more important, the fact that you're having a craving for a cigarette or that baby? You've already gone far too long in smoking while having this child.....don't do it anymore. Start treating him and yourself RIGHT, instead of keeping on pumping poison into your system and his. Have a little consideration for this baby-you're lessening his chances of a healthy birth every time you take a drag.