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Smoking: a Must to Kick Off before Pregnancy
 Cigarette
smoking among drug dependent pregnant women is alarmingly high, estimated at 77
to 99%.
Smoking during pregnancy can cause complications during delivery such as
premature rupture of membranes, abruptio placentae,
placenta previa,
premature birth, low-birth-weight,
stillbirth and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). About 20% of
low-birth-weight births, 8% of preterm deliveries, and 5% of all
delivery deaths are linked to smoking during pregnancy. It is important to
stop smoking prior to pregnancy in order to help give your baby the best chance
of survival.
If you quit smoking before you become pregnant (or during the first 3
months of your pregnancy), your risk of having a baby with low birth weight
is the same as that of a woman who does not smoke.
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Get working on a smoke-free home: The presence of other
smoker(s) in your home can be a constant reminder and the sheer smell
might make things difficult for you. Request them to smoke, if they
really have to in your absence or outside the house.
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Begin with small Baby Steps: Who says you have to quit
smoking overnight? Jump start by eliminating the morning cigarette and
then the one after meals. Soon there will be more time in the day and
less time spent smoking. A slip is okay. If you find yourself some day
smoking a cigarette first thing in the morning, do not take it as a
failure. Get right back on the track by eliminating the cigarette for
the evening. Count every day as a milestone.
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Try looking for better options: Enroll in an online smoking
cessation program (they can walk you through quitting, and they're
free). Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can make you twice as likely
to succeed. As well as patches, there are tiny tablets, lozenges, gum
and a nasal spray. If you like holding a cigarette, use an inhalator.
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Exercise every day:
Studies have reported that smokers have lower
cravings for cigarettes after exercise compared with when they had
been inactive. Moderate
exercise can be a viable alternative to many of the pharmaceutical
products, such as nicotine patches, for women who want to give up
smoking. A ten or fifteen minute
walk,
jog or cycle when times get tough could help a smoker kick the
habit. Also, exercise will release endorphins in the body that will make
you feel naturally high and alert (an improved mood, sort off). There
are many ways for you to experience a totally
natural high. If you want to
experience a high without using drugs or drinking coffee, just exercise.
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Keep a journal: Record your thoughts about smoking, and start
analyzing what you're thinking when the craving pushes off. Figure out
some new beliefs that you can start feeding yourself about smoking that
might help in better handling of the habit. Collect your thoughts and
use them as inspiration. Decide and write why you want to quit.
Visualize the increase in your Energy so you can put in working towards
your life purpose, and contribute more to life.
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 Modify your Diet: An American study has revealed that some
foods, including meat, make cigarettes more satisfying. Others,
including milk, cheese, fruit and vegetables, make cigarettes taste
terrible. So swap your usual steak or burger for a veggie pizza instead.
According to results of a new
study, cigarette smokers who ate fruits and vegetables an average of
4 or more times per day were 3 times more likely to be tobacco free 14
months later, compared with those who ate fruits and vegetables fewer
than 2 times per day. If you are experiencing a cigarette craving,
eating increased amounts of fruits, vegetables or drinking a glass of
milk may be potential ways to curb your urge to smoke. Fizzy drinks,
alcohol, cola, tea and coffee all make cigarettes taste better. So when
you�re out, drink more water and juice.
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Ask friends or family to join you in quitting smoke: If your
friends or family members want to give up, suggest to them to join you
in the quest. Take help of a Smoking Helpline, available in your city.
When you�re at a party, stick with the non-smokers.
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Change your Routine. Avoid those things that make you reach
for a cigarette. Think about how you can change your routine to help
manage the times and places that trigger the urge to smoke. When you get
up in the morning (and after meals), immediately brush your teeth or get
physically active. While driving to work consider car pooling, listening
to a different radio station, and taking a different route if possible.
On breaks at work; read a book, walk around the building, or call a
friend. The point is to stop smoking by changing your routine. By making
things different you can help manage the cravings and triggers that make
you want to smoke plus you are trying new things and that is always a
plus.
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Take folic acid supplements prior conception, which studies
show can protect your baby from some serious birth defects, including
spina bifida, a life-threatening spinal malformation. nearly all
multivitamins contain at least 400 mcg per dose, the minimal amount
needed for a healthy pregnancy
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Keep trying. If you have tried over and over again to quit
smoking, there is no reason to stop trying. Get counseling or join a
support group for people who smoke. Find an Internet chat room for
24-hour support.
Before pregnancy, you can use almost any
approach to kick the habit, including behavioral methods, nicotine replacement
products (gum, patches and inhalers), antidepressants and smoking cessation
drugs. But during pregnancy, some of the medications may not be safe. These
agents may pass through the placenta to reach your baby.
Set a date to quit and stick to it.
Ref:
Dated 26 June 2012
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