It is well known that smoking during pregnancy is dangerous for both mother and infant. Among other issues, smoking mothers have significantly increased risk of placental problems and premature deliveries; and smoking has been linked to low birth weight, sudden infant death syndromes and some birth defects. Infants of mothers who smoke during pregnancy have been shown to have decreased lung function and increased tendency to develop lung diseases including asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia, compared to infants of non-smoking mothers. The optimal solution is for pregnant women to stop smoking, but this is not always possible. In the US, about 12% of pregnant women smoke, exposing at least 500,000 developing fetuses to potential complications. A recent study looked at a possible role for prenatal vitamin C supplements in preventing some of cigarettes’ negative effects on the developing lungs of the fetus. The vitamin C made a big difference for the newborns. The babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy and did not take vitamin C showed poor lung function, and the babies whose mothers smoked but were supplemented with vitamin C showed lung functions which were similar to the non-smoke exposed newborns.
The study group included 159 pregnant women who smoked, ages 15 years and older. Women were excluded if they used illicit drugs or alcohol, were found to have fetal abnormalities or multiple gestations, have kidney stones, or insulin dependent diabetes. There were three groups, a control group of non-smokers, a group of smokers who were given supplemental vitamin C 500 mg daily starting at 22 weeks gestation and a group of smokers who were given a placebo instead of vitamin C, daily starting at 22 weeks gestation. The women’s medical and smoking histories were followed monthly throughout the pregnancies. The groups were similar with regard to maternal age, insurance coverage, medication adherence, and history of asthma. The demographics of the infants in all three groups were similar with respect to birth weight, gestational age at delivery, sex, rate of preterm delivery, and rate of vaginal delivery. Interestingly, at the start of the study, the women who smoked were found to have lower serum vitamin C levels than the women who did not smoke.
By mid pregnancy, vitamin C levels in the vitamin C supplemented groups were similar to those in the non-smoking group. The vitamin C levels in smokers who received a placebo remained significantly lower than the other two groups. The babies’ breathing was evaluated at about two days of age. Testing revealed that the infants’ pulmonary flow volumes were significantly lower (poorer) in the group that received a Placebo (or essentially no treatment) when compared to the vitamin C group and the non smoking group which were similar. The compliance of the respiratory system was also poorer in the placebo group than the vitamin C and the non smoking groups. The respiratory rates in all three groups were similar. In short, the vitamin C made a big difference for the newborns. The babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy and did not take vitamin C showed poor lung function, and the babies whose mothers smoked but were supplemented with vitamin C showed lung functions which were similar to the non-smoke exposed newborns.
The researchers concluded that newborn lung function was significantly better in pregnant smokers who took vitamin C supplements compared with smoking mothers who received only a placebo. To explain this result, the researchers speculate that nicotine may interact with specific receptors in developing fetus’ lungs causing changes in growth that affect their ability to function properly. Some animal studies have suggested that the antioxidant properties of vitamin C may act to protect against this cellular damage from nicotine and other pollutants. The researchers plan to continue to follow the babies through their first year of life, monitoring their respiratory illnesses, and retesting their breathing functions at one year of age to assess the longer term impact of prenatal vitamin C supplementation. They also propose that supplementing newborns of smoking mothers with vitamin C is an area for future consideration. Smoking during pregnancy has many hazards to mother and fetus, and pregnant women who smoke are urged to talk with their doctors about strategies for quitting.
While this study offers a potential option to address one of the known consequences of smoking during pregnancy, women should not undertake vitamin supplementation of any kind without the advice of their physicians.Those horrid Hell Weeks and Hellish Weeks early in a quit are cruel and unusual punishment however there is no way around but Here's some things I did that helped and things I've learned along the way.... Try to focus on what you can best do to get thru this and "treat the symptoms" ~ treat yourself as if you were very sick and need to take extra good care of yourself to get better ~ I promise it will get better ...... takes time but little by little you will Drink TONS of water to help your body flush out the toxins it is loaded up with from smoking.... also great for relieving cravings ~ down a big cold glass of water and it helps (also helps with energy) Take LOTS of baths or showers and scrub with a loofa(sp) as this will also help rid your
body of toxins ~ hot baths are great for helping us to relax and calm ourselves ~ using lavender in our bath adds an extra calming effect ~ even if it's only a 10 or 15 minute bath it will help calm Take EXTRA vitamin C for the first while (4-6 months) I took 1000mg 4 times a day ~ yep 4000mg ~ we blew away most of the vitamin C we had everytime we smoked and we really need this for healing and recovery. good vitamin and supplement for calcium and magnesium ~ helps with nerves ... Get LOTS of rest ~ we can handle things so much better when we are well rested and we heal while we sleep best Deep breathing is an awesome gift we can give ourselves ~ breathe in as deep as you can thru your nose, picture your breathe going down to your toes and sloooooooowly let it out thru your mouth ~ the more you do this the better you will get at it (took me a couple weeks to be a pro lol) It helps with cravings (breathe thru them) AND it helps with
relaxing ~ do three right before you go to sleep in bed and three before you get out of bed in the morning ~ like a massage from the inside out too Massage ~ used my quit money to treat myself to massages ~ not only do they feel great and relieve muscle tension and stress they also help your body rid toxins and boost your immune system ~ have a bath with epsom salts after a massage to boost the effects. It's much more enjoyable to spend time on a massage chair or table than to spend time and money in the reception chairs of doctors and dentists dealing with the costly effects of smoking. Drink orange juice or grapefruit juice ~ many say that the citrus cuts the crave (when it's a physical crave) Cut down on caffine for a while ~ I didnt cut out caffine but I cut down substantially ~ not so much cuz I couldnt drink coffee and not smoke but because I was trying to do as much as possible to keep myself calm ~ I bought all kinds of flavoured herbal teas, lemon,
strawberry, orange ....... man are they great!! Now I drink em cuz I love em!! is a really good one and is a good for you one too Do some physical exercise ~ walk for 15-30 minutes ~ AWESOME stress relieving and the feeling of breathing in the fresh air and NOT smoking becomes just so awesome Write out your quit reasons on little recipes cards that will fit in an envelope (Marsha's idea ) Write out every single thing that you dont like about smoking no matter how little it may seem ~ write out every single reason you can think of for quitting smoking ~ I keepmy cards in an envelope in my purse ~ I also printed off posts that helped me and have a stash in my glove box, beside my bed, on my fridge, at work If you get that "grrrrrrrrrr I wana smoke feeling" pull out your cards and start reading Each day take time to tell yourself what you are grateful for ~ write out little mantras that help you and put em everywhere ~ bathroom mirror, computer, fridge, bebrom, even the
I have "This too shall pass", "Smoking is NOT an option" and stuff like that all over this house! Hang out here and ask every and any question that you need ~ you will find it's amazing that although we are all different people we are so much the same Take care of yourself really well and in turn we take care of our quit .... ask for help from family or friends when you need it ..... take breaks and fill them with positive stuff, like reading or yoga or a walk ...... I had trouble sleeping so I talked to the health store people who recommended Valerian root ~ worked really well and helped me sleep ~ insomnia is very common in the beginning I had trouble with anxiety and stress so I went to my doctor for help ~ tried a few different prescriptions and finally found one that helped ~ how long will I take it? as long as it takes. Whatever it takes as long as it takes ~ quitting is my priority. I broke out in mouth sores several times over the first month or so ~ found that tums
worked really well to heal these.... Poopie problems (LOL and I'm on the Internet lol) got some stuff from the health foodcleared that problem up pretty quick lol I subscribed to a whole bunch of "selfhelp" and positive sites for their daily emails ~ yes get tons of junkmail but the inspiration is worth the time to delete the junk (used a hotmail account as well) Ralph Martison's daily motivator is a good one ..... check out the "right now" presentation as well Two books that have helped me tremendously are Out of the Ashes by Peter & Peggy Holmes ~ a great friend sent me that one and it was the best gift I've ever received. small enough to carry around and has little one pagers that dispell the lie of the addiction and tell the truth ~ when she sent me the book I was almost at the point of giving up somehow thinking lung cancer would just be easier. She had bookmarked this page Thinking about the future can be a source of fear, or a source of inspiration and
Because I have gone back to smling many times in the past, I can sometimes slip into a feelin of hopelessness or pessimism about the future. I CAN stop smoking. I AM the author of my own life. I CAN created any scenario I want. am NOT doomed to repeat mistakes I have made in the past. I ALWAYS have the opportunity to change, improve and grow. One moment at at time, I can create any future I want. The other book is Until Today by Iylana Vanzant ~ another one pager a day (concentration problems early in my quit) ~ this book is a daily read that talks about the stuff of life and how we can look at it differently ~ really really helped me with learning how to live without smoking by dealing better with my feelings, emotions, anger etc Learn as much as you can about this addiction and it's lies ~ remember that it is a very powerful and cruel addiction and will stop at nothing to get you back ~ do not allow yourself to spend time "romancing" a cigarette ~ learn Junkie Thinking (at Bobs
Place, link above) inside out so that you can quickly recognize it for what it is ...... junkie thinking and STOP that train. Example ~ ohhhhh just one and I'll be OK, just one and then that's it ~ STOP!!!!!!! Get online, pull out your quit reasons, go for a walk ...... do whatever you need to do to stop that thinking in it's tracks and builds momentum Cry ~ cry cry and cry some more ~ great release and very cleansing ~ so many of us try to stop ourselves from crying when all it is is our bodies natural reponse when overwhelmed, hurting etc After a good session I felt soooooo relieved and would sometimes end of Go easy on yourself ~ give yourself time ~ slow down ~ "take time to smell theMake yourself Project No Smokey Me. Take time to play and enjoy your new Come hear to rant, rave, cry, whine, throw fire darts with your eyes (or ice darts if preferred) and dont feel bad ~ we MUST release our feelings to be safe from the nicodemon ~ remember, he's tricky and the first opportunity to snag us back he will.
Apply the Serentity Prayer to everything before you react. (THIS is a BIG one for me and am still in practise mode lol) God, grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the and wisdom to know the difference... When applied to life what a powerful little Last but by no means least. Plan on how you will use your quit money ~ make it real ~ put it in a jar on top of the fridge so you can see it grow ~ if you are a "long term rewarder" lol plan out exactly how long it will take to get what you want with your quit money ~ put it in a separate account so you can see it grow ~ for me I like to treat Little things that nurture me and pamper me ~ scented candles (the expensive ones I never used to buy), massages, facials, girly stuff like new lipsticks and nailpolish, bath stuff, jewelry whatever I "feel" like that week. Cigs here cost $60 a week for a carton so that's what I spend on me. I never did this before ~ would've put on