Hello, congratulations on your news! Me and my partner both smoked when we found out we were expecting a baby. We had tried to quit before trying to conceive and had cut down a lot, but hadn't quite managed to stop completely. Everyone knows that it's not good to smoke while being pregnant, but what scared me the most was the fact that one of the factors that causes cot death can be smoking, even if you don't smoke near the baby. We decided to quit because we couldn't bear to think we could be responsible for the death of our own baby. About a week after we had a positive test, I decided to have one last cigarette - I made quite a ritual of it - and enjoyed my last one!! Everyone has to find their own way of doing it but to me just stopping was the easiest. I know that I won't smoke again. My partner has found it harder to quit, as he was a heavier smoker than me anyway and I think it's a little less immediate for men where they're not actually carrying the baby. He has managed it now though (we are 30 weeks) and we are so excited about meeting our new baby!
Good luck with giving up smoking - it is tough, but worthwhile.
Michelle x

Great news to hear that she is trying to stop smoking but it isn’t easy - for expert advice on the health risks of smoking during pregnancy, and advice on ways to go smokefree, call the NHS Pregnancy Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 9 169. Smoking during pregnancy can cause serious problems including complications during labour, increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth and even stillbirth. Many women quit smoking during pregnancy and go on to stay smokefree after their baby is born.Smoking is harmful throughout pregnancy and stopping at any stage will be good for the baby. The most damaging effects of smoking happen in months four to nine. This means that, if you stop smoking within the first three months of your pregnancy, your baby is still likely to be a healthy weight.When you smoke, over 4,000 chemicals go into your body. One of these is a poisonous gas called carbon monoxide which gets into your bloodstream and cuts down the oxygen reaching your baby. For every cigarette you smoke, the oxygen supplied to your baby is disrupted for 15 seconds and your baby experiences reduced blood flow for 15 minutes.Health risks to your baby if you smoke whilst you are pregnant include:Lower birth weight and weakness,Slower growth of your baby, Higher chance of cot death, Damage to airways which could cause breathing problems or asthma. Health risks to your children if they are growing up in a home where one or more parents smoke include:Colds, coughs and bugs,Asthma attacks or chest infections,Lung cancer when they are adults, Meningitis,'Glue ear' and partial deafness. This is the perfect time to quit, and did you know that you are up to four times more likely to successfully go smokefree if you use one of the free NHS support services and use medication like patches or gum to help cope with your cravings? It is usually fine for pregnant women to use Nicotine Replacement Therapy products, although we recommend that you check with your doctor first.

hi when i was pregnant with my first i went to the ante natal clinic and they held special classes for pregnant women ask when you go in! it worked for me they kinda scare you into quitting

My girlfriends 10week gone an shes finding it really hard to stop smoking, whats the best way to go about it?