Great American Smokeout!

Today is it. If you're a smoker, commit now to quit for your health and financial well-being. Your baby and family will thank you too!

From OTIS Pregnancy:

The chemicals in cigarettes cross the placenta (the source of nutrition and oxygen for the baby) and have a direct negative effect on the unborn baby and also cause constriction (tightening) of the placenta to decrease oxygen to the baby.

The most consistent finding with cigarettes during pregnancy is that they cause intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR or low birth weight). Low birth weight is a concern because babies with low birth weight have higher rates of being sick and not surviving infancy. Low birth weight may also be linked to higher rates of chronic adult health conditions, such as heart disease.

Additionally, smoking cigarettes may cause a small increase in the chance for a cleft lip and/or palate in the baby and an increase in miscarriage, premature delivery, and SIDS. Higher rates of breathing problems in children like asthma and behavioral issues like hyperactivity have also been associated with prenatal smoking.

Quitting smoking and remaining smoke free will make it more likely that your baby will be born with a normal weight, come home with you from the hospital, suffer less health problems during infancy and possibly all the way through adulthood.

Talk with your doctor about the process of quitting, why it would be helpful to your health, your pregnancy, your other children, and your finances. Your healthcare provider may be able to brain storm situations that trigger smoking, offer other stress management techniques, describe the process of withdrawal, and help you identify persons to support a quit attempt. Free phone counseling to stop smoking is available by national telephone hotlines including 1-800-QUIT-NOW. Guidance is also available at www.smokefree.org

Call the Utah Quit Line at: 1-888-567-TRUTH or www.utahquitnet.com

Smoking Cessation Benefits

Immediate benefits are noticed when you stop smoking. Click the post title to see the benefits to the individual. Of course, if you are pregnant, the benefits are even greater as you set an example for your children, protect them from dangerous secondhand smoke, allergies and asthma, improve their chances of keeping their mom, and you have a healthier baby by avoiding the harmful substances that choke the baby's oxygen supply in utero.

Wow! If that doesn't make you want to quit...

Congratulations to Salt Lake County for their great Commit to Quit program that helps their pregnant moms stop smoking. If you live in that county and want help putting out that cigarette, call 801-468-2569. Here are some of their suggestions:

• Write down all your reasons for quitting
• Throw your cigarettes away
• Tell people you are quitting; ask them to help
• Ask people not to smoke around you
• Drink extra water, milk, and juice
• Chew gum or sunflower seeds
• Keep your hands busy
• Go for a walk
• Take time out to relax
• Reward yourself; take a bubble bath, watch your favorite movie
• Plan ahead to be ready to use your favorite tip for not smoking
• Avoid the guild trip - don't allow a slip to draw you back to smoking

Some people also benefit from medical or therapeutic intervention. A support person or "coach" can also help - someone you can call when you're feeling the urge. Ask this person to remind you of your commitment and the reasons it is worth it.

As with other bad habits you want to quit (eating, sedentary living, drugs, etc.), setbacks happen and if you allow them to get the best of you, convincing you that you are a failure, you will be giving in to the habit. Take charge, forgive yourself and go forward without dwelling on the past. You can do it!

Here's another helpful website: The Truth