According to her, she smoked about 4-5 smokes per day while pregnant with me because the doctor said "it shouldn't be a problem."

Of course, said doctor was the size of a fucking bulldozer (seriously, this woman weighed over 300 pounds, she was HUGE) and smoked like a fucking chimney herself.

Go fucking figure. Hmph.

Seriously, exactly how harmful is tobacco smoking to a developing baby? Does anyone know? Is there really any level of smoking that is "okay" during pregnancy? I'm inclined to believe the answer is absolutely not... but maybe because this issue has affected me personally and therefore I'm very VERY biased.  

Thoughts?

unless it's the reason you're so mad all the time

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♥

we smile crooked smiles but at least we smile

To me, if you're not willing to put your bad habits aside for yourself, at least do it for the human living inside you. jesus.

back then, it wasn't looked at so horribly.

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hard bark on the family tree

november 19, 1983 - may 28, 2011

I'm sorry your mother risked your development and well-being with her smoking that's terribly unfortunate.

From my understanding, smoking while pregnant is NEVER, EVER okay. there's so many risk factors to the mother and fetus.

• Lower the amount of oxygen available to you and your growing baby.
  
• Increase your baby's heart rate.
  
• Increase the chances of miscarriage and stillbirth.
  
• Increase the risk that your baby is born prematurely and/or born with low birth weight.
  
• Increase your baby's risk of developing respiratory (lung) problem
  
• Babies exposed to secondhand smoke may also develop reduced lung capacity and are at higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
  

I often see women who are pregnant and are smoking and it makes so angry. Sometimes i wish I could go up to them and slap some sense into them.

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Eh, my mum smoked 20 a day when she was pregnant with me, my brother and 2 sisters. I'm agreeing with others when they say that it wasn't such a taboo back in the 80's. But I am absolutely fine. I'm healthy, smart and have never smoked a cigarette in my life. Same as all of my siblings.

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this. except i dont know my mothers habits, nor care

smoking is unhealthy sure, but i think there is far too much hyperbole around it

and people should be allowed to make personal decisions as to whether they smoke when pregnant or not and not have other people look down on them

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From a distance you look like my friend,

even though we are at war.

Basically if you're pregnant and don't smoke, don't start. But I've always heard from doctors that if you're already a smoker and you get pregnant, it's better to just cut back rather than quit cold turkey because quitting like that can also affect the baby. Honestly, 4-5 isn't that many. My brother's fiance's doctor told her to keep it under 10 cigarettes a day and she should be fine.

Post edited at 6:32 pm on Mar. 29, 2012 by Oswin Oswald

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Her blood is thicker than concrete
Forced to be brave
she was born into a grave

Severe hypoxia can cause (luckily mine was not severe)
- blindness
- cerebral palsy
- mental retardation (but if you have mild to moderate hypoxia, your intelligence will range from normal to above average)

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Imitation is suicide - Ralph Waldo Emerson