Risks and Quitting

Did you know that smoking during pregnancy has been linked to up to 10 percent of all infant deaths, as per the 2001 Surgeon Generals Report?

When you use tobacco during pregnancy you may be increasing the chance that your baby’s health or life may be at risk before, during, or after birth. Some women stop smoking cold turkey when they find out they are pregnant. This is extremely difficult to do but it can be done. Some women will start cutting back and that is great! Some women will continue to cut back until they are completely quit, and we encourage those women to stay quit after their child is born for their own health and the continued health of the baby.

While most of your doctors give you excellent information about quitting, some doctors seem reluctant to have women quit during pregnancy as they feel it is hard on the baby….if your doctor has said this, your doctor may be either very misinformed or perhaps they are smokers themselves and are not able to give you unbiased information. Quitting ANY time during pregnancy is beneficial to both your health and the baby’s health.

Please consider talking to your doctor about the patch or any other questions you may have.

Alice is also very knowledgeable and she would be glad to have you email her as well at acovey@mccdahs.org =)

Mandy-Health Educator

Administrator Alice

Clove Cigarettes or Kreteks and Bidis

Here is a question that I was recently asked:

Alice,
I smoke clove cigarettes which aren't like regular cigarettes. Clove cigarettes aren't bad for me, are they?

Clove cigarettes may also be called kreteks and are imported from Indonesia. They contain tobacco, shredded cloves (a spice) and other additives. When tested, they have been shown to deliver more nicotine, carbon monixed, and tar than regular cigarettes. These are NOT safer then regular cigarettes as some people may believe. In fact, research shows that smoking kreteks or cloves will increase your risk for lung serious lung injury especially for those who have asthma or respiratory infections. Research from Indonesia shows that regular clove or kretek users will have a 13-20 time risk for abnormal lung function compared to a nonsmoker.

Bidis (pronounced "bee-dees") are hand-rolled cigarettes imported mainly from India and other Southeast Asian countries. They can be flavored in cherry, chocolate, etc. Tobacco companies may misrepresent that they have less tobacco then a regular cigarette, however, they have been shown to have highter concentrations of nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide than regular cigarettes.

Please look the local resources on this site for more assistance and/or search your own state for ways to get help with quitting.

In health,
Alice