And I love that line, “sucking on that cigarette like it would give me the meaning of life.”

One note… stop-smoking aids are not an option for pregnant women. We can’t use the patch, gum or medication. Cold turkey is the only option.

And, too, Adam and I have both quit. The cigarette this morning was the last, and we’re both determined. Two Tauruses in one household comes in handy every now and again!

“Evidence has shown that women who smoke whilst they are pregnant have a 25% higher risk of giving birth to a stillborn baby. The more cigarettes that are smoked, the higher the risk.

There is an 82% chance of giving birth to a baby with a lower birth weight. Many mothers wrongly believe that giving birth to a lighter baby will mean an easier birth, however this is by no means the case. Giving birth to a low-weight baby can bring with it no end of complications and health problems for the child.

Low-weight babies can be expected to have severe health problems such as breathing disorders, bronchitis and ear infections especially in the first two years of their life. They are more likely to be admitted into intensive care after being born and could even face being disabled. Some may even die shortly after birth.

According to statistics, 20 – 30% of the babies who are born with a low birth weight do so because their mother smoked throughout pregnancy. Giving birth to a low-weight baby may have long-lasting negative effects on the child’s growth and development. A premature birth can also result in a low birth weight baby and smoking increases this risk by around 30%.

Low-weight babies usually weight around 250 g less than a normal and healthy baby. Newborns who weigh in at less than 5½ pounds could suffer from birth defects such as a cleft lip or a cleft palate. This is more likely if the mother smokes over 20 cigarettes a day. They could even be born with severe disabilities like cerebral palsy or they could have problems with their spinal cord, ears or eyes.

Low birth weight in a baby is caused by a restricted supply of oxygen, nutrients and food to the baby, which in turn hinders the correct development and growth of the foetus. This is all caused by smoking and the effects of the poisonous gases and chemicals found in the tobacco smoke that the mother inhales into her body and passes on to her baby.

What is more, all of these potential risks can be avoided simply by giving up smoking.

SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) otherwise known as “cot death” is when an apparently normal and healthy baby dies suddenly whilst sleeping.

When an expectant mother smokes during her pregnancy the risk of her baby dying from cot death is twice as high as that of a non-smoking mother. The risk may be increased even more if the mother is a heavy smoker.

There is also a risk of cot death when the baby is exposed to passive smoking at home, especially if both parents smoke.”

If you have to make yourself feel horribly guilty to get through this, DO IT. Do not handicap your child, and make sure that you’re going to be around as long as possible to watch it grow up. Definitely get on a patch or gum or medication to make it easier. And ask everyone you know to hold you accountable!!

Good luck. You have endured worse, and you are strong enough to endure this.

You know me, Toni. I love smoking, too. My story (which I think I am going to write and then re-start my quitting) isn’t nearly as interesting, but I know that health angle never works. Never.

What does work is realizing I need to do it for me. It doesn’t “fit” the way it used to although cigs are still very yummy, you know? But not for the person I am trying to birth, yanno?

Drink more water than you think is necessary. If you feel a rage, document it or share it, but that’s part of what cig have been holding back, silent all these years.

Think of the meaning — that’s when I realized I use cigs as a way to muzzle myself from saying all manner of snarky, but correct things. (But the only one being harmed is me.)

The withdrawals… I won’t talk about… but I know water helped me… especially tea — non-caf — tisanes/herbals.

This is something you do *for* yourself… and yeah, it will be hard… 2- odd years is a long time. But it is doable.

Also, um, don’t you crochet or knit?