5 ways to stop smoking during pregnancy
Nearly 18,000 Hoosier babies every year are born to mothers who smoke cigarettes, ranking Indiana seventh highest nationally.
Quitting or cutting back anytime during pregnancy will benefit the mother and the baby, says Larry Humbert, executive director of Indiana Perinatal Network. Stopping by 20 weeks into the pregnancy can reverse all the harmful effects to the baby.
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The nonprofit group, formed to lead Indiana in improving the health of mothers and babies, is trying to educate women and others about the dangers of smoking and the best ways to help mothers quit. One way to do that is through a new training DVD, available at www.indianaperinatal.org.
Developed by the network and Indiana doctors, it provides tools to health-care providers so they can identify tobacco, drug and alcohol use during pregnancy and better treat women. Only 5 percent to 10 percent of pregnant women who use these substances are identified and get proper treatment, Humbert said.
If you know a pregnant woman who smokes, here is some advice from the network to help her quit:
1. Be honest: Tell a health-care provider about smoking because he or she can offer resources and ideas to help quit.
2. Ask someone to quit with you: Quitting smoking can be difficult on your own. Ask others not to smoke around you, and leave the room when others smoke.
3. Realize risks to babies of low birth weight: Smoking by mothers increases the likelihood of babies with low birth weights. Those babies are more likely to have problems after birth, such as ear infections, allergies, breathing difficulties and more crying, which makes caring for them more difficult and expensive.
4. List benefits of not smoking: Ask yourself how your life would be better if you stopped smoking. Write down at least five benefits.
5. Seek free help: Call the Indiana Tobacco Quitline at (800) 784-8669 (QUIT-NOW).
By Barb Berggoetz
Posted: August 20, 2009
