Motherhood and smoking cessation
It has been known for decades that if you smoke while pregnant or breastfeeding, your baby will ingest many harmful substances. The result of smoking while breastfeeding will reduce your amount of milk. It is more difficult for your baby to drink milk because the let-down reflex also works less well.
It has also been investigated that babies find breast milk less tasty when the mother smokes. In addition, babies of mothers who smoke are more likely to cry for long periods of time because they suffer more from intestinal cramps and nausea. That’s why we’re discussing the importance of motherhood and quitting smoking again.
Quit smoking before pregnancy
Of course, the start of motherhood also gives you a certain amount of stress. You sleep less and are constantly busy with your little one. A cigarette is often a moment of relaxation.
Quitting smoking is therefore the best thing to do before you are pregnant in the first place.
The motivation is therefore the greatest. When you want to stop smoking, psychological support for motivation is an important part of a treatment. In combination with (pharmaceutical) aids, it should have a good chance of success.
It is important for yourself to discover what you need the most during this intensive process.
Tools to stop smoking
Because it is certainly an intensive process. You not only have to deal with withdrawal symptoms, you also have to deal with learning to deal with busy and stressful situations. Some manage to stop smoking on their own, but for many that is a huge battle. Fortunately, there are sufficient tools available.
Each method is aimed at allowing you to stop smoking with as few withdrawal symptoms as possible.
Medical devices can play a major role in this. There are antidepressants that have a side effect reduction of the withdrawal symptoms. And there is also a medicine that has been specifically developed to prevent withdrawal symptoms from being recognized by the brain.
In addition, we all know of course the nicotine gum, pills, suction tablets but also the electric cigarette to slowly reduce addiction and habituation. And in addition, there is even acupuncture and laser therapy available. These treatments provide a moment of peace through the endorphins that are released in the body.
Additional psychological support can be found in group therapy or individual therapy.
Tips if you can’t quit smoking
If you can’t stop smoking permanently after having a baby or have little ones at home, it is best to prevent them from coming into contact with the tobacco smoke as much as possible. In any case, pay attention to the following:
- keep your home smoke-free at all times
- let everyone including yourself smoke outside
- also ask the maternity visit to smoke outside
- make sure your car is smoke free
- never smoke just before breastfeeding
- wash your hands well with soap if you have smoked
- put on clean clothes after smoking
When you have smoked a cigarette, there are often remains of the tobacco smoke on your skin and clothing. Others (and your baby) can smell that smoke smell. These residual substances are harmful to your baby.
They call it “third hand smoke”.
♥ ♥ ♥ Affiliate links are used on Fulltime Mama. This means that if you click on one of the links, we may receive a small commission. It costs you nothing extra, but it does give us something.
With these proceeds we can maintain this website. We also sometimes get paid for an article or we get a product in exchange for a blog post. Our opinion therefore remains unchanged and honest. For more information you can read the disclaimer. ♥ ♥ ♥