Smoking and Pregnancy

Research shows that cigarettes have adverse affects on virtually every part of your body.  If you're pregnant, toxic chemicals from smoking travel to your baby and can cause premature labor, birth defects and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).  There are many resources to help you quit.  Make an appointment with your healthcare provider.  Your doctor can recommend medications that will help you through the process of quitting.

To quit tobacco, visit http://floridaquitline.com or call 1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1.877.822.6669).

Here are some practical tips that have worked for ex-smokers who understand just how hard it is to quit:

• Remember it is natural and normal to feel anxiety anytime you make a significant life change.

• Make a plan and set a quit date.  Give yourself some time to prepare before launching into your quit attempt.  Make a list of all your reasons for quitting and put this list where you will see it often.  Mark your quit date on your calendar and get mentally prepared.

• Plan ahead for temptation.  It's inevitable.

• Get support.  Tell your friends and family that you are going to quit smoking.  If they smoke, ask them not to smoke around you or to quit with you.

• Clear the decks.  Get rid of the things that remind you of smoking.  Throw away all cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays.

• Remove all evidence of smoking from your life.  Clean your car interior and launder all of your clothes to remove the smell of tobacco smoke.

• Write down the reasons you are quitting and review them to serve as a reminder why you think quitting is worthwhile.

• Keep busy on your quit day.  Change your routine.  Plan a full day with enjoyable activities.

• Change your typical daily routine in as many ways as possible.  Take a new route to work, drink tea instead of coffee, and have a lunch in the conference room rather than at your desk.

• Replace cigarettes with alternatives like gum, cinnamon sticks, suckers, toothpicks or low-calorie snacks like carrots, celery and apple wedges.

• Keep your hands busy.  Carry a stress ball or a doodle pad.

• Be proactive about spending time with non-smokers and/or ex-smokers.