smoking while pregnant

Women who smoke while pregnant should be put in jail

Now you may think that is a harsh statement but after you read this article I’m sure you will change your thinking. First of all for those of you who have kids I’m sure you can agree with me that you would not want anything bad to happen to your children and you would die for them if you had to. Having kids is one of life’s true miracles. I have two kids myself and I could not imagine one of them having a problem, much less one that was caused by my own selfishness.

There have been numeric studies which indicate that smoking while pregnant dramatically increases the risk of health problems to your baby.

Here is a list of problems that can happen as a result of smoking while pregnant.

• cancer-causing agents in the infants blood which can cause childhood leukemia
• various adult health problems
• smoking during adolescence
• behavioral problems
• learning and developmental problems
• attention deficit disorder
• respiratory disorders during childhood
• mental retardation
• sudden infant death syndrome
• infant death from prenatal disorders
• problems requiring neonatal intensive care
• lower or higher than normal infant blood pressure
• growth retardation/low birth weight
• brain damage
• birth or delivery problems
• spontaneous abortions

What a list. How can anyone in their right mind even consider smoking after reading this?

Smoking while breastfeeding

If you are breastfeeding then you really don’t want to be smoking. Nicotine is a drug that can be passed to the baby in her breast milk. This can cause diarrhea, cramping, colic and nausea for the baby.

If you are going to smoke while breastfeeding then it is highly recommended to abstain from smoking two hours before breastfeeding. However this still doesn’t mean it’s a safe decision. The only safe decision for your baby is to quit smoking period.

So back to my title about putting women who smoke in jail while pregnant. How do you feel now about this? We are much to tolerant of a country which is why things like harming your baby while smoking are not taken serious. If we started putting women in jail who committed this act then surely this horrible act would decrease.

I’m sure I’m going to get comments on this from angry women who say it’s their right to smoke if they want to. Well you can argue with me all you want and I’m not going to change my position. I don’t care if it’s your baby. That doesn’t give you the right to harm it for your own selfish cravings.

More reasons to quit smoking while pregnant

Just a half a pack a day increases the risk of your baby being born with an extra, missing or webbed fingers or toes by nearly 30 percent. This statistic came from the journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Smoking also interferes with the oxygen delivery to cells at key moments in the development stages. When this happens the cells are not able to proliferate the way they should and you can have limb deformities.

Out of 7 million births from 2001 to 2002, researchers found almost 5,200 babies born to women who smoked had deformed gingers or toes.

Why would you want to risk any of the above just to enjoy your craving? So the new law that should be drafted should be to put women who smoke while pregnant in jail.

Don’t think for one minute that smoking “light” cigarettes is safe.

I know people that smoke “light” cigarettes because they think it’s better for them. Well I have some shocking news for you, it’s not! You really need to understand how these so called “light” cigarettes are made and tested and then you can decide if it’s a good idea or not.

First let me say that choosing to smoke light cigarettes does not reduce your health risks from smoking. The only way you can do that is if you quit smoking.

Even though your cigarettes state that they have lower tar and nicotine numbers these numbers are a bit misleading. The way they calculate these numbers is through smoking machines. These smoking machines smoke every brand of cigarettes exactly the same way. The reason why this is misleading is because there are all different kinds of ways that people smoke. There are no two smokers that are exactly alike which is why you should not trust the numbers you see on the package of smokes. Also since smokers crave nicotine they may find themselves smoking a few extra cigarettes a day to get that nicotine crave satisfied. This means they are taking  in more tar, nicotine and other harmful chemicals.

Those sneaky tobacco companies

Did you know that there is a technique behind getting these light cigarettes to register a certain way? I couldn’t believe it when I found this out and it really kills me that tobacco companies are allowed to do this. I mean they are legalized drug lords as far as I’m concerned. Light cigarettes were designed with tiny little pinholes that act as vents. These vents are uncovered when the cigarettes are placed in the smoking machine. But what happens when a real person smokes them. Well it turns out that these vents are placed literally millimeters away from where the smokers put their lips or fingers. What this means is that these vents are being covered up thus turning the “light” cigarette into a regular cigarette. Pretty sneaky eh?

Scientific findings

The Federal Government’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) has concluded that light cigarettes provide absolutely no health benefits. There is also no evidence that smoking light cigarettes will help smokers quit smoking.

There is no such thing as a safe cigarette. The tobacco companies are completely aware of this and spend a huge amount of money portraying the image that smoking light cigarettes is better. They no very well that a smoker is going to take bigger puffs and smoke more cigarettes. What is so sad is it’s all about money. Do you really thing the tobacco companies care of 400,000 people die in the U.S. each year from smoking related illnesses? The answer is no. They only care about how they can sell more cigarettes be it lights or regulars. Save your life, others lives and your money by quitting smoking today.

Avoid Secondhand smoke like the plague

Secondhand smoke I’ve always wondered if second hand smoke is really that bad for you. So I did some research and found out some disturbing news. Actually I was freaked out. Because this whole time I thought since I’m not actually smoking the cigarette I should avoid any serious health issues. WRONG!!!!

Every year there has been a little over 3,000 lung cancer deaths do to secondhand smoke. Not only deaths to adults but it effects the children as well, there have been reports of 150,000 to 300,000 hospitalizations due to low respiratory tract infections in small children, it also causes premature births.

Second handsmoke contains over 50 different substances that can cause cancer. Some of these cancers include lung cancer, nasal sinus cancer, respiratory tract infections and heart disease. There are over 4,000 chemicals in secondhand smoke and 250 of these are known to be harmful. Check out some of these included chemicals:

• arsenic (a heavy metal toxin)
• benzene ( a chemical found in gasoline)
• beryllium (a toxic metal)
• cadmium (a metal used in batteries)
• chromium (a metallic element)
• ethylene oxide (a chemical used to sterilize medical devices)
• polonium-210 (a chemical element that gives off radiation)
• vinyl chloride (a toxic substance used in plastics manufacturing)

and that is just a few and as you can see those are very harmful chemicals that no one should be exposed to.

The more often you are around second hand smoke the more chance there is for you to have health problems related to second hand smoke.

Secondhand smoke is serious business. If you live with a smoker you need to set some ground rules, especially if you have children. Here are some things you can do if you live with a smoker.

1. Do not allow them to smoke inside your home.
2. If they are unwilling to go outside then create smokers room that is set aside just for smoking.
3. Keep your house well ventilated and keep the windows open.
4. Don’t have ash trays lying around.

If you are at a friends house or out with some friends and they ask you if you mind if they smoke say, “Of course I mind.” Don’t try to be polite because this is your health you are protecting and they are not going to pay your doctor bill should you get sick.

Many restaurants now offer non smoking sections that really aren’t non smoking sections. What I mean by that is you are separated by an invisible wall. One time I asked for the non smoking section and they placed me right on the other side of the smoking section. The smoke just went right over the wall to me. I couldn’t believe it so I asked them to move me. Don’t ever be afraid to ask to be moved if you can smell smoke. Again this is your health that you need to protect.

The bottom line is that secondhand smoke causes cancer and there is no good reason for you to be around it. Take my advice and do everything you can do minimize your exposure to secondhand smoke.

Smoking is slowly depleting your bank account

I just read an article on Forbes.com and it says that people in Delaware are losing the most money on smoking. A pack of smokes in Delaware costs a little over $5 bucks and individuals are smoking 185 packs a year. That equates to just about $1,000 a year per person. Now what you may not know is not only are smokers depleting their bank accounts but they are also hurting non-smokers due to second hand smoke. In most states, quitting smoking would save about $300 a year not including the increased health care and insurance costs.

Let’s take a look at some statistics on how much money you will save if you stop smoking today.

If you are a two-pack-a-day smoker, you will save:

$4380 ($3285) in a year
$43,800 ($32850) in ten years
$$219,000 ($164,250) in fifty years

If you are a pack-a-day smoker, you will save:

$2190 ($1642.50) in a year
$21,900 ($16425) in ten years
$109, 500 ($82,125) in fifty years

If you are a half-a-pack-a-day smoker, you will save:

$1095 ($821.25) in a year
$10,950 ($8,212.50) in ten years
$54,750 ($41,062) in fifty years

If you are a three-cigarettes-a-day smoker, you will save:

$330 ($247.5) in a year
$3,300 ($2,475) in ten years
$16,500 ($12,375) in fifty years

That’s a lot of money not to mention what it could be if you were to invest that money. You would have enough money to buy a nice car, take a fabulous trip or even put a down payment on a beautiful house.

Check out this calculator to calculate in real-time how much you could save.

Quit Smoking and Receive these Health Benefits

I’m sure every smoker would like to know what kind of health benefits you will receive if you stop smoking. Well lets just say for the most important benefit is that you get to live longer, now I don’t know about you but I love life and I want to be around as long as I can so if all I have to do is stop smoking well by golly I’m going to.

Now I know it’s not easy to quit smoking and it’s not as easy as just saying that you’re going to quit. But you really must spend some serious time researching this filthy habit that you have found yourself addicted to.

If you quit smoking today I mean right now, right this second that in 20 minutes your heart rate drops, the toxic gases in your blood will drop to normal, in two to three weeks you lung function will increase. 1-9 months coughing and shortness of breath decreases. And many years down the road you can avoid major health issues like lung cancer, heart disease and strokes. Now I don’t know if you have had any personal dealings with any of these serious and scary diseases but if you have it will surely make you think twice before lighting up.

Being Healthy is most important to me and it should be to you.

I’ve been blessed with my health and I know others who have not. Now I’m not trying to judge but why would you take even one small risk with your health? It’s no fun to be sick and it takes so many things away from you. When your health is bad your life is bad. You can’t work, you can’t enjoy all the exciting things in life and you feel horrible most of the time. To me health is the number one benefit of quitting smoking. Without health you can’t enjoy life. If you have been blessed with financial stability what good is it if you can’t enjoy it?

Think of others and not just yourself

I hate to say it but smoking it pure selfishness. I know you it’s addictive and all that but you’ve got to think about all the people you mean a lot to. Some of the people that you should be thinking about is your parents, your wife, your friends, your kids and their are probably many more people that you touch or have touched and you may not even be aware of it. These are the people that are going to be hurting when you die of some horrible disease. Don’t say I’m being pessimistic because the fact of the matter is you have a very high chance of dying from some horrible disease related to smoking. So the next time you light up think about all those people that will be hurting for years to come after you are gone.

Cleanliness is apart of a happy non-smoker

Here is a short list of cleanliness benefits

• Whiter teeth which also leads to less dentist visits and thus keeping money in your pocket.
• No more will you have to stand 10 feet away from people while speaking in fear of your bad breath.
• Stain marks on your fingers? If smoking stains your fingers what do you think it’s doing to your insides?
• Your smell and taste will improve.
• Your clothes will smell better.
• People will actually want to ride in your car.
• Reduced risks of contracting a serious disease.
• If you are a women you will be able to get pregnant easier.
• Save money. You would not believe how much money you are spending.
• Show an example for your family. The last thing you want to do is teach your kids how to smoke.

These are just some examples of your health benefits if you stop smoking. And it’s never to late to stop even if you have been smoking your whole life you can still take advantage of these healthy benefits by quitting smoking today.

Smoke and die younger

45 million people still continue to smoke, even after the most intense health campaigns in history. With the internet you can find out so much information about why it’s not good to smoke. 438,000 people die each year from diseases related to smoking. These diseases include lung caner, cardiovascular disorders and pulmonary diseases.

Many smokers are unwilling or unable to quit smoking. They continue to smoke even though they know that they could become very ill or even die. If you are going to smoke you are giving yourself and early death wish.

If you don’t want to die young then quit smoking now. It is proven that no matter what your age, if you quit now you can still reap the health benefits.

Now you can either quit cold turkey which is very hard or you can use alternative sources of nicotine.  These may include modern uses of tobacco like safer nicotine.