It’s common knowledge that smoking in pregnancy is bad for your baby’s health.
Smoking in pregnancy can restrict the essential oxygen supply to your baby. So, as a result, their heart has to beat harder every time you smoke. When you quit smoking, you improve your own health, and reduce the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth as well as the risk of your baby being born prematurely or underweight. The risk of cot death (SIDS) is also much less if you give up smoking while pregnant.
Stopping smoking also helps your baby later in life, as children whose parents smoke are more likely to suffer from asthma and other serious conditions. The earlier in pregnancy you quit the better for you and your baby but even if you only stop smoking in the last few weeks of pregnancy, this will still benefit you both.
The effects of passive smoking in pregnancy are also dangerous. So – even if you don’t smoke yourself – you should try and avoid inhaling other people’s cigarette smoke. Also, it may be more difficult to stop if someone around you smokes.
But, just like at any other time, quitting smoking in pregnancy is difficult. That’s why so many prospective mums turn to e-cigarettes to help them give up.
But, what exactly are these devices and is it safe – for you and your baby – to use them during pregnancy?
WHAT ARE E-CIGARETTES AND ARE THEY SAFE?
Smoking e-cigarettes (also known as vaping) has become increasingly popular in recent years. With an e-cigarette, you inhale nicotine as a vapour rather than smoke. They are seen as a better alternative to cigarettes as they don’t burn tobacco, so don’t produce tar or carbon monoxide – which are two of the most damaging elements in cigarette smoke. E-cigarettes heat a solution that typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerine, and flavourings.
Because they don’t produce tar or carbon monoxide, e-cigarettes are a much safe alternative to actual cigarettes. According to Public Health England, they are around 95% less harmful than smoking.
IS IT SAFE TO USE E-CIGARETTES IN PREGNANCY?
Many mums use e-cigarettes in pregnancy to help them quit the habit and protect their baby.
The NHS states that using e-cigarettes in pregnancy to help you stop smoking is much safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke. However, unlike some other nicotine replacement therapies (NRT), such as patches and gum, e-cigarettes are not available on NHS prescription. This is possibly because not enough research has been done into using e-cigarettes in pregnancy, although this situation may change with time.
If you have decided to go down the Vaping route to quit smoking in your pregnancy, pop into one of our VAPELLA stores. Our staff will be happy to help you make a plan to reduce your nicotine levels in an appropriate time frame. We at VAPELLA endeavour to assist our expectant customers but we do recommend always checking with your medical practitioner before using any stop smoking aids.
