Quitting smoking before trying to conceive

Smoking cigarettes during pregnancy is a big no-no. Everyone knows that smoking is extremely bad for your health. Apart from many other nasty consequences, smoking also restricts your blood vessels and lowers the oxygen supply, something that is very detrimental to a fetus during pregnancy. And, a nicotine addition also makes you less fertile. There are many good reasons to quit smoking before you ever start trying to conceive. The question is how. Let's take a look at the various options to help you stop smoking.

Cold turkey

This method sounds the simplest in theory, might might be the most difficult to actually carry out. If you are quitting cigarettes cold turkey, you just stop smoking without any help to make it easier. This requires a huge amount of will power, but you can do it if you are determined!

Nicotine replacement therapy in the form of nicotine patches or chewing gum

This still gives you lesser amounts of nicotine. It can be helpful to some people, but it is expensive and still feeds your addiction. If you decide to give NRT a go, you should ideally wean yourself off within a couple of weeks. Doctors advise you to wait with trying to conceive until you come of the nicotine replacements you are using.

Distraction

Every time you crave a cigarette, drink a huge glass of water, take a walk around the block, or have a snack. Ordinary chewing gum is also a good alternative to nicotine gum.

Whichever method you decide to use, it will get easier with time. When you feel like running to the store to get a packet of cigarettes, remind yourself you are all doing it for your future baby. Hopefully, that will make the journey less hard. Medical experts recommend being smoke free for at least a month before trying to get pregnant, because nicotine and its aftermath take a while to get out of your system, and you could get pregnant during your first cycle of trying. Also check out, can smoking during pregnancy cause SIDS? and Big brother is watching... if you smoke while pregnant?