My husband is a smoker and I am due to pop v soon Post Reply

[daisydaisy]

Advice please: My husband is a smoker- in the garden only, never the house. I am due to have our first baby very soon and, although he would never smoke near the baby, I am worried about the chemicals on his hands and breath when he holds the baby. Does anyone have any good literature abaout this that I could show him?
Thanks

[mrs_pavlova]

I'm no expert as no-one is a smoker in my house, but I remember my sister was told in hospital by a nurse that she should ensure that her father-in-law should change sweaters when picking up her newborn. (The nurses had obviously noticed the smell of nicotine on him during visits and my sister had mentioned that she and the baby were going to be staying with them!)

Babycenter (USA site) has quite a good article that covers this point.

http://www.babycenter.com/404_how-can-i ... 1430505.bc

I sympathise as it is a tricky situation, but good luck with this - and your new baby. So exciting!

[NYE31]

The Dept for Health advice was to wait at least an hour after smoking before handling a baby & to change your clothes.

Could he give up? My husband gave up when I was pregnant, I made him & he went to see his GP who prescribed some tablets & they worked. He was a 25 a day for 25 years smoker.

If not, then I would ask your midwife for the latest guidance on smoking.

Good luck x

[supermaman]

I can't get my husband to quit even with all the readings and articles I've given him and pep talks from me, midwives, health visitor. He's fully aware but until he has decided by himself, there is little I can force on him. He knows about waiting for 1 hour, changing clothes etc but it is difficult in practice. The only thing he really sticks to is not to smoke in the house and near our daughter and to always, always, always (!) wash his hands before picking her up.

[Ola]

I had few friends with the same problem. Why not try electronic cigarette. Its safe for baby and don't need to change:) Try to find out same more maybe its what you need.
www.e-fog.co.uk

[PID]

Wow! I kinda of shocked, I wonder, perhaps he not ready to be a parent, why and sorry to sound harsh would he want to risk the further health and development of your child?

Several major reviews of the evidence have been produced since 2000, confirming that passive smoking can lead to a range of health problems. It's been estimated that 17,000 children under the age of five are admitted to hospital every year in the UK as a result of illnesses resulting from passive smoking.

Once your baby is born passive smoking (and this includes and means just living with parent or carer who smokes) has been linked to the occurrence of:

cot death (sudden infant death syndrome), infections of the middle ear (glue ear)
potential harm to learning and behavioural development, including disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
meningococcal infections
childhood cancers and leukaemia
respiratory disease when they are an adult
Being exposed to second hand smoke while young, can lead to cancer later on in life.

Note: Don't share a bed with your baby if you are a smoker, even if you never smoke in bed.

Hope this helps, and once again sorry to be harsh.

[daisydaisy]

Thanks for all of your replies. Supermaman, I think that is the best way around the problem. PID- my husband has never smoked near me, never smokes in the house and would never smoke near the baby; it is the chemicals rather than the smoke that I am concerned about, and I will follow the advice of ensuring that he washes hands and changes clothes. We would never have the baby in bed with us due to fear of rolling and squashing!
I may just leave this page open on the computer (by accident) and hope that he reads it...

[monkeymum]

Hi, I really sympathise as my husband is also a smoker and our sec

[monkeymum]

Oops sent too early!!! I was going to say that our 2nd son is now 4mths old and he's still smoking. I am completely aware of the dangers of even the molecules on clothing and hair being transmitted to the baby and so he has a routine after every cigarette where he changes clothes and washes his face, neck and hands before coming close to the children. He has really tried to stop but this will have to do for now....
All I would say to you is bang on at him about changing/washing etc and maybe the hassle will help him quit!
Good luck!

[Tas]

Our LO is now 18 months and my husband has been trying unsuccessfully for 5 years to quit smoking so I totally understand your situation and concerns.

The habit and addiction is very ingrained with him and nothing to date has worked but the electronic cigarettes have been the best win for us. There is no residual smell, as the "cigratte" gives off water vapour, my only problem is that of course it doesn't rid the habit. In my opinion it probably makes it worse!

My husband still smokes standard cigarettes but has learnt that when he does it is not only a case of change of clothes but also hands being washed and I've also sometimes insisted on him having a shower....the smell of smoke in his hair, skin, etc. being near out LO is just not on!

Another option is for him to try Champax which I know many people have found success with but for some (including my husband) have found it makes them awfully nauseous.

[calliwally]

My husband switched to electronic cigarettes, well actually he has tried various contraptions from cigarette looking things to a sort of pipe, but he loves it. It's a nicotine vapor and you still get the 'hit' without the nasty chemicals. It saves money and he's not been smoking around the kids (I have a 2yr old and a baby). You can also smoke everywhere. I know it's not for everyone, but maybe he should give them a go to see how he gets on, sort of a compromise. I know other people have stressed the health risks on previous replies but the no-smoking ads really show exactly how smoke gets around even when you can't see it.

Hope you manage to convince him. If he were the one that was pregnant then he would be getting it in the neck from all angles!