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Now that you are a new parent, it is still very important to take care of yourself and to keep you and your baby healthy. One of the most important ways to do this is to be tobacco free, including the use of vaping products. If you quit while you were pregnant (or your partner was), it is important to stay quit. If you started to use tobacco again after you had your baby, don’t give up. You can still stop. You’ve quit once, and you can do it again. If you never quit using tobacco while pregnant, it’s never too late to quit.
Think about the benefits for you to be tobacco-free:
- Gives you more energy and helps you breathe more easily.
- Saves money that you can spend on other things.
- Makes your clothes, hair and home smell better.
- Increases your choices of birth control methods.
- Helps prevent heart disease, lung disease and cancer.
- Helps prevent colds and serious illnesses like pneumonia.
Keeping your baby away from smoke and vape:
- Lowers your baby’s risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
- Reduces the number of sinus and ear Infections.
- Reduces the chance your baby will have asthma.
- Results in fewer colds, coughing, and congestion. Lowers chances of bronchitis, pneumonia and croup. Promotes healthier lungs for a lifetime.
- Promotes healthier brain development.
It is also important to know that the liquid used in vapes can be deadly for infants and young children. Even one teaspoon of liquid nicotine can be fatal, and smaller amounts can cause severe illness. Be sure to keep these products away from children. If you or your child gets vaping liquid on their skin or eats it, call Poison Control right away: 1-800-222-1222.
Being a new parent can be very stressful. Interrupted sleep, feeling down, being worried and juggling many things can be very difficult. This can make it hard to stay away from tobacco, but there are things you can do to get through this time and stay tobacco free. Losing weight after having a baby is a common goal among new moms. Some women think that using tobacco can help them lose weight. There are better ways to lose weight that can build healthy lifestyles for you and your baby. Read HERE for more ideas.
If you need support to quit or to stay tobacco, free:
- Contact a quit coach at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669). Calling this toll-free number will connect you directly to your free state quitline. All states have quitlines in place with trained coaches who provide information and help with quitting for free. Specific services and hours of operation vary from state to state.
- Talk to your healthcare provider about medications that are available to help treat tobacco dependence. Yes, you can still use many of these medications even while breastfeeding.
- Know that the combination of counseling (like what you would receive from a quitline coach) and the use of medication together is more effective at helping you to quit.
Keeping Your Baby Safe from Second Hand Smoke and Vape:
Do all you can to keep yourself and your baby away from secondhand smoke and vape. Secondhand tobacco exposure makes babies sick and makes it harder for them to breathe. Babies’ lungs and airways are small. When they breathe tobacco smoke, babies get poisons from the smoke. Their lungs also absorb tiny particles, nicotine, harmful gases and chemicals from secondhand smoke. Breathing problems, wheezing and sickness triggered by secondhand smoke make babies feel uncomfortable and be more fussy.
Here are some ways that you can handle this situation:
- Ask the friend or family member to quit.
- Ask others not to smoke around you or your baby.
- Make your room, nursery, home and car non-smoking/vape areas.
- Leave the room with your baby when others smoke or vape.
Babies and children should be kept away from secondhand tobacco. This includes cars where people are smoking or vaping. It is also important to make sure that people who have been smoking or vaping to wash their hands and change their clothes before they hold the baby. Read HERE to find out how to talk to your partner, grandparents, and others about not smoking or vaping around your baby.
Additional Resources to Explore:
