[Saya]

Would you have any concerns about a potential b-mom's stated tobacco use if she said she smoked about a pack a week through the 5th month?

[Stormster]

nope. E's birth mother smoked at least half a pack throughout the pregnancy.

Honestly, cigarettes are the LAST thing I'd worry about, but that's me!

[shy_bear]

I would take smoking over what my son was exposed to any day of the week! I wouldn't think twice about it...

[oceanica]

I checked this out a long time ago.. if I recall it can cause low birthweight and a few other things but hasn't really been definitively linked to anything really serious.
I'd go for it in a heartbeat!

[4everwaiting]

My mom smoked 1 1/2 packs of cigarettes per day (full strength) with all four of her children... We all turned out ok. (of course i worry about my brother JK!)

Prenatal tobacco exposure would not deter me in the least.

Good luck!

[Magic_Hat]

Same here. There are way worse things.

[Amber76]

I would go for it and not be at all concerned about tobacco use. You can check out the surgeon general's warnings about smoking and pregnancy-they basically say it can cause low birth weight and that's about it. I talked to our pediatrician and she basically said that while it isn't ideal, she wouldn't be concerned about tobacco use unless it was in extreme amounts like 3 packs a day throughout the pregnancy.

[loveajax]

Mom smoked with all four of us too (and we are all healthy). I think lower birth weight is the biggest danger. We were open to this (though dd's bmom did not smoke). Gl!!!

[KarenInCa]

My mom started smoking after I was born, and smoked probably a half pack a day. She smoked cigarettes thru her entire pregnancy with my younger brother, and also drank a lot of coffee. In the mid 1960s it was 'trendy' to only gain 20 lbs or less during a pregnancy. These two vices were ideal for keeping the weight under control. She gained only 17 lbs with him.
Both my older brother and I were healthy weight and healthy delivery (she did not smoke with us and gained 35-45 lbs with each of us). My younger brother was 6 lbs at birth, but was not delivered prematurely-Whereas, my older brother and I were both at least 7.5 lbs. My younger brother also had under developed lungs, and a lazy eye. He was kept in an incubator for the first 2 weeks to develop his lungs.
His underdeveloped lungs and low birth weight were attributed to her smoking for the entire pregnancy. Today, my brother is 40 yrs old and is generally healthy. He is not prone to lung issues. He has always been extremely intelligent and his height is 6' 1".
I don't know if the lazy eye was related at all to the smoking or coffee drinking, but it was easily correctable thru surgery when he was 5 yrs old.
Long answer short-From what I understand, cigarette smoking during pregnancy can have risk factors, but as far as I know, no brain, growth, or limb issues associated with it.

[PersianMama]

Not to be a downer, but smoking during pregnancy raises the chance of SIDS a lot. Google it. That being said, I don't know that I would totally rule out a baby who was exposed prenatally.

[Stormster]

I wonder if the smoking thing still applies when the baby is removed to a smoke free household. I doubt studies have been done on that.

Also, i have heard it can increase the odds of ADHD but man...what doesn't?

[startedover]

My dd was born addicted to nicotene and therefore I worried about SIDS more, but other than that she had about a 2 week withdraw period and then was fine. Wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

[WizardofOz]

A pack a week through the 5-th month? (Are you kidding me?) That's nothing. I would certainly go for a situation like that if this was the only issue. Cigarettes did not concern me at all, my daughter's birthmom smoked 1/2 pack per day throughout her pregnancy. No effects whatsoever, baby was born 7 pounds 11 ounces.

[mrskt]

Wouldn't bother me at all either... broken down that's only a few cigarettes a day, and she stopped well before the point where weight of the baby would have become an issue.

[Amber76]

Originally Posted by Stormster

I wonder if the smoking thing still applies when the baby is removed to a smoke free household. I doubt studies have been done on that.

That is a great point since I know research shows second hand smoke can increase the chances of SIDS.