Reality Check-- Smoking Matters

Teens -- If you smoke and are pregnant, we hope our story can help you take steps to Quit Smoking! Check it out!

[This is a fotonovela with the following conversation taking place among a group of teens, several who are pregnant and others with their babies. The dialogue has been altered slightly from the original]

"What's wrong?"

"I am so tired! Clay cried all night. I barely slept!"

"Yeah, you look tired and he seems cranky."

"Oh the babies are getting so big! How old are they now?"

"They are both three months old, but Clay was born five weeks early. Clay is smaller, even though they are the same age. Clay was a preemie. Seems like he always has a cold and earache. He can be so fussy!"

"Well, what do you expect? You smoked when you were pregnant! I quit smoking when I got pregnant. I got rid of my cigarettes and quit cold turkey! Mama and the doctor helped me stop smoking."

"I tried to stop. But it is hard to quit!"

"It was for me too, but if I can quit, you can quit!"

"How did you quit?"

"First, I cut down. Then my cousin helped me make a plan to quit. We wrote ideas for what I could do instead. Like when you are stressed or with friends who smoke. If I was stressed out, instead of reaching for a cigarette, I rubbed my hands together and counted to ten real slow. Then I took ten deep breaths. It helped me relax. When I wanted a cigarette, I washed my hands and painted my nails to keep my mind of smoking. Sometimes I held a straw and pretended to chew it. I also drank water or chewed gum instead of smoking. I called my best friends for help. They would talk to me until the craving passed."

"I don't want cigarettes to control my life. I want to make my own choices for me and my baby."

"You need to choose a day to quit. Then make a plan and stick to it."

Reality Check - Smoking hurts your baby by making him/her more likely to:

• be born too soon or too small to be healthy
• die suddenly from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• have breathing problems and asthma
• have more behavior problems
• do poorly in school
• be a smoker when he or she grows up

Benefits of quitting smoking

Not smoking when you are pregnant is one of the best things you can do for you and your baby. When you quit smoking you can help your baby:

• be born closer to the due date
• have a normal weight when he is born
• be healthier and breathe easier
• have fewer colds, runny noses, and earaches
• get a better start in life

You can save the money you would have spent on cigarettes and spend it on something for you or your baby.

Who can help you quit smoking?

• School Nurse
• Friends
• Boyfriend
• Pastor
• Health Department Nurse
• School Counselor
• Family member
• Parent
• Your Doctor
• Adult you trust
• A former smoker

Web Resources

• www.4girls.gov/substance/smoking/index.cfm
• www.helppregnantsmokersquit.org
• www.quitnownc.org
• www.tobaccorealityunfiltered.com
• www.smokefree.gov
• www.stepupnc.org
• www.americanlegacy.org/greatstart/hom.html
• www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content?PED_10_7_Committing_to_Quit.asp

Reality Check - My plan to quit

1. Set a date to quit
   I can do it! I will quit smoking on: (fill in the blank)
2. Know why you want to quit smoking
   I want to quit smoking because: (fill in the blank)
3. Get ready to quit. Know when and why you smoke. When you have the urge to smoke, do something else.
   When do I smoke? (fill in the blank)
   What I will do instead: (fill in the blank)
4. Ask for help.
   These people can help me quit smoking:
   They can help me by doing:
5. Try not to smoke after the baby is born
   Babies breathe fast and their lungs are small, so the poisons in the secondhand smoke are worse for them.
6. If you slip, keep trying to quit. Don't give up! Learn from each time you try to quit. Then, try again. Remember,you are not alone! Half of all smokers want to quit. It's never too late to stop!

This material is funded by the N. C. Department to Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health - Women's and Children's Health Section, and the Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission of North Carolina.

75,000 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $4,198 or $.056 each (October, 2003)

www.nchealthystart.org