Did your Mom SMOKE during pregnancy?

My mom did not start smoking until after she had me, but I know she smoked with most of her subsequent pregnancies. She smoked until the day she died, and refused to quit, even though cigarettes likely caused her death. 

In 1973, Mom quit about half way through her pregnancy with me and never smoked again. I was born a few days late,  7 lbs 8 oz. Dad smoked until I was between 4 and 5. He quit before they bought a different house. I distinctly remember sitting on him on the couch while he smoked and used one of those tall ashtrays where you’d push a button and the ashes would drop down inside the post portion. Guess what my job was? I was the button pusher. My mom’s entire family smoked — grandpa, grandma, two aunts, and two of three uncles. I remember laying on the floor of my parents house to try to breathe smoke free air during family gatherings. It was awful. After some time, my dad refused to host since mom wouldn’t tell her family to go outside to smoke. My dad’s mom smoked, but never in front of her grandkids. She’d go sneak one in the garage. We knew what she doing, but it was just this unspoken thing. One of my two brothers smoked for a short time and used chewing tobacco until he met his RN wife. I’ve never smoked. 

It’s a wonder any of us survived childhood!

Both my mother & DH’s mother took “diet pills” prescribed by a “diet dr” while they were pregnant with us. They had no idea what they were taking. They didn’t smoke but they drank some & took all kinds of meds.

I didn’t even take aspirin when I was pregnant.

Yep... I was born in 68

She quit in the 70s too.

Clearly! Good thing you came early since you were so big.

I have a picture of my mom in the hospital bed smoking (1969) with me in a bassinet beside the bed fresh out of the womb. She says that she didn't smoke during her pregnancy but I don't really believe that. I weighed 6lb7oz.

She continued to smoke until I was about 10 or so. In order to get her to stop I took her cigarettes and wrote on them with a sharpie- things like "don't smoke me!" and "Susie loves you", etc... it guilted her into stopping eventually!

Oh, I'm sure she definitely did. And she probably drank wine too.

My mom smoked when I was younger and claimed she didn’t while pregnant with my sister and me. I don’t believe her one bit. I find it hard to believe she’d quit for 9 months and pick it up again.

I assume that my mom probably did because she was a heavy smoker until she died at 59. I was only 23 when she died in her sleep and there are so many questions that I wish that I had asked her.

Born in 1951, oldest of 4 siblings. My folks both smoked while I was growing up in the '50s and '60s, lots of people did. I tried it at around 15, hated my first cigarette and never did smoke.

My Dad was a heavy smoker, ended up having 2 bypass surgeries about 10 years apart. Took him a year to quit after the first one at age 60-ish. He was a tool and die maker and was on his feet at work. Ended up with terrible circulation in his legs complicated by the smoking. Passed at 72 while in the hospital from a med error. Tragic and shocking at the time, but he was facing kidney dialysis and his quality of life was declining, so in retrospect, maybe a blessing in disguise as he went quickly with little pain.

Mom was a light smoker - one after dinner or with the occasional cup of coffee or cocktail. Though she probably smoked during her pregnancies, it wasn't much and she quit in the early '60s. She just passed in Jan. at 92, in relatively good health for her age, but she did have congestive heart failure, likely exacerbated by her own smoking along with the years of second hand smoke exposure from Dad.

It's mind-boggling to think of the times when many people smoked in cars with kids with rolled-up windows in the winter, in airplanes and in restaurants and while pregnant. Neither myself not any of my sibs have allergy issues, but other than my youngest sis who smoked a bit as a young adult, we also didn't smoke ourselves. Times have definately changed for the better!!

I'm pretty sure they tested for it when I was pregnant with my DD who was born in 1983.  It was a long time ago. Definitely was tested with DS in 1995.

I don't know if my grandmother smoked, but she has Irish twins, too.  Your poor mom's body--she as asking a lot from it!  

My mom and my aunt were only 8 months apart.  My aunt was born at the end of February and my mom was born mid October.  My mom was the smallest premie on record to survive (not sure if that was for the hospital, MN, or what the qualifier was) and was less than 3 lbs at birth.  We have the hospital bill from her first week and it was $52.  She wasn't even given a middle name at baptism because she wasn't expected to survive.  It did lead to her death, as premies often have vascular problems and mom smoked, leading to that fatal heart attack at 46.

Yes, she did! In 1972. I was over a month early and weighed only 4 lbs. 4 oz. I've always had respiratory problems- developed asthma later in life, yearly bouts of bronchitis. Pneumonia twice. I always thought it was because of it. And growing up around smokers constantly. I've wondered if other issues I've had (digestive, etc.) could have stemmed from this as well.

My Mom finally quit smoking 15 years ago. Well, not really. I found out recently she's been using nicotine patches this entire time! That can't be healthy?! She has COPD and now multiple myeloma. I do wonder what her health would be like if she didn't smoke for 50 years.