Vaping While Pregnant Is It Safe For Your Baby

There is a lot of conflicting advice online about vaping and e-cigarettes, are they really a healthier option for pregnant women than regular cigarettes?During pregnancy, your growing baby is your main priority. However, habits can be hard to kick, especially something as addictive as nicotine, which is the main addictive chemical found in both vaping products and regular cigarettes.Vaping is the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems or ’e-cigarettes’. Although they come with many different names, e-cigarettes are all devices used for vaping. They deliver a hit of nicotine through an aerosol, creating vapor instead of smoke.The liquid used in vape pens is made up of lots of chemicals including nicotine. It has been suggested that e-cigarette use could be less harmful than smoking regular cigarettes as they don’t contain tar or produce carbon monoxide, which are two of the most damaging toxins released in cigarette smoke. However, vaping products do still contain some of the same harmful toxins as tobacco cigarettes, just at much lower levels, so they are not completely without risk, especially for pregnant women.Whether you are concerned about your own smoking habits or wary about secondhand vapor from those around you, we have got all the facts about vaping while pregnant and the potential effects it could have on your developing pregnancy here.If you would like to read more of our parenting and pregnancy articles, why not explore why some mothers experience no morning sickness and find out if pregnant women can drink wine?‍‍Is Vaping Safe While Pregnant?So are e-cigarettes safe for use during pregnancy? Well, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, e-cigarettes are not considered to be a safe option for pregnant women. There are so many brands and varieties of e-cigarettes and liquids, that is very difficult to conduct a thorough study, not to mention that such a study would likely mean putting expectant mothers at risk. While the effects of smoking cigarettes during pregnancy are well documented, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only very recently started to regulate the vaping industry, so the effects, whether short or long-term, have not been researched sufficiently yet.If you are a long-term smoker and quitting is going to add significantly to your stress levels you might be wondering, is vaping better than smoking during pregnancy? Although e-cigarettes do contain less of the toxins found in regular cigarettes, the presence of nicotine means they are not safe for use by pregnant women, as nicotine exposure can be very harmful to the developing fetus. There are other options available to help you quit vaping during pregnancy that have been shown to have less detrimental effects than e-cigarette use.The Effects Of Vaping While PregnantAlthough vaping can seem less damaging than smoking regular cigarettes, this is a bit of a myth. Vaping can seem more acceptable because things like the lingering smokey smell aren’t present, as e-liquid turns to vapor and is often scented. It is important to remember that the industry only recently became regulated, and many of the products currently on the market will have been manufactured prior to the regulations being in place.Nicotine is a toxin that enters the blood, so when you inhale nicotine via an e-cigarette, it not only goes into your bloodstream but it passes through the placenta and straight into your baby’s bloodstream too, just as it would with a regular cigarette.Some of the risks associated with nicotine exposure in the womb are miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, a low birth weight which could result in your baby needing intensive care, placental abruption among other issues with the placenta, preterm delivery, and even stillbirth. There is also a higher risk of your baby being born with birth defects such as decreased brain development. The risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) is also much higher for the children of smokers and mothers who smoked during pregnancy.Being around vaping while pregnant while not actually vaping yourself, while not as harmful as being around cigarette smoke, is still not ideal. There are many chemicals in e-liquid vapor and it’s impossible to know what each one contains as there are so many different types.So how about vaping 0 nicotine while pregnant? Although electronic cigarettes contain fewer other toxins and chemicals than actual cigarettes, the e-liquid options without nicotine do still contain health-harming substances. Some of the ingredients found in 0 nicotine e-liquid include benzene, a substance also found in car exhaust fumes, and lead among other heavy metals.How To Stop Vaping While PregnantIf you began vaping as a way to quit smoking, you’ve already taken the first step and it is great news that you have quit smoking. There are many resources out there for helping you to quit, from therapy to online support groups and even hypnosis!Your chances of quitting and sticking to it are much higher if you feel supported and have someone looking out for you and holding you accountable, whether in real life or online. There are therapists and advisors who specialize in helping people to quit smoking regular and electronic cigarettes. Even if you are already pregnant, don’t be afraid to reach out to these services, they are trained to help and these are positive steps you are taking.Quitting cold turkey can be tricky, if you need a little extra help you could ask your health care provider about nicotine replacement therapy, sometimes known as smoking cessation devices. Because these products do still contain nicotine it is important that you only use products approved by your doctor for use during pregnancy. Things like gums and patches can give you a small hit of nicotine without exposure to other toxic chemicals.Finding other ways to relieve stress will also be key to successfully quitting e-cigarette use. Exercise, even a gentle walk, can be a great stress reliever, along with spending time outdoors. Yoga in pregnancy is amazing for stress relief and overall health. Meditation and deep breathing are also great tools for relieving stress in day-to-day life, not just in pregnancy, and you will find they come in handy when it’s time to give birth too!Make sure you are getting enough sleep (sometimes easier said than done during pregnancy!), a lack of sleep can result in a boost of stress hormones which may result in you reaching for the vape, so healthy sleep habits will make you less likely to need that hit. Try to avoid situations where you might be tempted to pick up an e-cigarette and ask friends who vape or smoke to refrain from doing it around you (this will also help you avoid secondhand vapor or smoke).Sometimes simply having something to do with your hands or something to put in your mouth can help the cravings. Hard candy, gum, lollypops, and crunchy fruit and veg can help give you something to chew on and distract you from wanting to vape.So overall, the evidence seems pretty clear, vaping and using e-cigarettes while pregnant is not safe for your baby. If you are planning to get pregnant soon or are already expecting, the best thing you can do is to give up altogether, as well as being the best choice for your baby, quitting smoking or vaping will also have an amazing effect on your health and the health of those around you.If you found this article helpful, then why not take a look at some of our other articles to find out the worst weeks for morning sickness, or about morning sickness at night?‍

There is a lot of conflicting advice online about vaping and e-cigarettes, are they really a healthier option for pregnant women than regular cigarettes?