I couldn't quit until I found out I was pregnant. I tried to concieve for like a year with no luck and the depression from that made me want to smoke. Especially since my entire family and all my friends are chain smokers (including my husband). I have to tell you though that it is soooooo much easier if you can quit before hand. Not for your health but even if you desperately want a baby, the changes your body goes through and the level of selflessness you have to go through is a major shock to your system after you get pregnant. This is my first baby and I'm 5 months now. It's finally getting easier. But I quit cold turkey when I found out and it was absolutely painful and horrible. It was soo hard that I couldn't even be excited about being pregnant until I was done detoxing. It took my body and emotional state about 4 months to feel semi normal. I'm still not completely there. When you are pregnant, you can't make one decision during your day without thinking about how it will affect your baby. If you are like me in the sense that you need a comfort zone somewhere, hot bath, cold beer, cigarette etc..to cope..then you're in for a big shock. Basically, it feels like I've lost my identity as a pregnant mom. Eventually, that becomes okay but it is just incredibly difficult to adjust to. Especially if you are around other smokers. In my oersonal case, the only advice I got on quitting that helped came from my grandma. She told me that when she quit, she locked herself in her bedroom like she had a really bad case of the stomach flu. She left only to go to the kitchen and get food. I had to work but after work, I did just that. I went straight home, got into bed and didn't leave. I did that for four months including weekends until I felt strong enough to venture out into the world without cigarettes. My husband hated that!!! My family did too! I didn't care though because I had to quit for the baby and I stopped caring about anyone's opinion but my own. My family are major party people who feel that when pregnancy occurs you have to keep your social events up to date and just sit there amongst drinkers and smokers and just deal with it. Normally, I'm a people pleaser and would put myself in those situations even if it killed me. I couldn't do it though and finally just weathered the fights and protests and did what I had to do to keep myself and my baby healthy. I stopped caring who was mad at me for not attending social events. It would have been a lot easier if my family had been supportive but instead I had to fight my family as well as my addiction.
Point: It would have been soooo much easier to just quit before getting pregnant. You shouldn't have to deal with any of that extra junk because pregnancy throws enough stuff at you to deal with that you weren't prepared for. Try the flu technique..stay in bed like you are sick until your cravings are gone. Sounds severe but its the only way I could quit.
