Are Electronic Cigarettes Safe During Pregnancy?

I have seen this question pop up time and time again so I thought it would be good to start off our new FAQ section on this question.

There are two sides to this question with some people saying that e cigs are ok to use whilst pregnant as they are the better alternative to smoking, whilst others say once you become pregnant it is totally unacceptable.

The arguments for using the electronic cigarette include:

Women Who Are Pregnant & Quit Smoking Have Healthier Babies:

This really is a no brainer...if you are with child and you are inhaling toxic chemicals via smoking then this will have consequences for your unborn child’s health. E cigs don’t contain the thousands of harmful chemicals and carcinogens found in a regular cigarette so therefore they are a healthier alternative. There also seems to be a massive misunderstanding that some women think that if they smoked in their first trimester that there is no point quitting in the next two. I don’t know where this came from but it definitely has no ring of truth to it – ideally you should quit before you try for a child, but as we all know it is not always as simple as that and things don’t always work to plan so make sure as soon as you find out your pregnant you try and kick the habit.

Electronic Cigarettes Are Good At Preventing Stress:

Some argue that if a women is pregnant and is asked to quit it can be particularly difficult and distressing. This can affect the baby’s health as the mother will become increasing anxious and have unhealthy stress levels. By using the e cig the mother can start to wean herself off nicotine and break the addiction in a safer manner.

Electronic Cigarettes Doesn't Affect your Appetite:

There have been countless studies that have linked smoking to disruption in the mothers food consumption. When a woman becomes pregnant she is basically eating for two so it is important for her to have healthy nutritious meals. If her food intake is either inadequate or she is not having a well balanced diet i.e. not burger and chips every night then there is a chance the baby could be under developed and even suffer from a poor immunity.

Electronic Cigarettes Can Avoid Negative Health Issues:

Similar to above smoking whilst pregnant can cause a child to be born with a low birth weight. This can have some pretty serious side effects including an increased likelihood to develop learning disorders such as dyslexia and ADHD. Also the babies will be more susceptible to diseases throughout their life as they will have a poor immunity.

Conclusion

As earlier stated the best way to protect your child is to quit before you become pregnant. If the child was an unexpected, amazing surprise, then you should try and quit as soon as you see the positive result on your pregnancy test. Electronic cigarettes should only be used during pregnancy as a last resort and only after first speaking to your GP.

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