Smoking during pregnancy leads to aggression in children

Women who smoke during pregnancy risk having aggressive child, according to a study published in the journal Development and Psychopathology.

While previous studies have shown that smoking cause babies to be born with low weight, this new data add that mothers who smoke during pregnancy can provoke aggressive behavior in kids.

Scientists from Canada and Netherlands determined that there is an additional risk for mothers with lower social income (less than 40,000 dollars a year) and those with antisocial behavior, school dropouts and pregnant under 21 years.

Psychiatry professor Jean Segi from University Hospital of Sainte-Justine in Montreal and his colleague Stephen Haybregts from University of Leiden in Netherlands, together with an expanded team of authors believe that mothers with antisocial behavior, have very high risk of aggression occurrence in their child - 67 % especially if they smoked ten or more cigarettes per day during pregnancy.

Those who have not smoked or smoked less than 10 cigarettes per day, the risk goes within 16%. The results were taken from large-scale study in Quebec, tracking the behavior of many children over a long period of time.The object of the study were 1745 children aged 18 months to 3 ½ years. Their behavior was described by their mothers. Children kicked, biting, crying, hitting, barge into battle, etc. The authors warn that smoking during pregnancy, among other factors, such as divorce, depression, lower educational status and lower age may be a reason for aggressive behavior in children.

 First week (preparation for quitting smoking):

• Attach a note on the cigarettes box and write down every cigarette you smoke for a week. Include the number of cigarettes, time, place and mood / cause. Use these tags to define your personal reasons for smoking and plan to deal with these "temptations".
• Smoke cigarettes that contain  40-60% less nicotine than cigarettes you usually smoke.
  
• Collect the butts of cigarettes you smoked in a glass jar with a lid. Place this jar in a place where you can see it when you go to sleep and wake up. If you get a desire for a cigarette, remove the lid, add some water and smell.
  
• Start behaving as a nonsmoker. Choose non-smoking section in restaurants and hotels.
• Identify the place in your home and office "smoking area". This place must be embarrassing, such as garages or outside.
• Keep your cigarettes in an embarrassing place, such as the terrace, garage or in the mailbox if you live in an apartment. Work 'hide' cigarettes in a difficult accessible place or ask a colleague to store them (he must be a smoker).
  
• Do not buy steaks. Buy only one pack, even if it means an unpleasant trip to the store in the middle of the night.
• Vigorous walk is one of the best aerobic exercise that helps reduce tension and the desire for a cigarette.
  
• Start practicing. Exercise 20-30 minutes during the day.
  
• Try to stop smoking by 16 weeks of pregnancy, but not later than 30 weeks.
  

• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of liquids (water, juice, nectar, etc..) Per day unless your doctor has prescribed otherwise. It is good if you plan to drink about 200 g of fluid every 2 hours when you're awake. Water, milk and juice drinks are appropriate, avoid those containing caffeine. Finish each meal with a glass of water. Eat carbohydrates to minimize irritability. Rich in carbohydrates are: all fresh fruits and vegetables.
  
• Put all smoking accessories out of your home, office and car. Clean your car to eliminate the residual odor of cigarette smoke.
  
• Quite sitting in your favorite smoking chair or similar place.
  
• If you have trouble sleeping at night, drink a glass of milk.

Third week and up

• The desire for a cigarette typically peaking during the first 24 hours and decreases over the next 7 days. The desire is usually lower in the morning and more strong at night, possibly as a result of fatigue. Regardless of how strong is the desire for a cigarette testing you should remember that it will go away within 3 to 5 minutes. Do not gave up. It will pass regardless of whether you will ignite or not. When you experience a strong urge to smoke try to take slow deep breath for 5 minutes and drink a glass of water.
  
• Hypnosis is used for smoking cessation.
  
• Ask your doctor about the possibility of using nicotine patches. Their use during pregnancy is controversial because the baby is exposed to cardio-incentive effect of nicotine, but not exposed to carbon monoxide, cadmium and all other chemical ingredients.
  

I have read some of this tips about quit smoking in Pregnancy.org. Great site,lot of useful information.