Keys for Quitting

Get ready:

• Think about how quitting will help you and your baby
• Plan on not smoking once you bring your baby home
• Set a quit date and stick to it—not even a single puff
• Get rid of ALL cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car or workplace. Make it hard to get a cigarette.
• Set up smoke-free areas in your home, and make your car smoke-free

Get support and encouragement:

• Tell your family, friends and co-workers you are quitting, and ask for their help
• Ask smokers not to smoke around you
• Talk to women who quit smoking when they were pregnant
• Talk with your prenatal care provider about your plan to quit
• For free help, call (800) QUIT-NOW (784 -8669) to be connected to the Texas Tobacco Quit line

Be prepared to handle “slips”:

• If you “slip” and smoke, don’t give up
• People who quit after they “slip” tell themselves, “This was a mistake, not a failure”
• Set a new date to get back on track
• Remember that by quitting, you are protecting your baby’s health and your own
• Breathe deep, inhale through your nose, count to five, slowly exhale through your mouth
• Try to drink eight or more 8-ounce glasses of water a day
• Keep your hands busy. Wash your car. Draw or color in an adult coloring book. Do a puzzle.
• Delay – the urge to smoke only lasts three to five minutes