Any doctors or nurses out there ..............

[joe1]

My wife says that because I am a smoker I should not breathe near my 2 month old grandson because my exhaled breath can harm him ? This is not a one up attempt for smokers but I am obviously concerned. I don't go near him unless I have been smoke free for at least half an hour.

Thanks

[Mr Veritas]

Great a 2month old,hand rolled cigar!

[joe1]

Stop wasting oxygen.

[Ethel]

I am not a doctor or a nurse and would never advocate smoking in a house where there is a baby, or smoking near a baby.

But common sense must kick in. There is a massive rise in asthma sufferers amongst our children, yet there has been a massive drop in the number of smokers over the past 20 years.

Many of the healthy adults in their 40s, 50s and 60s were born to smoking parents (probably smoked during pregnancy too), sat in the cinema amongst smokers and on the buses and so on without coming to harm.

Your exhaled breath won't harm the baby. But you may smell unpleasant - suck a mint or brush your teeth after smoking. And wash your hands. Babies are very sensitive to smells.

[Velvetee]

Your daughter is naturally being an over protective new mother. I don't think your exhaled breath would harm the baby, but if she is concerned, she should speak to her GP.

[Panic Button]

Just give up?

[Goodsoulette]

I'm not the doctor or nurse but I do have a midwife sat right next to me and she says your wife is right.... well sort of. The chemicals excreted through your skin and that are left on your hair, fingers and clothes leave your grandchild at a greater risk of getting all the ususal respiritory problems alone. Secondary smoke is proven to harm babies and toddlers.


I gave up smoking until my baby was 11 months old, I then started again and gave up recently ...AGAIN as my son had a chest infection. They immediately asked me if there were any smokers in the house, I said me, but I never, ever smoke anywhere near anyones children, I would always wash my hands after a fag anyway. They told me that it would still harm my children and no wonder he had a chest infection. Now, she may have been sensationalising but the guilt I felt was incredible. BEst not to have a reason to blame yourself for anything I think.

[Panic Button]

Sounds like I gave good advice then.

Why don't you tear up that last box, and vow to never have another one?

It can be done.

[sqad617]

Take the good advice of Ethel and goodsoulette, for everybodies well being.

[redcrx]

midwives in the last 2 weeks have told me that any smokers who have contact with baby crx must wash their hands and brush their teeth before contact with her.

Smokers should never share a bed with baby so there must be something to do with the breath

[Goodsoulette]

smokers shouldn't share a bed with the baby because they sleep heavier, more prone sleep apnea and have a greater chance of smothering their baby. They are also closer to the chemical given off and this increases the risks of SIDS!

[Ethel]

I breast fed my baby for over 3 years, she shared my bed every night and all night for those 3 years and I smoked 40 a day. It was a long time ago and nobody thought anything of it.

Her dad smoked a pipe inside the house too.

Thankfully she is a healthy and strong middle aged woman with a family of her own.

We didn't have sanitising liquiids and sprays for every surface and I don't suppose her grandmother washed her hands every time she went to the loo either.

Lord knows how she survived childhood. But she did. Hurrah!

[Goodsoulette]

I expect there were lots more like that back then Ethel, but then thats probably one of the reasons why cot death was so widespread.

[ACtheTROLL]

presumably most of us are descended from ancestors who were in contact with plague, typhoid etc etc. and it did them no harm .....

just because "it did me no harm" doesn't mean it didn't do others sufficient harm so they are not around to voice their opinion.

I had my last fag in the carpark outside A&E who immediately admitted me with my second heart attack (of course I can say the first one did me no harm!!!)

it takes 10 years to clear all the signs of having smoked.

your grandson presumably hasn't chosen to start smoking yet... give him a chance ... Just the presence of smokers increases the chance of of him smoking later.

On the good side - your breath carries the bad stuff for about 30 mins (so you are right on).

on the bad side statistically ... you might never find out what he grows up into ....and he might never get to chase you round the garden.

Eth
I doubt that the increase in asthma is down to people NOT smoking ... I agree - probably more down to people being so fanatically clean. I remember two baths a week being called extravagance ....
a bit of muck never hurt anyone ;-)

Apparently it's quite widely believed that one of the reasons kids come into the world face down is so that on the way out they get a mouthful of .... well ....

never did me any harm!

[Postdog]

Smoking round him, yeah OK, that makes sense.

Not having him in a smoky (or where smoke has been) environment, yeah, I can understand that too.

But breathing on him!? Unless you have breath like my work colleague Grant (can strip paint with it!) I think is going too far.