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My Journey With Smoking: Following Up

By Kayla A

A year and a half after writing my original blog post on my smoking cessation journey, I have been asked to write an update. I just re-read my original words and was transported back to the craziness that was the year 2020. There was so much upheaval, so much unknown, so much inconsistency. My smoking cessation journey was no different- here, there, and everywhere.

However, there was a small tidbit of information I couldn’t share when I wrote last about quitting smoking. At the time of publication, I was a little over eight weeks pregnant. I had quit smoking again after taking a pregnancy test on October 24, 2020. Since that day I have not picked up the habit again. I had a healthy pregnancy (aside from some blood pressure issues) and welcomed a gorgeous baby boy on June 13, 2021. After delivery, I was a little concerned that I would welcome my old friend, the cigarette, back into my life. Would I be able to stand the pressure of new motherhood? The sleep deprivation, the insane schedule of not having a schedule at all, did I mention a lack of sleep?

As it turns out, I just kept saying, “no thanks.” No thanks in times of fatigue, times of frustration, times of fun. I just kept saying “no thanks” to smoking so that I could say yes to so much more. I was able to make space to be with my son without the secondhand effects of smoking, and I was able to use a lot of the money I was saving for fun items to have around the house.

If you are out there, thinking about quitting smoking, and knowing how hard it is going to be – you are not alone! I hear you, I see you, I get it. All we can do is work on saying “no thanks” as often as we can. What are you saying yes to by saying no? We are humans, and perfection is a false goal we tend to have for ourselves. I am not perfect, and will most likely slip at some point. But, I am just going to try to say “no thanks” today, and hope to do the same tomorrow. How about you?

If you need help to begin your journey, visit coquitline.org or coaccess.com/quitsmoking or call 800-QUIT-NOW.