Misbehaving Mums to be.

I have just sat down and watched 'Misbehaving Mums to be' which aired on BBC 3 on Thursday night.


From the second it started I knew it was meant to shock.  The program follows three pregnant ladies each week who have 'vices' and shows them what they are doing to the health of their unborn children.


This week we were shown a lady who smokes twenty cigarettes a day and did so while she was pregnant with their first child, a woman who continued to drink, and a lady who was extremely obese.


I found the program incredibly uncomfortable to watch.  It wasn't the lady who drunk or the obese lady who shocked me, it was the woman who smoked.


From the second I found out I was pregnant I gave up my 'vices' which were coke (of the drink variety!) and alcohol.  By no means was I a heavy drinker but I did like to have a few glasses of wine during the week and at the weekend.  I am also addicted to diet coke and drink at least five glasses a day.  I actually found the coke harder to resist than the alcohol but resist I did manage.  I did not touch a drop of either from the day I took my pregnancy test.


By no means am I saying that women should not drink alcohol while pregnant, or drink caffeine.  I have lots of friends who have had the occasional glass of wine- this was my personal choice and a goal I set myself to see if I could do it.  A lot of my friends carried on drinking coffee as well, and I still ate chocolate which has caffeine it, it was more a test to myself cause I know how unhealthy it is.


But what I just cannot understand is why people continue to smoke that many cigarettes during their pregnancy.  I smoked heavily while at university, from when I was about 17 for a few years but when I met Mr E he really disliked it so I stopped then and there and never smoked regularly again.  I did have the occasional wobble when tipsy and would have the odd cigarette here and there but I haven't had one for a couple of years now.  Smoking is an addiction and I do understand that it is hard for people to give up, as people have different willpower levels, but the woman on there made me so angry.  


I know people do find it difficult but if they are trying to give up then that is the main thing.  If they go and seek help then at least they realise that they are causing a danger to their unborn child and that shows that they are already being a mother.  If they can't give up totally, but manage to cut down or at least attempt to cut down then in my opinion they should be praised because at least they have tried.  By not even attempting to give up, they are causing their baby a serious health risk and I find this incredibly selfish.


This is just my opinion and I know that other people will disagree and that is totally fine as we are all entitled to our own choices but the sight of that lady perching an ashtray on her bump while puffing on a fag really made me uncomfortable and I won't be watching it again.