hi ladies, just wondering. hope someone can help me. im preggers with first baby and is a little paranoid about stuff. any how, i was at dinner today at a restaurant that i didnt realize till after the dinner that ppl around my table have been smoking. they probably did not see i am pregnant since my baby bump wasnt showing. plus my nose probably got used to the smoke somehow that i did not realize until the end of my dinner. its pretty short term exposure 1 hr max. but my har reeeeked of smoke when i got home. how bad is ths?! with all the info i have been reading about 2nd hand smoking its freaking me out! :(

Unfortunately, you cannot protect yourself always from smoke exposure. The best you can do is avoid places where smoke is common.

Also, secondhand smoke is the active smoke that's exhaled from someone who's smoking. Now, they are doing research on the effects of THIRDhand smoke, which is what you're describing (if I read your post correctly) - which is the lingering odor/substances that settle on clothes and skin/hair.

It's natural to be worried about all of the chemicals that we as women subject ourselves to while pregnant, but in this case, I wouldn't stress. The best you can do is limit your exposure. HTH!

I thought of this a lot when I was pregnant. My in laws smoked but I went to great lengths to stay away from anywhere or anyone where there was smoking at all. I think you can protect yourself (and your baby) pretty well. I wouldn't stress about what already happened though.

From the midwife at my antenatal class:

Passive smoking (inhaling second hand smoke while they are smoking) is bad, during pregnancy but also for baby after they're born (SIDS risk, asthma etc) - but i wouldnt worry about a one off exposure, you're clearly very careful to avoid repeated exposure.

Residual smell only (after smoking on someones clothes and hair) seems to be just an odor, and so is annoying but safe.

it was just one time at dinner. it's not something you are breathing in daily. i'd just not worry about one time, and avoid being near smoke in the future. there are less and less public places allowing it, so you shouldn't encounter too many instances like you did tonight.

I wouldn't worry too much about one-time exposure. Like PP said, it's impossible to never be exposed, all you can do is limit it. If you're worried, just bring it up at your next OB appointment, your doc/midwife can answer any questions/worries you may have and set your mind at ease :)

The risks associated from cigarette smoke (or second-hand smoke) are the result of prolonged or repeated exposure. A one-time exposure is not going to cause any harm. To be perfectly honest, stressing yourself out over something like this could be causing you more harm than a one-time second-hand smoke exposure. Relax. Congrats and I wish you a happy, healthy pregnancy