Going back: Regaining solace, sanity and self Women's return to smoking postpartum

Abstract

Cigarette smoking is associated with a myriad of health problems among those who smoke and those who are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. Evidence indicates that even though many women stop smoking during pregnancy the majority return to smoking within the first six months after delivery. Grounded theory methodology was used to explore women's perceptions of environmental, interpersonal and intrapersonal factors that influenced them to return to smoking postpartum. Participants were over 18 years of age, and self reported that they stopped smoking during pregnancy and returned to smoking after delivery. A basic social process Going Back: Regaining Solace, Sanity and Self was discovered from nine interviews. A six stage process was discovered. Stage One, Being a Smoker described women's personal historical context of becoming and being a smoker. Stage Two Imperative to Protect: Stopping Smoking During Pregnancy For the Baby explained how women who smoke become pregnant and are motivated to stop smoking during pregnancy primarily to protect the unborn baby from harm. Stage Three, Life in Flux: Experiencing the Stress in the Postpartum Transition contributed to the context in which women returned to smoking. Many were challenged with stress from physical and psychosocial changes inherent to the postpartum period. In Stage Four Going Back: Regaining Solace, Sanity and Self, women returned to smoking post delivery. The return was one to their usual being and way of dealing with stressors of daily life. Women described many benefits of returning to smoking in this stage. Stage Five, Considering the Negative Consequences, described how after going back to smoking women realized actual and potential consequences of cigarette smoking to themselves and their children. Stage Six, Extending Protection, described tactics women used to protect their children and themselves from the dangers of cigarette smoking. The grounded theory, Going Back: Regaining Solace, Sanity and Self provides greater understanding of women's smoking behavior across the childbearing process.