My mother smoked while she was pregnant with all 3 of her children. Back in the 60's it wasn't a big deal. She also did not nurse us, which was kind of a fad back then as well.

So, I was born a nicotine baby, addicted at birth. Since she didn't breast feed, I didn't get my fix as a baby. I was very colicky, and cried for a bottle continually according to my mother. Of course, I was just a little pig in her eyes, but I somehow think I was trying to feed my addiction to nicotine. Once I was old enough to feed on my own, I sought out sugary carbs and continued on my path of addiction. Anyone else an obese product of a smoking mother? Just curious if there is a connection.

I was born to a mother who smoked. She didn't nurse. I was always thin. I didn't get over weight until I got very sick and the meads just packed it on. Then, of course, I ate and ate. My weight problem is a combination of meads and chocolate chip cookies lol.

Honestly no... in fact, I was the opposite. I was extremely skinny as a child/teen (think 90lbs @ 5'4!) but I did have severe asthma from the cigarettes (including the subsequent exposure in the home). I was in terrible physical shape though, could not even walk the track at school and called in sick for gym days.

I think most of us from smoking moms were also exposed to it in the home and there was probably subsequent inactivity throughout life, from poor lungs, I'm sure that could easily contribute to obesity as well.

I don't think my obesity is in any way contributed to it, but I was also born to a smoking mother and was obese up until a couple of months ago.

I was born to a smoking mother, also breatfed for 6 months. I have smoked off and on for years now. And of course am obese.

I was born to a smoking mother, (altho I have NEVER smoked) & so were both of my brothers. I have had a weight problem all my life, but not my brothers - they've always been slim & trim. Ack.

My mother smoked in 1959 when I was born and in 1963 when my sister was born. She's always been the skinny sister, I was normal weight through my childhood but often thought of myself as fat when comparing myself to my skinny little sister.

But if you are a baby born with an addiction, then wouldn't you lose the addiction as you start growing since 1- you don't know what the addiction is to, and 2- you will get over the withdrawls because you won't be getting any nicotine anymore?

My Mom smoked while she carried my older bro and me. Bro birth weight 5 lbs, Me 4lbs 1/2 oz. She stopped smoking and my little brother was 6 lbs 12 oz. Hmmm... both older bro & I had lots of upper respiratory issues. I had pneumonia at 9 mos old. As far as the weight, I can only blame it on me.

My mother smoked before I was born. So did my father. We had the heavy crystal ashtrays on the side tables & the big ashtay on the coffee table & the big table lighter. I remember playing with my mother's leather-covered cigarette case, since I adored all the stuff she had in her purse. I also remember extremely well the upstairs neighbor's amazing ashtray -- it was a huge iridescent shell with a stuffed caiman (a tiny little brown alligator) perched on the side of it. God, how I loved that thing. I also remember marveling over all the cigarette butts left in the big ashtrays after my mother had the ladies over for coffee, because they all had pink & red lip-prints left on them by the ladies' assorted lipstick colors.

But my parents gave up cigarettes eventually after I begged them to, tearfully, like a good little propagandist, after being exposed to anti-smoking advertisements on TV & probably to anti-smoking talks at school. All those cheesy propaganda movies I saw at school worked & I have never smoked.

I was breast-fed, though. My mother's immigrant grandmother wouldn't have allowed her not to, even though bottle-feeding was indeed chic at the time.

I wasn't fat through most of my childhood, though. I got fat after adolescence set in. I believe that my behaviors changed then, and that it was only after I became a more anxious child that I ate to soothe myself. And that, over time, my eating habits worsened in some sort of self-perpetuating cycle of a bad feedback loop, and my brain was somehow rewired. I do not think the wiring went bad in utero, in my case.

My momma smoked and I wasn't breast-fed. I have struggled with my weight the bulk of my life but I think it is more due to being raised on fatty foods than because she smoked but I could be wrong. Either way, I only blame myself for my weight issues, I was the one shoveling in all the food for so many years by my own choice.

My mother was a lifelong smoker so I was exposed before I was born. Don't think that had anything to do with my weight. What did have to do with it was all the cream, butter and mayonnaise my mother put on everything, even oatmeal. That's the addiction I've suffered with all my life.

My mom was a smoker...3 boys 1 girl...all over 50 years old now....

my siblings and I were never overweight as children. As adults from the late 30's to early 40's the boys put on weight from beer and over eating. My sister never has.....she smoked...it did until I was 43 ...brothers never did.

Hi Lori Bell:

I have the same history. My mother smoked while pregnant and during my entire growing up until the day she died. She drank heavily throughout my life - I don't know if she gave it up while she was pregnant - I sincerely doubt that. She did not nurse her children. Even if it was a fad at the time, she was basically cold and did not want to nurture her children at all.

All of the children in my family (3) were obese, including my brother who died from it at 48. Some extended family had problems with obesity - others had drug and alcohol problems. Clearly, a lot of addiction problems in my family.

In addition to a physiological connection to family, I think that the food addiction for me has a lot to do with looking for comfort and nurturing. In fact, the adults in my family, including extended family, were generally cold, distant and unaffectionate. I too sought out sugar to feel better.

I sincerely hope that with all of this information, we can all learn from this to hopefully reduce these problems for future generations.

Well to put the flip side to this debate, my mother never smoked and never breast-fed (very unfashionable in the 60s) and I have been overweight/obese since a child. I also never smoked, but did breast-feed my DD and she's been overweight from about the age of 7 (she's 11 now). She was a very hungry baby, demanding feeds every 2 hours or so and as soon as she was on solids she packed the weight on. So no, in our family addiction has nothing whatsoever to do with our obesity.

Kitty