Amanda's now a participant in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Tips From Former Smokers Campaign.
A mother is admitting to a dark time in her past.
Amanda smoked while pregnant, putting her baby at risk. "My baby was born two months early and only weighed 3 pounds," she said.
The mom started smoking when she was just 11 years old. By the time she was 13, she was smoking every day, sneaking cigarettes from her parents or asking people to buy them for her on her way to school.
When she became pregnant as a young adult, Amanda tried to quit, but she was addicted and did not know how dangerous smoking could be to her baby.
"Looking back, of course my baby was affected by my smoking," said Amanda. "She had to spend her first weeks of life in an incubator because of it. I could only touch her every four hours when changing her diaper."
Amanda's now a participant in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Tips From Former Smokers Campaign.
As part of it, Amanda speaks about how hard it was to communicate with her newborn in the intensive care unit.
Adding to her pain, her father, who also smoked for years, now has stage 4 lung cancer.
But there is good news. Amanda was able to quit smoking and now hopes that by sharing her story, she can help others quit too.
Quitting smoking at any age has benefits. It's never too late. Help and support are available. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit cdc.gov/tips.
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