Pregnant Mom Goes Viral on TikTok for Admitting She Hasn’t Stopped Vaping

kaylee_wulf21/Instagram

One TikTok user was recently prompted to speak out about expectant mothers being shamed for using nicotine products in a now viral video. Kaylee Wulf shared a video back in January, saying she was vaping, even though she was 14 weeks pregnant at the time.

"I'm not saying that it's OK, and I'm not justifying it, but it is a real addiction. Nicotine is a real addiction," she shared in her TikTok video. "And just like with anything else, it's not going to be easy to knock."

The video now has nearly 3,000 likes and 958 comments, with mixed opinions from commenters. Some TikTok users and mothers felt seen, but others argued having kids should be reason enough to quit.

Some moms on TikTok could relate.

@kaymariewulf18 Proud of the people who actually were able to quit, but shaming people who are struggling isn’t right. Y’all really find an issue with everything that does not or will not effect you personally. Quit judging/shaming bc its not something you’d personally do. #pregnant #vaping #fyp #momshaming #viraltiktok ♬ original sound - Kaylee Marie

As one commenter shared, “thank you for this. it was hard enough to get sober from the alcohol and hard drugs. people don’t understand how much worse it could be.”

Others felt differently, with one person commenting, “Idk I’ve vaped since I was 14. Had 4 kids and dropped the vape every single time.”

The main concern, however, is safety.

Some TikTok users seem to hold the belief that vaping is a safer alternative to cigarettes.

“Some doctors will tell you not to just stop if you’re addicted because it can actually harm them,” one person wrote.

In response to that comment, Kaylee wrote, “Yess!! I was told this by my OB and she also told me she’d prefer me to vape instead of smoking cigs, if I was unable to quit completely.”

Are e-cigarettes (vapes) safer than regular cigarettes in pregnancy?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Although the aerosol of e-cigarettes generally has fewer harmful substances than cigarette smoke, e-cigarettes and other products containing nicotine are not safe to use during pregnancy. Nicotine is a health danger for pregnant women and developing babies and can damage a developing baby’s brain and lungs. Also, some of the flavorings used in e-cigarettes may be harmful to a developing baby.”

Kaylee isn’t the only pregnant mother to vape during her pregnancy, though. A 2021 study published through the National Library of Medicine noted “that at least 16% of pregnant smokers or former smokers vaped during early pregnancy, while 18% continued vaping into late pregnancy.”

Kaylee is evidently trying to quit.

@kaymariewulf18 #vaping #momsoftiktok #momshaming #momshamersarenotwelcome #pregnanttiktok #pregnancy #viral #foryou ♬ original sound - Kaylee Marie

In a follow-up video posted in response to the recent articles covering her TikTok video and statements about vaping while pregnant, Kaylee said, “I never said that I wasn’t trying to quit. … Instead of spreading hate, support the people that willingly admit to having a problem. … Everybody makes choices that they're not proud of but do people sit there and bash them everyday about it? No they don’t. They support with love.

"I have been trying to quit," she continued. "I no longer smoke cigarettes. But there’s nobody being like 'I'm proud of you because you’re one step closer to not smoking at all.'"