South West judge smoking pregnant mums
Pregnant mums in the South West don’t seek help to quit smoking due to the social stigma of their condition.
In a recent survey, 45 per cent of people in the South West are critical of pregnant women who continue to smoke.
Seventeen per cent of pregnant smokers in the area would like to seek help to stop smoking but are worried about being judged.
The NHS are rolling out a new Smokefree pregnancy campaign, which is calling for encouragement not judgement for those who won’t give up.
A powerful new campaign will show that every cigarette smoked during pregnancy restricts the oxygen supply to the unborn baby making their heart beat harder.
Regional Director of Public Health, Dr Gabriel Scally said: “We can see from the results of this survey that It’s not always easy for pregnant women to seek help to quit smoking -Fear of being judged or criticised often means that they hide their smoking rather than asking for help.
“These women should not be stigmatised, but encouraged to contact their local NHS Stop Smoking Service for help and support. The NHS Stop Smoking Service has Specialist Pregnancy Advisers, who are specifically trained to help meet the needs of pregnant smokers. The good news is that stopping smoking will benefit the baby immediately and after two days of being smoke free, the nicotine leaves the mother and baby’s bodies.
Mum-to-be Lianne May, from Bath has quit smoking using the NHS Stop Smoking Service. Lianne is supporting the new campaign as she understands how hard it is for mums-to-be to quit smoking, and how much local NHS support can help.
“I wanted to quit as soon as I found out that I was pregnant” said Lianne “as I knew that if I continued, it could harm my unborn baby.
“I started smoking when I was 14 years-old and have tried to give up three times but I always found an excuse to start again.
“I contacted my local NHS Stop Smoking Service a couple of months ago and had one-to-one sessions. Frederica, a smoking in pregnancy specialist visited my home, weekly to begin with, then fortnightly, then monthly. The sessions really opened my eyes to the damage that second hand smoke was doing to my daughter Caitlin. She had been suffering from chest infections and since I have stopped smoking, Caitlin is completely better.
“I would recommend any pregnant woman who wants to give up to contact their local NHS Stop Smoking Service. I feel so much better since giving up, and, if you opt for home visits, you can’t make any excuses to avoid it because the support comes to you!”
The NHS Pregnancy Smoking Helpline – 0800 169 9 169
