Stopping smoking can be a challenge, but when a new baby is due, quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do as a family to give baby a heathy start in life
That’s the message from the latest Love Your Bump campaign.
Becoming a smokefree household during pregnancy is a great way to support your family – it can help to support the pregnant person if they are also quitting smoking, or it can help to reduce the amount of second-hand smoke around mum and baby.
Families looking to quit smoking can access support from the specialist team of dedicated Stop Smoking in Pregnancy (SSiP) advisors who provide a friendly and confidential service to help pregnant smokers and their families stop smoking.
Councillor Margaret Bell, portfolio holder for Adult Social Care and Health at Warwickshire County Council said:
“Quitting smoking can be a challenge for many people. Nicotine is an addictive substance, and we understand that even when you know it’s the best thing for the health of you and your loved ones it is still difficult to take steps to quit. The local stop smoking in pregnancy service has specialist advisors trained to support pregnant people and their families through their journey to stop smoking.”
Cigarettes contain tobacco, which is an addictive substance, along with thousands of other chemicals, causing harm to you and those around you who breathe in second-hand smoke. When you quit smoking, the health benefits are almost immediate:
- After 20 minutes, your pulse rate will be returning to normal.
- After 8 hours your oxygen levels are recovering, and the harmful carbon monoxide level in your blood will have reduced by half.
- After 3-9 months any coughs, wheezing or breathing problems will be improving as your lung function increases by up to 10%.
- After 1 year your risk of heart attack will have halved compared with a smoker's.
There’s also a higher chance that children exposed to smoking develop asthma, as well as an increased likelihood that they will smoke in later life.
Pregnant women and their families can receive specialist support:
- Visit: https://quit4good.warwickshire.gov.uk/quit4baby
- Call or text: 07917 227 004
For those not pregnant, Swap to Stop, a new Government programme, offers smokers over the age of 18 access to support to quit with the help of vape ‘quit kits’ and access to 12 weeks of behavioural support and stop smoking treatments. Vapes are substantially less harmful than smoking because they do not contain tobacco, and evidence shows they can be an effective tool in supporting stopping smoking.
To find out more about the stop smoking services:
- Visit: https://fitterfutures.everyonehealth.co.uk/stop-smoking-service/
- Call: 0333 005 0092
- Text: ‘QUIT’ to 60777