Pregnant smokers aren’t alone
6/4/2010Pregnant smoker kicks the habit with NHS East Lancashire
Rowena Dean, 24, had been smoking around 20 cigarettes a day for ten years before deciding to quit. Rowena's motivation to kick the habit wasn't financial or even for her own health - she wanted to stop smoking for her unborn baby.
Research has suggested that nearly a fifth of pregnant smokers are reluctant to reveal their habit to health workers.[1] However, Rowena shows that asking for support whilst pregnant is the first step to being free of cigarettes for good.
Rowena, from Rawtenstall, said: "Telling my midwife that I wanted to stop smoking was the best thing I could have done, as she pointed me in the direction of NHS East Lancashire's Stop Smoking Service."
Rowena had started smoking at the age of 13. "I fell in with the wrong crowd, tried cigarettes and got hooked," she recalled.
After smoking for six years, Rowena quit at the age of nineteen, but after a year without cigarettes, she succumbed to temptation. Rowena commented: "I was on holiday in Barcelona, enjoying a drink, and the temptation was to have a cigarette, as the two normally go hand-in-hand. I lit up, and that was it - I was back to square one."
Rowena promised herself that she would quit smoking once her holiday was over, but she never did. However, after finding out she was pregnant, Rowena realised that she needed to ditch the cigarettes forever.
After being told about NHS East Lancashire's Stop Smoking Service, Rowena attended one of the sessions: "I didn't feel judged at all. The staff were incredibly welcoming. They talked me through how I could quit and what products I could use. I was surprised to learn that I could use nicotine patches whilst pregnant. They helped me quit last time, but I didn't think I could use them during pregnancy. Also, as I was pregnant, I got the patches for free. Without the support of the service, I may have gone cold turkey and not been able to quit at all."
Rowena's determination to have a smoke-free pregnancy rubbed-off on her partner, Jacob, who also quit smoking with the service. Both Rowena and Jacob are now eagerly awaiting their new arrival, due anytime soon.
Rachel Nickson, a Stop Smoking Advisor for NHS East Lancashire, who works with pregnant smokers, concluded: "Some expectant mums may be reluctant to access the service because they feel they may be judged for smoking whilst carrying their baby. However this is not the case and we are not there to judge. We are on hand to offer tailored support for pregnant women to enable them to successfully quit smoking. We have group sessions throughout East Lancashire, and we offer free and confidential one-to-one appointments."
To contact your local Stop Smoking Service, or to book a one-to-one appointment, call 01254 380424. Alternatively, you can visit www.smokefree.eastlancs.nhs.uk.
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For further information please contact Sally Davies at the PCT on 01282 644 720 or email sally.davies2@eastlancspct.nhs.uk, or Halima Khatun at Bell Pottinger North on 01625 506 426 or by e-mail at: hkhatun@bellpottingernorth.co.uk.
[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8332934.stm
