As part of plans to encourage thousands of women to give up smoking, the NHS has announced that all pregnant women will be required to take a smoking test in order to drive down the number of stillbirths.
NHS stats show that over one in ten pregnant women – 65,000 people in England alone – are tobacco smokers at the time of delivery, which puts their children at an increased risk of being stillborn, the Independent reports.
At the moment, expectant women are asked during appointments if they smoke, which means they’re able to choose whether or not to be honest. But come July this year, all pregnant women will be routinely screened at 12 and 36 weeks.
If they do smoke, they’ll then be advised on how to quit and be offered specialist help to give up the cigarettes within 24 hours.
As the NHS explains, when pregnant women smoke carbon monoxide and other toxins enter the bloodstream from the lungs, then through the placenta and into the baby’s body. This means the baby struggles for oxygen, which will affect their development.
Chief executive of the NHS England Simon Stevens was quoted by the news source as saying: “Stillbirth is heartbreaking, which is why the NHS, through the skill and professionalism of our midwives, nurses and doctors, is taking action to ensure an even greater number of parents and babies experience a healthy birth.”
And health secretary Matt Hancock told the Sunday Times that although the number of women smoking during pregnancy has reached an all-time low, there are still too many people out there suffering the tragedy of stillbirth because of cigarettes.
How to quit smoking
The NHS says that you can use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) during pregnancy if it will help you to quit and if you think you’ll be unable to stop without it. Further guidance states that you shouldn’t take tablets like Zyban or Champix during pregnancy.
NRT products (like patches, gum, inhalators, nasal and mouth sprays, and so on) only contain nicotine and none of the harmful chemicals you find in cigarettes.
If you’ve been experiencing pregnancy-related vomiting or nausea, you may find patches to be the most effective option for you. These should be used for no more than 16 hours in any 24 and the best way to do this is to take the patch off at bedtime. Always seek the advice of your GP, midwife or pharmacist before using any of these products, however.
Where ecigarette use is concerned, remember that they do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, the latter of which is especially harmful to developing babies. The vapour in an ecig does have some possibly harmful chemicals but at lower levels. If ecig use will help you to quit, it is safer for you and the baby than continuing to smoke cigarettes.
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