Pregnancy | Smokefree Hampshire

Congratulations,
you have a baby
on the way!

Quitting smoking is important for a healthy pregnancy and to give your child a good start.

We know it’s tough to quit, but with our support you’re three times more likely to quit for good.

Congratulations,
you have a baby
on the way!

Quitting smoking is important for a healthy pregnancy and to give your child a good start. We know it’s tough to quit, but with our support you’re 3 x more likely to quit for life.

How we can help

With so many ways to quit smoking, we’ll work with you and your midwife to find what works best for you.

We have helped many pregnant women to stop smoking with our mixture of free nicotine patches, chewing gum, lozenges, vape starter kit. Our specialist advisors can support you in many ways such as telephone, online or face to face to make it easier for you (and your loved ones) to quit for good.

How smoking affects you and your baby

*Kindly click on each interactive point to explore the complete range of effects.

When you smoke, more than 4000 chemicals are absorbed into your bloodstream, including ammonia (found in toilet cleaner), arsenic (a poison), and carbon monoxide.

Smoking reduces the oxygen supply to your baby, which can cause restricted growth and development, premature birth, and result in a lower birth weight. These factors can lead to a weaker baby and a more challenging birth.

The placenta is vital for baby’s wellbeing. Smoking raises the chances of bleeding, placental abruption (placenta detaches/peels away), and placenta praevia (placenta blocks the womb entrance).

Your baby is more likely to be born with low birth weight if you smoke. Smaller babies can face difficulties during and after birth. For example, they are more likely to have problems with keeping warm and are more likely to get infections.

If you smoke during pregnancy, you’re five times more likely to get eclampsia. A major reason why women in the UK die during childbirth.

Breathing in cigarette smoke damages lungs and makes breathing more difficult.

Smoking while you’re pregnant raises the chances of your baby being stillborn or experiencing sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Smoking can restrict the essential oxygen supply to your baby. As a result, their heart must beat harder to receive oxygen around their body.

Myth busters

Fact: There are no safe levels of smoking. Every cigarette you smoke releases chemicals that harm you and your baby.

Myth: Smoking an odd cigarette when pregnant won’t hurt.

Fact: Smoking in pregnancy is more harmful to you and your baby than the stress of quitting. Free, personalised specialist support is available to help you through your journey and achieve your goal.

Myth: Quitting smoking will stress me out and that is not good for me and my baby.

Fact: Smoking may seem to make you feel calmer, but it hurts your body more than it helps. The relaxed feeling is only temporary because it stops nicotine withdrawal. Smoking actually makes you more stressed as it speeds up your heart rate and increases your blood pressure. It also increases the carbon monoxide in your bloodstream, which can stress your baby as they get less oxygen.

Myth: Smoking relaxes me, and being relaxed is good for me and my baby.

Fact: Every cigarette you smoke puts your baby’s health at risk. If you smoked and had a healthy baby in the past that does not mean your next baby will be healthy too.

Myth: Smoking is not a big deal, I smoked during my last pregnancy and had a healthy baby.

Fact: E-cigarettes are safer than smoking tobacco. They have been used by smokers as a quitting aid. However, they are not risk free. As e-cigarettes are relatively new, their long-term health effects are still unknown. There are many proven nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products (such as patches and gum) that are recommended. These products have been tested and are considered safe in pregnancy. But if using an e-cigarette helps you to stop smoking, it is much safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke.

Myth: E-cigarettes or vapes are just as bad for me as smoking tobacco/cigarettes.

Fact: Babies with low birth weight are more likely to have serious health problems than normal weight babies. They are also more likely to have to stay in hospital after they are born. These health problems can affect smaller babies throughout their childhood and adulthood.

Myth: Having a smaller baby makes giving birth easier.

What our clients say about our service

“Thank you for all your help. I am now a non smoker after 15 years and I am so much better off for it.”

“I found this service very helpful. I have been a smoker for 47 years and couldn’t have done it without this service.”

“Friendly, non judgmental and supportive service.”

Congratulations,
you have a baby
on the way!

Congratulations,
you have a baby
on the way!

How we can help

How smoking affects you and your baby

Myth busters

What our clients say about our service

Other useful resources

How smoking affects you and your baby

Why should I quit?

Congratulations,you have a babyon the way!

Congratulations, you have a baby on the way!

How we can help

How smoking affects you and your baby

Myth busters

What our clients say about our service

Other useful resources

How smoking affects you and your baby

Why should I quit?

Congratulations,
you have a baby
on the way!

Congratulations,
you have a baby
on the way!