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"Help 2 Quit In Pregnancy"
Stopping smoking is the most important thing you can do to improve you baby's health, growth and development.
We offer a free service specifically for women who are pregnant, as well as their partner, family members and friends.
Mother #1: I quit smoking because of my pregnancy, because of my health
there's quite a few reasons but the main one was my pregnancy and my son.
Mother #2: The only reason I did do it is because of the baby -
there's no other reason, really, no other motivation;
just the fact that I was pregnant with this little one.
Mother #3: The opportunity was there because of the help you get;
the midwives inform you straight away that there's this service.
Mother #2: Pregnant women find it hard to quit because is *is* hard to quit;
it's not; people think that because we're pregnant and we've got a baby growing,
that it's the natural thing to do, to protect our child, because that's our job isn't it - to protect our children.
People used to look at me and think "You know what, you're pregnant and it should be easy...
...you do it for your child", but just because you're carrying a baby,
doesn't means it's going to be easy; you still have to fight that craving, plus you've also got that guilt.
Mother #1: We had a bit of a worry the other month with Zack
that he'd got asthma; I thought "Oh my God - that's because I smoked during pregnancy"
even though that's 2 months ago - it's always in the back of your mind: "I did that to him"
Mother #2: I felt that guilty so I wasn't really enjoying the smoke anyway
So one morning I just woke up and that was it: it was like I was a non-smoker
and then every day it got that little bit easier.
I think I got that first week out of the way and it was fantastic! I knew then that I did it
and that I definitely wouldn't be doing it again!
Mother #1: Pregnant women find it hard to quit smoking because they've got hormones rushing through their body;
a lot of changes going on. I couldn't quit with my first pregnancy with my first son
and I don't know why I couldn't... I found it too stressful -
but I found it really easy to quit this time.
Mother #3: I was going to use the spray and then I was too frightened to
use it as I don't like putting things in my body, which sounds really daft considering I was a smoker,
but talking to Claire and having somebody at the other end of a phone...
my friendship group had changed since I'd started work and none of them are smokers so it wasn't around me
and I wasn't drinking because I was pregnant.
Mother #2: I knew once I'd been in that situation with my friends and that I didn't smoke,
I knew I could definitely do it, definitely, and I'm around them all the time now
and they still smoking and I still don't smoke [laughs].
We are non-judgmental
We will not tell you what to do
We will listen
Mother #3: The support that I've had has been fantastic so...
and there's phone calls there or extra appointments, I saw Claire every week
then it went to every 2 weeks, so I don't really think there's much more you can do.
Mother #2: So it's only now that I've actually had her that I can feel the benefit
and that I can feel the... like I can actually take a really good breath in - I'm not breathless.
Mother #3: What was really good was that you weren't frightened with everything about cancer and all that thrown at you,
it was just talking and learning about everything else, really, which because at first I was a bit frightened
thinking "Oh, they're going to show me pictures of this and that"
and tell me that "this death rate's up here..." but it wasn't - it wasn't a frightening experience.
Mother #2: I know it helps having the nicotine patches and the things the the Help 2 Quit people give you
but it's just... the best thing was the encouragement and the support that I got from them;
knowing that I can ring them up even if I wanted to have that extra cigarette that I know I shouldn't be having;
I knew that I could ring you up and you would talk to me on the phone or you'd come to see me,
so I'd definitely got to go with the support and the encouragement.
Mother #3: It's just good to talk to somebody and not feel pressurised into smoking,
or that someone's looking down on you for smoking, because you get a lot of that now,
from people walking in the street with a ***, and people do look down at you,
and I suppose at first, I thought "Is this going to be someone coming, preaching to me about it?"
because I don't deal well with people doing that! [laughs]
But it wasn't: you gain a friend, really.
Mother #2: What I learned most from the Help 2 Quit is when the lady explained what was actually in cigarettes -
that really scared me! Then they gave me this little machine thing to blow into -
it showed me that my baby was actually getting a lot of carbon monoxide
which was probably the most shocking thing.
We offer:
Individual advice tailored to your needs; advice on nicotine replacement therapy such as patches, gum and inhalers; ...
... a variety of times inlcuding evenings and weekends; telephone support; ...
and a variety of venues including your own home, GP surgery, pharmacy or community venue.
Mother #1: To do it for so long *and* be pregnant, and have all that stress as well,
I'm not about to go and start smoking, because I'm that determined - I'm *adamant* I am not smoking again,
purely for the fact that... [laughs] I'm not doing it - no - I'm being stubborn! [laughs]
Mother #2: The urge for smoking... no, no, I just don't want to do it!
I can't imagine being a smoker again, ever!
Mother #3: I've cracked the day-to-day giving up smoking, but I'm still feeding him myself
so I haven't had a night out yet... but Claire's said she'll support me on that first night
and I can talk to her - so that will be my next challenge.
Mother #1: Oh yeah, I want to stay quit for the rest of my life.
For health reasons, for money reasons...
there's more reasons to stay quit than there is to start smoking again.
Mother #2: I know in a year I'm going to save that much money...
so I reckon the kids will be getting that little extra holiday this year -hopefully- thanks to mommy not smoking, hey!
For more information, call 01743 453 537; email help2quit@shropcom.nhs.uk or speak to your midwife or GP