16% of women giving birth at Sherwood Forest Hospitals can't kick smoking habit
The trust has set up a new team to help them quit.
The number of pregnant women at Sherwood Forest Hospitals (SFH), smoking at the time of birth is almost double the national average.
That's according to new figures from the trust.
16.23% of mums there haven't kicked the habit by the time their babies are born.
In England, the rate of pregnant women and people smoking at the time of birth is 9.1%.
To try and bring those numbers down, SFH set up the Phoenix Team, a maternity tobacco dependence treatment service, at the end of last year to help support mothers and birthing parents to give up smoking during pregnancy.
One of the first women to quit smoking in pregnancy thanks to their support is 32-year-old Elisa Botham, from Sutton in Ashfield.
Elisa started smoking at 18 and tells us:
"I was lying to myself quite a lot. I could be smoking up to 20 a day, possibly more.
And it was a really hard habit to kick.
I was pregnant eight years ago with my daughter and I wanted to stop then.
But I did struggle with the help, and I did end up starting up smoking again."
She gave up smoking during pregnancy and her son Marcus was born in July.
Elisa added:
"Now I just feel like you can tell I'm a new mum.
"I’m able to do activities, like ice skating, which I couldn’t do before without getting out of breath.
"I can join in with my eight-year-old daughter when she’s running around and she’s so proud of me too.
“I have an app that shows how much money I’ve saved since I stopped buying cigarettes and so far, it’s more than £1,000."
The trust’s tobacco dependence treatment service, which launched in December 2021, is one of the three Early Implementer Sites for the NHS Long Term Plan maternity model.
Quitting smoking while pregnant reduces the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, low birth weight, heart defects and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
The average cost to the NHS of providing care during pregnancy and birth to a person who smokes is double that of a non-smoker due to the interventions required.
Trained tobacco dependence advisors offer telephone and face-to-face support, including free nicotine replacement products, to help families quit smoking during pregnancy and remain smokefree beyond birth.
People can refer themselves to the service or be referred by a health professional such as a midwife or doctor.
A member of their household or close family, such as a partner, can also receive support to quit smoking if they wish.
Claire Allison, Tobacco Dependence Maternity Lead at SFH, said:
“Smoking can cause serious health problems for both mother and baby, and that’s why the support we provide is so vitally important.
"Protecting the baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things to give the child a healthy start in life. It can be difficult to stop smoking, but it's never too late to quit. Stopping smoking will help the family and the baby immediately, reducing the effects of harmful gases, such as carbon monoxide, and other damaging chemicals.
“We recognise that smoking in pregnancy is the result of addiction to nicotine, which requires treatment.
"Our support is tailored to each individual and best of all – it’s completely free. Well done and congratulations to all the families who have already benefited from the Phoenix Team’s support.”