Smoking Pregnant Women In North Lincolnshire Encouraged To Quit
The region is one of the worst places for the number of women who smoke whilst pregnant.
With North Lincolnshire having one of the worst rates for the number of women who smoke whilst pregnant - a new service has been launched to encourage them to quit the habit.
Despite an increased risk of miscarriage, still birth and cot death - 19% of mums in the region continue to light up during pregnancy compared with 11% nationally.
The new scheme will educate mums about the risks and they'll also be given cash incentives to help persuade them to give up.
Carrie Fogg is from Smoke Free Life North Lincolnshire which is behind the new programme. She says mums must be aware of the dangers they're putting their unborn child under. She told Viking:
"The problem we have is that not a lot of mums realise just how dangerous it is to smoke while your pregnant. Each cigarette you have reduces the oxygen flow for the baby and they need oxygen to be able to develop and grow so we find a lot of babies are born quite early and small.
"You can continue to smoke and be oblivious to what is happening and then only realise when it's too late and that you could have been putting your baby at harm. Mums who smoke during pregnancy have an increased risk of miscarriage, still birth and cot death, among other risks.
"There's a lot of stigma around ladies smoking in pregnancy and a lot of ladies try to conceal the fact that they smoke so we are trying to make the scheme as fun and laid back as possible and one of the ideas behind the vouchers is to tell them to come along and say that we are not going to judge you."
Councillor Rob Waltham, cabinet member for Health, Strategic Projects and Regeneration, said:
“The MeTime club is a fantastic initiative to help pregnant women improve their lifestyles for the better. It will offer support for stopping smoking and also provide advice on health eating. The amount of women who smoke in pregnancy has remained stubbornly high in North Lincolnshire - addressing this is a key priority for us.
*“It is reckless for women to smoke when they are pregnant. Women should be aware of the dangers to them and their unborn child by smoking while pregnant. It can have a long-term effect on their child that they have to live with for all their life, which is completely unfair.*
“Many women are still not aware of the dangers and by giving them the support they need and raising awareness, they will hopefully kick the habit and live a healthier lifestyle.”