Smoking support available for expectant mums
February 18th, 2013
Expectant mums needing additional help and support to stop smoking during pregnancy are being encouraged to attend our exclusive stop smoking clinic.
The free weekly clinic takes place every Tuesday at The Chatterbox Children’s Centre on Copleston Road in Ipswich from 10.30am – 2.15pm. Each session is led by a trained advisor and will help pregnant women, dads and families to combat cigarette cravings and overcome habits during pregnancy. Our trained advisors will be on hand to offer advice and guidance with a choice of either one-to-one or group therapy available.
Tim Roberts, Director, Live Well Suffolk said: “Smoking during pregnancy, or being surrounded by second hand smoke, is known to have a lasting effect on the baby, and can cause significant health issues throughout the child’s life. We know that it can be incredibly difficult to quit, especially when your body is used to a nicotine fix so we would encourage any mums-to-be who are looking for additional help and support to come along to one of our sessions.”
Smoking during pregnancy can result in a range of health issues for the baby such as oxygen deprivation, a greater risk of miscarriage or still birth and an increased likelihood of illnesses such as bronchitis, pneumonia or asthma. It has also been proven to lead to a reduced birth weight and an increased risk of premature births.
New European research published last week (15th February) has indicated that the implementation of a public smoking ban in Belgium, has led to a decrease in the number of babies born prematurely, providing strong evidence that smoking bans can have a beneficial impact on pregnant women and their babies.
Tim Roberts added: “Although the link hasn’t been confirmed, it is interesting to hear that there is growing evidence that smoke free environments can have significant health benefits for pregnant women.”
In 2012, We helped over 4,000 people successfully quit smoking and we are looking to help even more over the next twelve months. Smokers registered with us are eligible for over £100 worth of free nicotine medication (prescription charges may apply) or other medication.
For more information about our stop smoking services, click here or call 01473 229292
