Mum reveals how hospital’s in-house stop smoking service helped her quit for good

A mum has spoken about how our in-house stop smoking service helped her to kick the habit during and after her pregnancy.

Natasha Roome was referred to the ‘Quit for Two’ service after she contacted the hospital’s Call the Midwife service and asked for help to stop smoking before she was due to attend her first midwife appointment for her fourth pregnancy.

The 12-week programme includes behavioural therapy, nicotine replacement therapy as well as emotional support in a community setting.

It is thanks to the support she received from Maternity Smoke-Free Advisor Emma Newborough that Natasha says she was finally able to give up smoking while pregnant and remain smoke-free after her son Roman was born on 29 March weighing a healthy 7lbs 14ozs.

The 29-year-old, from Newington, who started smoking at the age of 13 and used to smoke between 15 and 20 a day, said: “I’d tried to give up multiple times over the years but I could never stick to it. Instead I would whittle myself down to about five roll-ups a day while I was pregnant.

“It was a habit and I liked it, and it helped with my anxiety, but when I fell pregnant with Roman I was ready to quit. I’m not getting any younger and with a fourth child on the way I didn’t want to be the type of mum who could only run around with their kids for a few minutes before getting out of breath.

“I started with gum, then patches before trying a vape which worked for me but I even quit that a few weeks after Roman was born. Now when I’m feeling anxious or like I need to hold something, instead of grabbing a vape or a cigarette I grab a pen.

“I couldn’t have done it without Emma’s support though. She was absolutely brilliant. I would have struggled to quit without her help.”

As well as saving money Natasha has discovered some other added benefits of quitting smoking. She said: “My clothes don’t smell anymore which is just lovely.

“My family are proud of me and I’m proud of myself. I’m not going back to smoking ever again.”

From the moment a pregnant woman quits smoking there are many benefits for both mum and baby. These include:

• Blood pressure returns to normal after just 20 minutes
• More oxygen to the baby which helps them reach a healthy weight during pregnancy
• Feeling less sick
• The risk of miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth and cot death reduces
• Less risk of developing heart disease and cancer
• Clothes and hair smell cleaner, and skin looks better
• Savings of over £3,000 a year (for someone who smokes 20 a day)
• Not worrying or feeling guilty about the harm caused to the baby.

Quit for Two was launched by the hospital’s Smoke-Free Team in Swale in May 2023 in response to the NHS Long Term Plan to reduce the rates of smoking during pregnancy and to help improve health outcomes for mothers and developing babies. The service gradually expanded into the Medway area and was fully rolled out to both communities in January 2024. Previously people were referred by the hospital’s maternity services team to Medway Council’s Stop Smoking support service.

Smoking in Pregnancy Midwife Zoe Ostrehan manages and leads the service with Maternity Smoke-Free Advisors Emma Newborough and Sue Douce delivering it to service-users. All three have completed Level 2 of the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT) so they can provide high quality stop smoking interventions based on the most up-to-date evidence available.

From left - Maternity Smoke-Free Advisor Emma Newborough, Smoking in Pregnancy Midwife Zoe Ostrehan,and Maternity Smoke-Free Advisor Sue Douce

Zoe said: “Our smoking at time of delivery data (SATOD) figure for May 2024 was 7.7 per cent, one of the lowest rates we have ever seen. In May 2021 it was 18.8 per cent proving the service really is making a difference.

“Smoking during pregnancy increases the risks of complications such as miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, premature birth, low birth weight, placental abruption and stillbirth. Additionally, babies who are born to mothers that smoke are twice as likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome, compared to those born to non-smokers. They are also more likely to develop respiratory, learning and behavioural difficulties, all of which can have a detrimental effect on the health of babies and young children throughout their lifetime.

“That’s why it’s so important that we offer this smoke-free service to pregnant women and that we continue to develop it, not only so we can give unborn babies the very best start in life but also to help ensure their mothers are well enough to look after them and see them grow up.”

Future ambitions include expanding the service and making it more accessible on-site and on the maternity wards.

“Although it is a 12-week programme, we often support women for much longer in pregnancy to become and remain smoke-free,” Zoe added.

“Recently, we won a bid to be part of the Governments ‘Swap to Stop’ pilot scheme, which is running until March 2025, to offer vouchers for e-cigarettes as research has shown this is more effective than using traditional nicotine replacement therapy alone.”

July marks the 25th anniversary of maternity services and the Oliver Fisher Neonatal Unit transferring from All Saints Hospital in Chatham to Medway Maritime Hospital.

As part of the celebrations, the Smoke-Free Team will be hosting a stand to promote their service during a special public exhibition which takes place in the Atrium, Level 2 Green Zone, from 10am to 4pm on Monday 8 July.

There will also be displays of photos and memorabilia, and midwives, specialist midwives and neonatal nursing staff will be available to talk to patients and visitors about their work, advances in medicine and technology and the different services available today compared to 1999.

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