Midwives' cash call to get pregnant women to quit smoking

Pregnant Jackie Taylor has been receiving support from health worker Jackie Buckley

More investment is needed to help pregnant women quit smoking and manage their weight, the Royal College of Midwives Wales has said.

Almost one in five pregnant women in Wales still smokes 10 weeks into their term, according to the latest figures, with more than 25% obese at that stage.

Specialist midwife Kate Evans wants cessation help "more accessible".

The Welsh Government said its Tobacco Control Delivery Plan was set up to provide more help to stop smoking.

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Ms Evans, a specialist public health midwife at Neath Port Talbot Hospital, said many mothers-to-be were often "too busy" to visit existing smoking services, which are often offered at hospitals or antenatal clinics at set times.

"I think there is a lot of work that we can still do about providing the services closer to home for women, making them more accessible at times that they can use those services, because most women have got busy lives," she added.

Ms Evans said midwives did an "exemplary job" but added: "I think we need more prevention and I think that if the government was to provide more funding to support that service, then that in itself would support the midwives."

In north Wales, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is trying to make it easier for mothers by rolling out its service, Help Me Quit for Baby, where women can choose whether to be seen at a clinic after their check-up or even in their own homes.

Jackie Taylor, 29, of Rhyl, Denbighshire, who is expecting twins, had been smoking since she was 14 but gave up eight weeks into her pregnancy.

She said it would have been impossible if not for her midwife and a Stop Smoking support worker, who planned appointments to suit her.

"If I was struggling and I needed someone to talk to, I could always phone her at any time or text her and she'd get back to me straight away," she said.

Jackie Buckley, who is part of the initiative, said it had been a success because women felt less judged and more able to open up about their smoking habits.

The proportion of pregnant women who smoked at their 10-week assessment stands at 18.4%, according to the latest official data.

The latest comparative figures from support group, ASH Wales Cymru, suggest the percentage of women in Wales who smoked during pregnancy in 2010 (16%) was the highest of the British nations.

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A recent Royal College of Midwives Wales motion called for a focus on measures to help pregnant women to ditch cigarettes and manage their weight.

Specialist midwife Kate Evans said smoking during pregnancy causes risks to the baby and mother

Ms Evans said there were a number of mistaken beliefs about pregnancy that midwives and public health promotions tried to "quash", including that pregnant women can "eat for two".

She said: "There are preconceptions, like 'you can't exercise during pregnancy'.

"Well, yes, you can, it's perfectly safe.

"They say that, 'if you smoke, you'll have a smaller baby'. Well, you might but it's going to be to the detriment of your baby.

"And it doesn't really matter, because the size of the baby makes no difference."

Ultimately, she said women had "different reasons" for smoking and it was their "right to decide" whether to quit, but midwives would support them with help and information either way.

A Welsh Government spokesman said: "Tobacco continues to be the largest single preventable cause of ill health and premature death in Wales.

"That's why we are working with Public Health Wales and health boards to strengthen the provision of smoking cessation services in Wales."

Simon Clark, director of the smokers' group Forest, said: "Ask the general public and many people would say this is not the best use of taxpayers' money.

"Tackling smoking is not a top priority for most people because the health risks are already well known, and if some women choose to ignore advice about smoking while pregnant that's a matter for them not government."