Take Back Your Life This No Smoking Day – Protect Your Baby, Protect Yourself

Smoking is harmful to everyone, but it carries extra risks for pregnant women, unborn babies, and new families. This No Smoking Day, MAMA Academy urges parents-to-be and new parents to take the crucial step to quit smoking, ensuring the healthiest possible start for their baby.

Smoking and Pregnancy: The Hidden Harm

Smoking in pregnancy isn’t just harmful—it’s dangerous. Cigarettes contain over 4,000 chemicals, many of which severely affect the health of an unborn child by restricting oxygen and essential nutrients. This means your baby’s heart has to work harder, slowing growth and even impacting brain development. Babies exposed to smoking in the womb are at higher risk of being born prematurely, experiencing low birth weight, and developing long-term health problems such as asthma, coronary heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Beyond these serious long-term effects, smoking increases the likelihood of complications during pregnancy, including miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, severe morning sickness, birth complications, and even stillbirth. It also raises the risk of cot death (sudden infant death syndrome).

Second-Hand Smoke: Not a Safe Alternative

Passive smoking is equally harmful. Smoke breathed out by others or from burning cigarettes still carries toxic chemicals, placing your baby at similar risks. If anyone in your household smokes, ask them to smoke outside and away from you and your baby to minimize harm.

While e-cigarettes can be helpful for quitting smoking, their safety during pregnancy is not yet fully understood. They produce vapour containing metals and toxins, and their effects on unborn babies are still uncertain. It’s always best to consult your healthcare provider before using e-cigarettes as a quitting aid during pregnancy.

Immediate Benefits of Quitting Smoking

Quitting smoking delivers rapid and remarkable health improvements:

• After just 8 hours, harmful carbon monoxide levels in your blood reduce by half.
• Within 48 hours, your senses of taste and smell begin improving.
• By 2-12 weeks, your circulation significantly improves.
• Within 3-9 months, your lung function increases by up to 10%.

These improvements directly benefit your baby’s health and your own, increasing the likelihood of a healthier pregnancy and birth.

Support is Here – You’re Not Alone

Quitting smoking isn’t easy, but you don’t have to do it alone. Free, expert support increases your chances of successfully quitting:

• NHS Smokefree: Personalised guidance and resources.
• NHS Pregnancy and Smoking Helpline: 0800 169 9 169, for confidential advice.
• GPs, midwives, and health visitors are always there to support you.
• NHS Quit Smoking App: Track your progress, savings, and receive daily motivation.
• Personal Quit Plan: Get tailored support through NHS Better Health.

Find comprehensive support resources through MAMA Academy’s Directory: Stop Smoking Services

Quitting is a Win-Win

Quitting smoking doesn’t just safeguard your baby’s health—it significantly benefits your financial and emotional well-being. The average smoker saves around £48 weekly by quitting—nearly £2,500 a year. Beyond financial savings, quitting can reduce anxiety, depression, and stress, leaving you calmer and happier to care for your newborn.

Take Action Today

It’s never too late to quit smoking. Whether you’ve tried before or it’s your first attempt, make National No Smoking Day your fresh start. Protect your baby, protect your health, and reclaim your life.

This No Smoking Day, choose life. Choose health. Choose to quit.