The number of women smoking during pregnancy has sharply declined in Cheshire and Merseyside, according to latest figures.
Across the region, the rate of expectant mothers smoking has dropped from 10% to 6.5%, in just two years, helping to close the gap with the national average of 6.1%.
Previously, statistics showed how there were significantly more women smoking at the time of delivery (SATOD) when compared with the rest of the country.
Released today (Thursday 19 June) by NHS Digital, the figures highlight a clear improvement in the number of women quitting during pregnancy, following a major initiative to engage with mums-to-be.
Part of the All Together Smoke Free Programme, the Smoking in Pregnancy (SiP) project supports women on their ‘quit journeys’, creating a tailored plan to help treat smoking addiction.
Smoking is the single most modifiable risk factor in pregnancy, causing 5,300 fetal/peri-natal deaths each year across the country.
It also leads to 2,200 premature births and 19,000 low birth weight babies.
“I feel so much better and the family are pleased as I am more active and can now do a lot more with the children.”
Among those who have succeeded in kicking their habit is mum-of-four Stephanie Knowles, who gave up smoking when she was pregnant with her fourth child.
Her third pregnancy had ended in the stillbirth of son Oscar in 2023.
The 33-year-old, from St Helens, was just 17 when she started smoking to fit in with friends at college.
She managed to reduce the habit from 20 cigarettes a day to 10 before meeting husband Chris. When she became pregnant with her oldest child Logan, now six, she cut down to five or six a day.
Stephanie said: “I carried on smoking through my first three pregnancies. though I reduced it a lot. Then, after losing Oscar at 33 weeks I was terrified of losing another baby.
“Even though I was told that smoking wasn’t a factor in the condition, which was a placenta disorder called massive perivillous fibrin deposition, I did everything I could to improve my health.”
Stephanie changed her diet and lifestyle and was supported in quitting smoking through a Smokefree Pregnancy service at Whiston Hospital, where a specialist midwife provided advice along with quit aids such as nicotine patches and capsules.
She added: “After the first few days I was amazed to find that I didn’t have any cravings and didn’t miss smoking.
“The Smokefree Pregnancy Practitioners and husband Chris were beyond supportive. The sticks and patches helped a lot and I used them for most of the pregnancy, but steadily reduced them before stopping them all at eight months.
“Now that I’ve given up, food tastes better, though for some strange reason I’ve gone off butter! I feel so much better and the family are pleased as I am more active and can now do a lot more with the children.”
Smoking during pregnancy can also cause risks to the mother, including a higher risk of deep vein thrombosis and placenta praevia. They are also 27% more likely to have a miscarriage, while smoking increase the risk of stillbirth by 47%.
Catherine McClennan, Programme Director, Women’s Health and Maternity Programme, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said: “Every baby deserves a smokefree future, and it is fantastic to see this reduction in the number of pregnant people smoking both nationally and in our subregion.
“In Cheshire and Merseyside, 6.5% of women now smoke during pregnancy, down from 10% just two years ago. Ideally we would like this number to be zero, so there is still more work to be done, but we are quickly closing the gap between our sub-region and the rest of the country.”
“This is testament to the work of the Smoking in Pregnancy project, which has seen a number of targeted interventions to support pregnant women across Cheshire and Merseyside to stop smoking.”
“Delivered by maternity services, the project includes pregnancy-specific specialist advisors, who offer non-judgemental support and guidance to anybody who is pregnant and concerned about their smoking.”
Dr Sarah McNulty, Director of Public Health and Knowsley Council and Lead Director for Smoke Free Cheshire and Merseyside, said: “Our vision is for every baby to be born smokefree, and to support families smokefree to stay smokefree into the first 12 months of babies’ lives and beyond, harnessing the historic opportunity created by the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.”
“We are confident that the project will continue to go from strength to strength, supporting women in their quit journeys and helping to creating a healthier future for our sub-region.”
To find out more about how to quit, whether pregnant or not, visit www.smokingendshere.com for further information and to find your local stop smoking service.
