This Stoptober, we’re celebrating Lincolnshire’s first smoke-free babies under the care of the Stop Smoking Team, STAAR, (Act, Advise, Refer/Results). The team’s work in providing specialist tobacco dependency support in pregnancy is a crucial step in protecting a baby from tobacco smoke.

Protecting a baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things to give a child a healthy start in life. Smoking is an addiction, and it can be difficult to stop, but it’s never too late to quit. With specialist support, smokers are three times more likely to succeed than going it alone.

“This is a fantastic achievement for all involved.” commented Gillian Walker, Tobacco Dependency Lead Midwife. “Congratulations to the ladies, on their smokefree journey and to the STAAR team for their continued support to achieve this outcome.  Over the coming weeks and months, we are expecting to see more and more patients completing their smoke free journey.”.

As we approach Stoptober, which is the annual national campaign under the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ umbrella brand, ‘Better Health Let’s Do This’, that encourages smokers across the country to give quitting a go for the month of October. The STAAR team, are keen to encourage and support more expectant mothers to commit to a healthier, smoke-free life.  

Aleksandra Pigonska, 27, from Spalding has been a smoker since she was 14 years old.  She enrolled on the STAAR programme at 11 weeks pregnant and has successfully remained smokefree.

“I wasn’t actually thinking about quitting smoking before because I didn’t want to, but now the baby is in the picture I want to do so.”

She initially found it harder to quit as lives with her mother, who has been a smoker for over 30 years.  However, her mother has also decided to quit smoking to support her daughter and enrolled on the Stop smoking programme run by One You Lincolnshire.

To improve a pregnant patients’ chance of quitting the team do support partners who smoke, by referring them into the community stop smoking service One You Lincolnshire. 

“I don’t have smokers in the house on a daily basis now,” explains Aleksandra.  “So, I don’t have that temptation in the house. So that was a big help at the start, but now I am at the point I can be around people smoking and I don’t crave them anymore.”

The STAAR programme, is an NHS specialist smoking cessation programme for pregnant women and work in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council One You Lincolnshire programme. It has only been operational since January of this year, support all pregnant women and their families as part of maternity care received by United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust. 

They currently have several expectant mothers signed up and everyone is at a different stage of their pregnancy. If someone has given birth and has quit for 28 days or more, they would be classed as smokefree. The service aims to decrease the number of expectant mothers smoking at time of delivery (birth of the baby). The rate of the decrease in numbers can only be measured once the baby has been born.

The team comprises of a Tobacco Dependency Lead Midwife and trained Tobacco Dependency Advisors. They work across the hospitals and community setting to assist participants in beating their tobacco dependence through a series of face-to-face behavioural support and licensed pharmacotherapy sessions– specifically combination Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT).

The new service launched in a phased approach, early in 2023. Phase one saw the service commence for eligible women receiving maternity care from the Skegness, Boston, and Spalding community midwifery team. The service is currently expanding and hopes to be fully embedded and operational to 100% of eligible patients by March 2024.

Smoking during pregnancy is known to increase the risk of complications such as premature birth, stillbirth, and low birth weight, so it’s essential to encourage and support women to quit smoking while they are pregnant.  

Every cigarette smoked contains over 4,000 chemicals, so smoking whilst pregnant can harm the unborn child. Cigarettes can restrict the essential oxygen supply to a baby, as a result, their heart must beat harder. Stopping smoking will immediately help the mother and the baby and they are more likely to have a healthier pregnancy and healthier baby. Children who grow up in non-smoking homes are also less likely to become smokers themselves.