News for Dads I’m too young to smoke. Please don’t make me! Information on smoking and pregnancy for partners and families Give smoking the red card If a pregnant woman smokes, or breathes in the cigarette smoke of her family and friends, the baby is not protected. Cigarettes contain an amazing cocktail of drugs and poisons and a home full of smoke will really hurt the baby’s chances for a healthy body. Chemicals found in tobacco smoke include: Acetone widely used as a solvent, for example in nail polish remover. Ammonia found in strong cleaning fluids. Arsenic a deadly poison. It is used in insecticides. Benzene used as a solvent in fuel and in chemical manufacture. Cadmium a highly poisonous metal used in batteries. Formaldehyde highly poisonous, it is used to preserve dead bodies. Hydrogen Cyanide an industrial pollutant. The chemicals in smoke inhaled by a pregnant mum are passed into her baby’s bloodstream and make the following problems much more likely: • Reduced birth weight. Easier for mum to give birth? Not necessarily: babies who don’t grow well are more likely to be short of oxygen and need an emergency delivery. • Chest infections and asthma. These ailments often last a lifetime and sometimes can kill. • Cot death. Trebles the risk of cot death1. Help your baby by helping your partner If your partner smokes, she is probably already aware that it is harming her baby. At this crucial time she needs all the support you can give her. Giving up yourself is one of the best ways to support your baby’s mother You can also help her by: • avoiding the times and situations when you usually smoke together • not leaving cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays lying around • understanding your partner’s mood swings and anxiety • not smoking in front of your partner • telling friends and family you need their help and support • not offering or mentioning cigarettes to her • encouraging her to call the NHS Pregnancy Smoking Helpline 0800 169 9 169. It's time to clear the air now and for all your baby’s childhood Once your baby is born, it’s really important that s/he grows up in a smoke-free home. Children who are made to become passive smokers are: • twice as likely to have asthma attacks and chest infections • more likely to need hospital care in the first year • off school more often • more susceptible to coughs, colds and wheezes • at greater risk from cot death • at greater risk from meningitis • at greater risk from ‘glue ear’ and partial deafness. Top Tips to give your baby a healthy start in life Nicotine is a powerful drug but, with a baby on the way, now is the perfect time to give up. It’s not easy, but you can do it. Here are 10 tips that may help. 1 Set a quit date. 2 Change your daily routine to help break the habit. 3 Work out how much money you will save. 4 Plan something pleasurable that will take your mind off smoking. 5 Get physical! Score a goal; serve an ace; swing a club; run; cycle; have fun. 6 Recognise that smoking is a habit as well as a drug and find a substitute to fill the gap. 7 Think before you go to the pub, don’t let alcohol weaken your willpower. 8 Tell your friends that you are giving up for your baby’s health. 9 Ring the NHS Smoking Helpline 0800 169 0 169 10 Don't rely on willpower alone, talk to your GP – there’s more help available than you think. Don’t put it off! Most people underestimate the dangers of smoking, especially when young. It feels grown up to light up but soon that tar-laced smoke ages you way beyond your years. Lungs coated in brown goo do not function well, so less oxygen gets to the body’s tissue. Over time, your skin becomes sallow and saggy and more lines appear, especially around your mouth and eyes. If you kick the habit now there’s a chance that your child will never pick it up. Children of non-smoking parents are less likely to start. They will also never have to say, when you kiss them goodnight: “Dad, you stink of cigarettes. Yuck!” And we’re here to help you every step of the way If you can’t give up, then agree not to smoke in the home or car and do not smoke in front of your partner. Pick up a leaflet from your GP that is packed full of great tips and new information on how to give up smoking. Or, get your copy from the NHS Smoking Helpline 0800 169 0 169. Helpline staff can also tell you about local help available. Your doctor, practice nurse, health visitor or pharmacist can also provide advice on stopping smoking. Ask them about the treatments available on prescription. Do it for yourself If you give up smoking you will have fewer coughs and colds and extra money to spend. More importantly, you will have enough breath to kick around a football, go swimming or run for the bus. You will also have a greater chance of enjoying good health for longer and watching your baby grow from a child to an adult. When you’re young, it’s easy to dismiss the thought of dying from cancer, heart disease or a stroke; it can seem a long way off. But these diseases, and many others associated with smoking, can happen at any age … and, believe it or not, this includes impotence. It is estimated that 120,000 men, in their 30s & 40s, are impotent as a direct result of smoking2. “This is all due to smoking. That white little stick that you put in your mouth and at 34 you are thinking ... I shouldn’t be going through this.” Now for the good news! Within 20 minutes your blood pressure and pulse return to normal and your circulation improves. Within 8 hours the oxygen level in your blood increases to a normal level and the chances of a heart attack start to fall. Within 24 hours carbon monoxide leaves your body and your lungs start to clear out mucus and debris. Within 48 hours nicotine is no longer found in your body and your senses of taste and smell improve. Within 72 hours your breathing becomes easier and your energy levels increase. Within 12 weeks your circulation continues to improve and exercise becomes easier. Within 9 months breathing problems, coughing, wheezing and lung efficiency improve. Within 5 years the risk of having a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker. Within 10 years the risk of lung cancer falls to around half that of a smoker. And the risk of a heart attack falls to about the same as someone who has never smoked. Give up now and let the repair work begin! Don’t give up giving up. For friendly, practical advice on giving up smoking and where you can find help close to home, call the NHS Smoking Helpline 0800 169 0 169 textphone 0800 169 0 171