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NHS Maternity Stop Smoking Advisor Raegan Farley (MSSA)

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NHS Maternity Stop Smoking Advisor Raegan Farley (MSSA)

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The NHS Stopping smoking support service is available free for all pregnant mothers before, during and after birth. Talk to your midwife and they can signpost you. Raegan Farley is the MSSA and she often runs clinics from our Family Hubs, she is friendly and approachable and looks forward to welcoming families.

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During April 2024-March 2025, The Isle of Wight achieved a rate of 6.7% decline in women smoking at time of delivery. For context, the 2023/24 rate was 7.9%(on fingertips), marking a considerable improvement.

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Hi I'm Charlie, your virtual assistant. I will explain how to use this online noticeboard (Padlet). 

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Hi I'm Charlie, your virtual assistant. I will explain how to use this online noticeboard (Padlet). 

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Please use the column headings to find the information you need

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Click on the links to view the information

To find other headings please scroll right

If you are using a mobile you can click on the 3 dots on this post and choose start slide show. This makes it easier to look through the information on a smaller screen.

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Smokefree Island has a dedicated pregnancy advisor who can give free confidential advice and support.

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Smokefree Island has a dedicated pregnancy advisor who can give free confidential advice and support.

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If you want to stop smoking, several different treatments are available from shops, pharmacies and on prescription to help you beat your addiction and reduce withdrawal symptoms.
The best treatment for you will depend on your personal preference, your age, whether you're pregnant or breastfeeding and any medical conditions you have. Speak to your GP or an NHS stop smoking adviser for advice.

Research has shown that all these methods can be effective. Importantly, evidence shows that they are most effective if used alongside support from an NHS stop smoking service.

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)

The main reason that people smoke is because they are addicted to nicotine.

NRT is a medicine that provides you with a low level of nicotine, without the tar, carbon monoxide and other poisonous chemicals present in tobacco smoke.

It can help reduce unpleasant withdrawal effects, such as bad moods and cravings, which may occur when you stop smoking.

Where to get it and how to use it

NRT can be bought from pharmacies and some shops. It's also available on prescription from a doctor or NHS stop smoking service.

It's available as:

skin patches

chewing gum

inhalators (which look like plastic cigarettes)

tablets, oral strips and lozenges

nasal and mouth spray

Patches release nicotine slowly. Some are worn all the time and some should be taken off at night. Inhalators, gum and sprays act more quickly and may be better for helping with cravings.

There's no evidence that any single type of NRT is more effective than another. But there is good evidence to show that using a combination of NRT is more effective than using a single product.

Often the best way to use NRT is to combine a patch with a faster acting form such as gum, inhalator or nasal spray.

Treatment with NRT usually lasts 8-12 weeks, before you gradually reduce the dose and eventually stop.

Who can use it

Most people are able to use NRT, including:

adults and children over 12 years of age - although children under 18 should not use the lozenges without getting medical advice first

pregnant women - your doctor may suggest NRT if they think it would help you quit; read more about stopping smoking in pregnancy

breastfeeding women - your doctor can advise you how to do this safely

Always read the packet or leaflet before using NRT to check whether it's suitable for you.

Sometimes it may be advisable to get medical advice first, for example if you have kidney or liver problems, or you've recently had a heart attack or stroke.

Possible side effects

Side effects of NRT can include:

skin irritation when using patches

irritation of nose, throat or eyes when using a nasal spray

difficulty sleeping (insomnia), sometimes with vivid dreams

an upset stomach

Any side effects are usually mild. But if they're particularly troublesome, contact your GP as the dose or type of NRT may need to be changed.

Varenicline (Champix)

Varenicline (brand name Champix) is not currently available. It has been withdrawn as a precaution because of an impurity found in the medicine. It's not yet known whether it will be available again in future.

Varenicline is a medicine that works in 2 ways. It reduces cravings for nicotine like NRT, but it also blocks the rewarding and reinforcing effects of smoking. It was only available on prescription.

Speak to your GP or NHS stop smoking adviser who will be able to recommend an alternative treatment.

Bupropion (Zyban)

Bupropion (brand name Zyban) is not currently available. It has been withdrawn by the manufacturer, and it's not yet known whether it will be available again in future.

Bupropion is a medicine originally used to treat depression, but it has since been found to help people quit smoking. It's taken as tablets.

It's not clear exactly how it works, but it's thought to have an effect on the parts of the brain involved in addictive behaviour.

Bupropion was only available on prescription.

Speak to your GP or NHS stop smoking adviser who will be able to recommend an alternative treatment.

E-cigarettes

An e-cigarette is an electronic device that delivers nicotine in a vapour. This allows you to inhale nicotine without most of the harmful effects of smoking, as the vapour contains no tar or carbon monoxide.

Research has found that e-cigarettes can help you give up smoking, so you may want to try them rather than the medicines listed above. As with other approaches, they're most effective if used with support from an NHS stop smoking service.

There are no e-cigarettes currently available on prescription.

For now, if you want to use an e-cigarette to help you quit, you'll have to buy one. Costs of e-cigarettes can vary, but generally they're much cheaper than cigarettes.
Read more about using e-cigarettes to stop smoking

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Find out about the medicines that can help if you want to stop smoking, including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).

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Vaping myths and the facts - Better Health

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There are lots of misconceptions about e-cigarettes and vaping. Here are some of the most common myths, and the facts based on scientific evidence and data.

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Find out about electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), including how they work and how vaping may help you quit smoking.

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Watch Kirsty's video on quitting smoking for good

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Watch Kirsty's video on quitting smoking for good

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Watch Barry's video on giving up smoking for good.

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Watch Barry's video on giving up smoking for good.

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Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is an independent public health charity set up by the Royal College of Physicians to end the harm caused by tobacco.

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Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is a public health charity set up by the Royal College of Physicians to end the harm caused by tobacco.

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If you are thinking of starting a family or have found out that you are pregnant, and you want support to stop smoking, speak to your midwife about the NHS Stopping Smoking service.

Support for your partner as well as yourself, if necessary.

Midwife Duty Desk number: 033 123 5224

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Smoking and your unborn baby

Protecting your baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life. It can be difficult to stop smoking, but it's never too late to quit.

Every cigarette you smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, many of which are dangerous, so smoking when you are pregnant harms your unborn baby. Cigarettes can restrict the essential oxygen supply to your baby. As a result, their heart must beat harder every time you smoke.

Benefits of stopping smoking in pregnancy

Stopping smoking will help both you and your baby immediately. Harmful gases, such as carbon monoxide, and other damaging chemicals will clear from your body. When you stop smoking:

you will reduce the risk of complications in pregnancy and birth

you are more likely to have a healthier pregnancy and a healthier baby

you will reduce the risk of stillbirth

your baby is less likely to be born too early and have to face the breathing, feeding and health problems that often go with being premature

your baby is less likely to be born with a low birth weight. Babies of smokers are, on average, lighter than other babies, which can cause problems during and after labour. For example, they are more likely to have problems keeping warm and are more likely to get infections

you will reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as "cot death"

Stopping smoking now will also help your baby later in life. Children whose parents smoke are more likely to suffer from asthma and other serious illnesses that may need hospital treatment.

The sooner you stop smoking, the better. But even if you stop in the last few weeks of your pregnancy this will benefit you and your baby.

Secondhand (passive) smoke harms your baby

If your partner or anyone else who lives with you smokes, their smoke can affect you and your baby before and after their birth. You may also find it more difficult to stop if someone around you smokes.

Secondhand smoke can also reduce your baby's birthweight and increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as "cot death". Babies whose parents smoke are more likely to be admitted to hospital for bronchitis and pneumonia during their first year.

To find out more about quitting and to get support, your partner can call the National Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044 from 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.

Nicotine replacement therapy

You can use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) during pregnancy if it will help you stop smoking and you're unable to stop without it. Stop smoking tablets such as Champix (varenicline) or Zyban (bupropion) are not recommended during pregnancy and are not currently available.

NRT contains only nicotine and none of the damaging chemicals found in cigarettes, so it is a much better option than continuing to smoke. It helps you by giving you the nicotine you would have had from a cigarette.

You can be prescribed NRT during pregnancy by a GP or an NHS stop smoking adviser. You can also buy it over the counter without a prescription from a pharmacy.

NRT is available as:

If you have pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting, patches may be a better solution.

NRT patches should be used for no more than 16 hours in any 24-hour period. The best way to remember this is to remove the patch at bedtime.

Before using any of these products, speak to a midwife, GP, a pharmacist or a specialist stop smoking adviser.

By getting this specialist advice you can be sure that you're doing the best for your baby and for you.

Call the National Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044 from 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.

Remember, you are twice as likely to be successful at quitting if you get some support from a trained adviser.

Liquorice-flavoured nicotine products

Pregnant women are advised to avoid liquorice-flavoured nicotine products. Although there is no known risk with small amounts of liquorice flavouring, the manufacturers advise caution.

This caution is based on information about the adverse effects associated with excessive amounts of liquorice root. As other flavours are available, pregnant women are advised to choose an alternative, such as fruit or mint.

Find out more about stop smoking treatments.

E-cigarettes in pregnancy

E-cigarettes are fairly new and there are still some things we do not know. However, current evidence on e-cigarettes indicates they are much less risky than smoking.

Cigarettes deliver nicotine along with thousands of harmful chemicals. E-cigarettes allow you to inhale nicotine through a vapour rather than smoke. By itself, nicotine is relatively harmless.

E-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, the 2 main toxins in cigarette smoke. Carbon monoxide is particularly harmful to developing babies. The vapour from an e-cigarette does contain some of the potentially harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke, but at much lower levels.

If using an e-cigarette helps you to stop smoking, it is much safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke.

Unlike nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), such as patches or gum, e-cigarettes are not available on an NHS prescription. If you want to use an e-cigarette, you can still get free expert help from a stop smoking adviser.

Call the National Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044 for more information, or ask a midwife to refer you.

Find out more about using e-cigarettes to stop smoking.

National Smokefree helpline

The National Smokefree helpline offers free help, support and advice on stopping smoking and can give you details of local support services.

You can also sign up to receive ongoing advice and support at a time that suits you.

National Smokefree helpline: 0300 123 1044

9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.

To find your nearest NHS Stop Smoking service talk to:

a midwife

a health visitor

a nurse at your GP surgery

a pharmacist

NHS Stop Smoking services can offer 1-to-1 or group sessions with trained stop smoking advisers and may have a pregnancy stop smoking specialist.

They can also offer advice about dealing with stress, weight gain and support the use of NRT (such as patches or gum), if appropriate, to help you manage your cravings.

Find out more about the effects of smoking in pregnancy, and getting support to quit, at Better Health: Start for Life

Find stop smoking services near you.

Get Better Health: Start for Life's pregnancy and baby emails

Sign up for Better Health: Start for Life's emails for expert advice, videos and tips on pregnancy, birth and beyond.

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Find out why you should stop smoking in pregnancy, and how smoking can harm your unborn baby. Plus where to go for support to help you quit.

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When you quit smoking, good things start to happen. You'll begin to see almost immediate improvements to your health.

It's never too late to quit and it's easier to stop smoking with the right support.

Why not start by downloading the free NHS Quit Smoking app to track your progress and get daily motivation?

You don't need to imagine a life without smoking, you can live it!

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If you smoke, you might be more at risk of having high blood pressure. If left untreated, high blood pressure can increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

High blood pressure does not usually have any symptoms, so the only way to know if you have it, is to get a check. If you are 40 or over, live in England and haven't had a check in the last 6 months, you can get your blood pressure checked for free at your pharmacy today.

If your blood pressure is high, then it can be managed through lifestyle changes or medication.

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When you stop smoking, good things start to happen to your health. Get free support from the NHS to become smoke free and help build a smokefree generation.

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7 MILLION DOWNLOADS

More than any other stop smoking app

PROVEN TO WORK

In six scientific studies

185,000
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Smoke Free - The help you need to quit for good

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It feels so good to see your time smoke free we show it to the second. Watch the money you've saving go up and your cravings come down each day. Get an idea how your health is improving and how much life you've regained.

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Find your local Stop Smoking Service (LSSS) - Better Health

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Enter your postcode to find free Stop Smoking Services near you. With their professional support, you’re 3 times more likely to quit for good.

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Thrive Tribe is a new stop smoking service provider for the IOW, aiming to make it even easier for people to quit for good.

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Thrive Tribe is a new stop smoking service provider for the IOW, aiming to make it even easier for people to quit for good.

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Thrive Tribe, in partnership with the Isle of Wight Council, is the new Smokefree Island stop smoking service provider. The service will provide a range of tailored support options, including a free 12-week programme that guides people every step of the way.

Whether they prefer video sessions, in-person meetings, or phone calls, the friendly and understanding experts are there for support.

Plus, there are free quit smoking products including vapes and nicotine replacement therapy like patches, gum, and inhalators.

Smokefree Island also offers free help to young people who want to quit smoking or vaping, providing confidential advice and support and information about the long-term health impacts of nicotine.

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Cost of Smoking Want to quit smoking? We’re here to help you get started. I would like support to quit I want to quit smoking by myself Your free and confidential stop smoking service We’re here to help you. We understand that different types of support work for different people Learn More The benefits of […]