A new film which highlights the risks involved when woman smoke during pregnancy has been launched in Leicester.
The launch was be held at New Parks Community Centre, and forms part of Stoptober – a month-long national campaign aimed at getting smokers to quit the habit.
The film highlights the dangers of smoking whilst pregnant and signposts people to the relevant support and advice they might need.
Leicester City Council hosted the event in partnership with the stop smoking service and Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust.
The film will be shown and given away free at children’s centres, nurseries, health centres and where Mothers to be, come into contact with midwives, health care professionals, and nursery staff across the city.
Cllr Rory Palmer, Deputy City Mayor and chairman of Leicester City’s health and wellbeing board was in attendance, he said, “Its a really important message that we are keen to get out to mums to be, and indeed dads to be and wider extended families, there are profound risks to smoking during pregnancy, it can do real harm to the health of babies, so this is really important work”
Amy Endacott, a specialist advisor for smoking in pregnancy explains the risks involved, “When a woman smokes during pregnancy, there’s a number of risks that increase as a result of smoking, one of those is the increased risk of miscarriage around 5000 miscarriages a year can be attributed to smoking in pregnancy, it also increases the risk of cot death by up to 35% so around 300 deaths a year after babies are born as a result of smoking in pregnancy, and the increased risk of babies being born to small is much much higher so around 2200 babies a year”
The stop smoking service supports people in Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland who want to stop smoking.
Help is available through the Leicester stop smoking service on 0116 295 4141 or by emailing: Louise.Ross@leicspart.nhs.uk
