Amy Robinson, who quit when she became pregnant, has just welcomed Darcie into the world
Amy Robinson with baby Darcie(Image: supplied image)
A new mum is urging expectant parents to take advantage of free help to quit smoking tools after she stubbed out the habit with local support. Amy Robinson, 31, from Hull, quit smoking when she became pregnant with her first child.
She started smoking when she was 12 but with the help of the tobacco dependency treatment service, she managed to stay quit throughout her pregnancy and has now been smokefree since. Amy has just welcomed her baby Darcie into the world and says she would not want her daughter to follow the same smoking path that she did.
Amy said: “I have tried to quit smoking before but have always relapsed. Finding out I was pregnant was a big motivator to keep going and stay quit.
“The support I got for free made this quit attempt possible, and I’m so pleased to have given my baby the best start in life she can have.” Amy and her mum, Wendy Robinson, 54, of Cleethorpes, are currently the faces of a high-profile multi-media campaign called “Turn the Corner”, with the powerful message that every cigarette takes 20 minutes off your life.
Wendy, who has been through both lung and kidney cancer, quit after sadly losing her mum to the progressive lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) so that Amy – and now Amy’s own daughter – would never have to go through the same experience. Amy’s partner Dek was so impressed with the help and support on offer that he decided to quit alongside Amy, so their baby will be brought up in a smokefree home.
Amy said: “I never thought Dek would quit too, but the baby really gave him the push he needed. I’m so pleased he’s done it alongside me; it gives me peace of mind knowing our baby won’t grow up in a home where people smoke.”
Amy is part of the Yorkshire and Humber wide quit smoking campaign, with mum Wendy, who has undergone surgeries for both her cancers. Watching her mum fight cancer was the motivation Amy needed to make her initial quit attempt, while her pregnancy gave her the determination to stay quit.
Amy said: “Seeing my mum go through kidney and then lung cancer was horrible. I thought if she can stop smoking after 34 years then I can quit too. And then finding out I was pregnant was a big motivator to keep going and stay quit.
“Almost a year on I’ve saved so much money – I’m not getting to the end of the month and having to say no to things.” Amy, who works as an activities co-ordinator in a care home, used a vape and nicotine patches to help her quit and manage cravings.
She said: “The vape was really useful, especially as I associated smoking with socialising so instead of smoking, I could just use the vape. The help I received from my stop smoking adviser was fantastic – they were so supportive.”
The birth of Darcie has re-enforced Amy’s decision to quit, saying: “Seeing the impact smoking had on my mum after she developed cancer made me determined not to let it affect my own family. I started smoking at 12, and I’d be devastated if my daughter did the same.
“I’m so glad she’ll never see it as the norm now that we’ve both quit. I’d urge anyone who’s thinking of quitting to ask for help – it’s free, friendly and it can transform your life.”
Becky Case, local maternity and neonatal system programme director for Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, said: “Everyone wants the best start in life for their unborn baby, and women should know that they can access expert support from their maternity teams across our region. The sooner you stop smoking, the better chance you’ll have of a healthier, happier pregnancy and birth.
“My advice to women who smoke is please speak to your midwife, there is absolutely no judgement, and we want to reassure people that we are here to help. We can also help expectant fathers to quit so your family can feel the benefits of being smokefree.”
Scott Crosby, associate director of Centre for Excellence, said: “Smoking can have devastating health implications for a mum and her baby, including increasing the risks of going into labour early, as well as an increased chance of miscarriage and stillbirth. This is why the support which thousands of mothers have already taken up to become smokefree is so vitally important.”
For free, personalised support to stop smoking in Yorkshire and Humber, visit yestoquit.co.uk If you live in Yorkshire and Humber, you can get six months’ access to all features on the Smoke Free app for free, including nicotine replacement medication as part of the campaign, worth up to £300.
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