Suffolk Stop Smoking Service
Information for New Dads

Cigarette smoke contains 4000 chemicals producing poisonous gases, of which 60 are known to cause cancer.

Breathing over people’s smoke is called passive or second-hand smoking.

Non-smokers inhale these poisonous gases, increasing their risk of cancer, heart disease and breathing problems.

Exposure to cigarette smoke during pregnancy has been shown to put the baby at risk of low birth weight.

Babies who are exposes to cigarette smoke are at greater risk of developing asthma, and middle ear infections.

Would you be alarmed to know that parents’ smoking has bee identified as the cause of ¼ of all cot deaths?

DO NOT SMOKE OR ALLOW SMOKING IN FRONT OF YOUR PREGNANT PARTNER OR NEW BABY

How to help somebody stop smoking

If your partner has decided to stop smoking, there are many different ways that you can help her. The most important is to support her and make her feel supported.

Be supportive:

v      Ask how she is feeling from time to time;

v      Understand that she may feel that it is all much for her;

v      Treat her with a surprise for getting through a difficult day;

v      Do not nag or preach to her! Just be there;

v      Be patient. It may take a while to adjust to being a non-smoker.

What to expect:

v      Feeling anxious or stressed – be reassuring that she can do it;

v      Feeling bored – offer to take her to the pictures or do something different;

v      Mood changes – be patient if she is irritable or down in the dumps. This is normal and temporary;

v      Lack of will power – be there for her, and talk about the reasons why she stopped in the first place.

v      Other smokers – it is hard for a new non-smoker to be around people who smoke. Do not smoke in front of her - you will put her at risk of relapse.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE HELP TO STOP SMOKING YOU CAN CALL FOR ADVICE:

Last Modified: December 2002