'I had a bouncing, smoke-free baby!'

As soon as I saw the line turn blue on the pregnancy test, I said: 'Right, I’m giving up smoking.' Michael didn’t miss a beat. 'Me too,' he said. My second child, Jamie, was on his way and we didn't want him to be harmed by smoking.
 
We didn't even have a last cigarette! After the first flush of determination, though, it wasn't so easy. I was a chain-smoker and had been lighting up since I was 15. I'd tried to quit three times before, but without help I fell off the wagon really quickly.
 
So at my next antenatal check-up I mentioned to my midwife that I was struggling. She was really pleased I'd made the decision to quit and said there was lots of support available to help me through it.

She was so understanding

Before long I was answering the door to Michelle Pugh from the Herefordshire Stop Smoking Service. From the moment she walked in the house, she was lovely. 
 
I never felt she was judging me and she talked me through all the options. It was such a relief to find someone so understanding and supportive.
 
Michael decided to rely on willpower, but I needed nicotine replacement patches. I went through three stages. I had the stronger patches for four weeks, the medium patches for another four weeks and then two weeks on the weaker ones.
 
When Michelle visited, I liked the way she recorded our carbon monoxide levels. She asked us to breathe through the puffer thing and it was nice to see our CO levels falling on our charts. I could see the difference quitting was making to my body – and my baby.
 

I wasn’t hurting my baby

I started to feel much better in myself and it was great not to want a cigarette. The patches worked and Michael encouraged me all the way. Knowing I wasn’t hurting the baby really helped, too.
 
So with the help of Michelle, the patches and my determination, I finally did it. I quit smoking for good. And when Jamie was born weighing 9lb 11oz I knew I might not be holding such a bouncing, healthy baby if I'd smoked through my pregnancy.
 
Now Jamie is four and I’ve had two more smoke-free pregnancies – with Joedy then Casey. I take real pleasure in not being a smoker any more and we are proud that we did it for the kids.
 
If someone stands near me in a shop reeking of smoke, I have to move away. And when I saw a cartoon of a pregnant woman with a cigarette dangling from her mouth I just thought: 'Yuk!'

* Picture posed by model