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Help available for pregnant women looking to quit smoking

Posted at 10:53 AM, May 11, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-11 10:53:51-04

The Washtenaw County Public Health is encouraging every pregnant woman who is struggling with nicotine addiction to make a date to quit! 

The Michigan Tobacco Quitline is here to help! The Quitline provides free help to all pregnant women, regardless of insurance status. Services include; counseling sessions, incentives and free nicotine replacement therapy with a prescription from a physician.

Smoking at any point during a pregnancy can heighten the risk of complications before and after birth, low birth weight, preterm birth, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and are more likely to show signs of distress and excitability.

“Because nicotine is very addictive, people who smoke, including pregnant women who smoke, are best able to quit when they get help and support,” says Jane Nickert,MSN, MSBA, director of nursing for Washtenaw County Public Health. “We want women and health care providers to know that there is free help available to make quitting easier.”

“We encourage all health care providers to routinely ask pregnant women about smoking at each visit. In addition to advising identified smokers to quit, these patients can also be referred to the Michigan Tobacco Quitline if help is needed with quitting,” says Jessie Kimbrough Marshall, MD, MPH, medical director for Washtenaw County Public Health.

For more information, please call the Michigan Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).