Cigarettes and alcohol are toxins that affect your baby’s healthy growth and development.

Give your baby a smoke and alcohol free beginning – there is support available to help you.

Why?

Smoking while pregnant means that the dangerous toxins in cigarettes are passed to your baby. This causes serious pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, or your baby being born too early or too small. It also increases the chance of your baby dying unexpectedly (also called cot death).

Drinking alcohol in pregnancy can affect your baby’s brain development. This can lead to baby having learning or behaviour problems and may be difficult to look after. The effect of alcohol in pregnancy can be lifelong for baby.

How to get help

Talk to your LMC (Lead Maternity Carer – your midwife or obstetrician) or doctor about how to get help stopping smoking. There is a special smokefree pregnancy programme that can offer you one-to-one support, and you can get up to $350 in Countdown or Warehouse vouchers to support your journey towards becoming smokefree.  Contact Ready Steady Quit on 0800 500 601, email or sign up online at https://readysteadyquit.org.nz.

Your LMC or doctor can give you a prescription for patches, gum or lozenges to help with cigarette cravings.

Talk to family and friends and ask them to support you to make a healthy start for your baby. It is important for your health, and the health of your baby, that your home is smokefree. If you are living with family or friends who want to quit smoking with you, Ready Steady Quit run a special programme for your family and they can also get  up to $200 in vouchers to support their smokefree journey.

If you need help to stop drinking in pregnancy talk to your LMC or doctor who can refer you to a support service or call the Alcohol and Drug Helpline on 0800 787 797 or text 8681.

Useful links

Ready Steady Quit:
Phone: 0800 500 601
Email: info@readysteadyquit.org.nz
https://readysteadyquit.org.nz

Alcohol Drug Helpline:
Phone: 0800 787 797
Free text: 8681
https://alcoholdrughelp.org.nz
https://www.alcohol.org.nz/wellbeing/whānau-family-health/haputanga/