The number of pregnant women smoking in the North West has reached an all-time low, according to NHS England. This year saw the biggest annual fall in smoking during pregnancy in the North West since records began, with 873 fewer pregnant women smoking compared to the previous year. Statistics from the NHS show that in the North West, 8.
4 per cent of women were known to be smokers at the end of their pregnancy in 2023/24, down from 10.3 per cent the previous year. Claire Mathews, chief midwife for NHS England – North West, said: "It is extremely encouraging to see that the number of pregnant women smoking has reached an all-time low, with thanks to our brilliant teams of midwives and the specialist support we provide to expectant mums through our maternity services.
"We want to help even more pregnant women to live smoke-free and will continue to provide dedicated support to anyone accessing our maternity services – so if you are considering having a baby or recently pregnant and looking for support to quit, please do speak to your maternity team, they are here to help." Information on NHS services to help people to stop smoking is available on nhs.uk.
.
