A Watford mum who stopped smoking with the help of the council’s Stop Smoking service is urging pregnant women in Hertfordshire who smoke to quit.

Hayley Carlton, who gave up smoking when she was pregnant with her daughter Eve, is supporting Hertfordshire County Council’s Love Your Bump campaign, aimed at getting pregnant women to stop smoking.

She said: “Once you meet your perfect, tiny, helpless baby you will 100 per cent understand why you put yourself through the stress of trying to give up.

“I started smoking when I was at Sixth Form College, I was about 18. All of my friends smoked and I wanted to impress a boy.

“I did work briefly – but buy the time we broke up I was a fully paid up smoker.

“Before I was pregnant, I had never tried to quit, but when I went for my booking in appointment with my GP, he suggested I call the stop smoking service. So I decided to go once and see what they had to say.”

Ms Carlton’s visit to the clinic was a positive one and she made a refreshing change.

“I spoke to a lady at the clinic who was amazing,” said Ms Carlton.

“Two things she gave me really helped, the first was a day chart that I could count each smoke free day off on.

“The second was something she said, which was the fact that a craving lasts four minutes and then it’s gone, and then the next will be the same.

“Once I knew that I just had to distract myself for four minutes, I felt like I’d actually be able to do it.”

The offer of support is at the heart of the campaign, which is also reaching out to partners, mums, dads and friends of pregnant smokers.

Teresa Heritage, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Localism and Libraries, said: “We know that baby’s health is the thing that matters most in the world to pregnant mums in Hertfordshire. We also know that most mums understand that smoking when they are pregnant is harmful for them and their baby. But that doesn’t make it any easier to stop.

“’Love your bump’ is about giving pregnant smokers and their families all the support they need to quit, so that all Hertfordshire babies have the best chance of getting off to a happy and healthy start in life.”

To give quitting a go, call 0800 3893 998, text SMOKEFREE to 80818 or go to our website www.hertsdirect.org/loveyourbump.