to be furious that pregnant women in derbyshire are to be offered a cash incentive to give up smoking while pregnant.

[Wormshuffler]

Just reported on central news. Up to £750 in shopping vouchers.

Oh - and smokers placentas are neither grey nor gritty (you do know that the actual smoke doesn't go straight to the placenta don't you??)

MY MW told me that smokers placentas look different Gin, is that not the case then? It seems to be a fairly common misconception! Or is it to stop pg mums lying that they have quit because they think that the MW will be able to tell that they have?!

Any addiction is a weak state of mind. It's willpower and trust in yourslef that makes you either smoke or not smoke.

Why is it that I have never even held a cigarette or felt compelled to smooke one, yet my sister did? She is the very emotional one and weak hearted (in a kind way) when it comes to coping daily life and boyfriends in the past etc.

I have been sensible and boring I guess but I have always known that I'm strong enough to say no.

I honestly don't mean that to sound judgy but it's how strong or weak you are that stops an addiction. If you honestly love your baby enough, you can give up smoking.

YABU - personally I don't care as long as it works and women give up smoking

I have no repsect for whoever is running derbyshire health authority.

and what if it works Loopy? What if vastly more pg women quit under this scheme than with education? Surely the desired result is healthier babies born to non smoking mums, does it really matter how that is done as long as it works?

Yes smoking is a powerful addiction but if women were standing outside the hospital in their dressing gowns shooting up heroin would we all be going there,there they cant help it?

There is plenty of help out there to aid you giving up smoking-especially in pregnancy-I think its one of the first things they ask you at booking in!

No it wont be easy but you keep trying-if you have a replapse then try again and so on and so on....

My sister wouldnt give up smoking in pregnancy even though she had seen me going through the experience of stillbirth-one of the msin reasons is she doesnt want to get fat

Any addiction is a weak state of mind.

Here Loopy, have first prize for the biggest load of CRAP it has even been my misfortune to read!

Who knew that methadone programs can be gotten rid of, and replaced with training heroin addicts to have a stronger state of mind!

FFS............................................

I would bet a zillion pounds it wouldn't work.

We didn't have to pay people to use condoms to prevent HIV. I'm not saying an incentive/education of the right kind won't work but I'll be really hacked off if they offer every mum who smokes £750 to quit.

When the govt. are taking away child benefit for absolutely no reason.....they decide to pay people to quit smoking in pregnancy.
The country is going down the pan

Sorry didn't read the actual article as I read about this ages ago in the guardian and assumed stupidly they would have mentioned previous studies carried out in America - and I think Australia too

online.wsj.com/article/SB123438843231174457.html

Bogey - as far as I can see from the research smoking does have an effect on the placenta, but none of these would turn the placenta grey or gritty.

Stopping smoking or not during pregnancy is not a marker of how much you love your baby - and there is no way quicker to alienate smoking pregnant women than coming out with rubbish like that. Most pregnant smoking women feel very guilty about continuing to smoke.

The traditional smoking cessation messages don't work - this works for more people, so gets my support.

Thats a bad analogy bogey as methadone programmes are shite and dont work-I say this btw as someone who has a family full of junkies

Smoking is very bad for both the mothers and more importantly-the unborn babys-health. If you are offered every opportunity to quit smoking while pregnant then you should grasp it with both hands.

If Bogeyface is right, and smoking is a hobby that is the equivalant of buying cancer on lay-away at £60 a week...

then isn't there already a financial incentive to give up?

I'm saying bogeyface that any addiction, be it gambling, drinking, smoking, drugs becomes an addiction because someone cannot say no in the first place.

If they are able to give it up, it's because they have changed as a person and are able to say no, I don't need it.

note how I didn't tell you what you wrote was the biggest load of crap?

i can understand why this would make people angry. at a time when jobs are scarce, people are struggling with their bills, the government is cutting benefits etc £750 is supposedly going to be given to expectant mothers to give up smoking?

what ever next where will it stop, lets give aother £750 to alcoholic mothers to give up drink, and some more to mothers who do drugs, and more to mothers killing themselves by overeating, after 10 months these people will be back to their addictions because no amount of money will kill the addiction. the individual has got to come to a point when they think enough is enough i want to kick the habit.

now if having a new life growing inside you isnt enough to trigger that instinct why would some cash incentive help?

i think its a stupid idea, the money could be better spent.

Well if there is anyone on here reading this who is smoking in pregnancy-

My mum took up smoking while pregnant with me as a result of this I was a low birth weight baby and had to spend time in special care.

27 years later I gave birth to my own son-never having smoked-and he was also a low birth weight baby-as a direct result of my being so.

My ds has issues that are related to his being low birth weight and is also at higher risk of things like high blood pressure.diabetes in later life too.

Please think on-and take the help to try and stop

Not really Mrs, because you are used to not having that money. Spending £60 (or whatever) a week on fags is part of your budget, so you can "afford" it, the incentive is free money if you like.

I say all this as an ex smoker that still suffers pangs occasionally, infact I am having a major craving now just talking about it :o

damn I'm not good at links

online.wsj.com/article/SB123438843231174457.html

however also read in the guardian but can't find the article sorry that they have been paying girls in malawi to stay in school - the idea being they won't have to have sex with older men to survive and it will cut the HIV rate.

Seems like everything is turning into payment by results atm - if it's good enough for the Work Programe and Sure Start?

hmmm - so if someone spends £60 a week on smoking, that equals £3120 - the govt. could save themselves a whole lot more money by not going ahead with this scheme and just explaining to people how much they'd save if they quit.

I know - why don't the govt. pay criminals to go to jail....oh yes, that's right, they do!

It's beyond mad and justanuthermanicmumsday summed it up way better than I did.

If spending £750 stops a woman smoking in pregnancy then
a) saves NHS £ because of reduced number of low weight babies, fewer miscarriages, fewer complicated pregnancies
b) saves NHS £ because of fewed children with respiratory problems
c) (if Mum stays stopped) saves NHS £ because fewer adults with respiratory problems/COPD/cancer
d) Helps overall economy because more healthy people= less people on health related benefits etc

Fewer smoking women has knock on effect on other smokers - family members more likely to quit etc etc.

Given the economic arguments smoking incentive schemes seem to be pretty good value for money.

I don't know why for some people £ is more of an incentive to stop than the known health benefits - but it works.

gambling, drinking, smoking, drugs becomes an addiction because someone cannot say no in the first place.

thats not true at all. Lots of people have tried all of the above and not become addicts. I have gambled (well, a couple of quid on the Grand National and I have been to bingo a couple of times), I drink alcohol, but I am addicted to neither. Why? I dont know. BUt I became addicted to smoking through a misplaced belief that I could control it when in fact it controlled me. By the time I realised that cigarettes were in charge and not my free will, it was too late, I was an addict. Strength or character or willpower had sod all to do with it.

I became an addict because I genuinely didnt believe that I would and thats how the trap works.

So yes, it was utter crap and only a never smoker would think it wasnt.

online.wsj.com/article/SB123438843231174457.html

An you have to remember that smoking rates are much higher in areas of high deprivation - where most cigarettes are bought on black market (so savings for Mum stopping are less) and where cigarettes are even more dangerous. Lots of these women are in communities where is is perfectly normal to smoke during pregnancy - their Mums did, their friends do and their babies were all fine? Lots of these women don't engage with health services - so the added benefit is that they are having more contact with health professionals during their pregnancy.

the govt. could save themselves a whole lot more money by not going ahead with this scheme and just explaining to people how much they'd save if they quit.

but the smoker doesnt NEED to save this money because they can afford it! By "afford" I mean that they will always find the money, no matter what has to give way to it. Every smoker knows what it costs them, and it doesnt make a scrap of difference to most of them.

Sadly what bogey is saying is true. My mum is amazing at making her money stretch-she is a brilliant shopper and always finds bargains. Was able to save enough to buy her own house in only a couple of years even though is in a shit job etc-but she still cant give up cigarettes even though she would save loads of cash.

Like my sister she has a true horror of being fat and so continues to smoke...