I've stopped smoking : the experience of pregnant women and mothers

Abstract

This study aimed to explore how pregnancy affects smoking cessation together with how smoking cessation affects the pregnancy. This research offered an insight into the lived experience of women who had to quit smoking due to pregnancy, and the various factors which facilitated or hindered their attempt have been highlighted. The relationship between pregnancy and the factors of initiation and maintenance of smoking cessation, as well as the experience of pregnancy and afterbirth in the light of cessation of smoking, were explored. A review of the existing literature identifies six factors influencing the possibility of a relapse. These are a change in identity, the motivation to quit, having a partner who smokes, stress, depression and weight gain. The use of this teachable moment to reduce the high relapse rates is also taken into consideration, as well as the possible use of pharmacotherapies. This research used a qualitative approach through four semi-structured interviews which were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Through IPA, five super-ordinate themes are identified; identity, motivation, prompts for smoking, attraction to smoking and support from partner. The results concluded that cessation of smoking for the duration of their pregnancy was a difficult task to accomplish; the pregnancy itself provided enough motivation for the women to remain abstinent while it lasted; and after the birth, this motivation was not present any more which facilitated relapse. Protective short- and long-term factors against relapse include breastfeeding and having formed a powerful non-smoker identity respectively.