Pregnant women will be asked to take breath tests for carbon monoxide to see if they are being honest about smoking, according to a newspaper report.
Midwives should test all women with carbon monoxide kits at antenatal appointments, according comments the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) reported in The Sunday Times (£).
Those woman who are found to have high carbon monoxide readings will be referred to “smoking cessation services”.It is hoped the move would reduce the 21% of women who smoke during pregnancy.
Julie Orford, who has had two miscarriages, described the treatment she received on the NHS:
It felt very much like a conveyor belt. I found it quite insensitive. I was given a cup of tea and leaflet, and just left. We just had bays of women crying. We could hear them crying behind their curtains. Nobody really spoke to you in a sensitive manner and there was no information at all.
Women at risk of losing babies 'need more support'
Women at risk of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy should be given more support and information, according to the health watchdog. A report by NICE says medical staff should be given specific training to deal sensitively with women at risk of losing their babies.
The report recommends a 24 hour phone service Credit: ITV News
NICE says one in five pregnancies results in miscarriage and 11 out of 1,000 are ectopic. That means there are more than 50,000 early pregnancy losses in the UK every year.
Miscarrying women 'are not getting enough support'
Doctors must be more sympathetic to pregnant women in danger of losing their babies, according to a new report.
Doctors are being urged to give more support to women at risk of miscarriages Credit: Katie Collins/PA Wire
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) believes doctors do not give enough information or support to women at risk of miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies, where the egg will not develop into a baby.
According to Nice, one in five pregnancies results in a miscarriage and 11 out of 1,000 are ectopic, meaning there are more than 50,000 early pregnancy losses in the UK annually.
Between 2006 and 2008, six women died from ectopic pregnancies and two-thirds of those deaths were associated with sub-standard care.
The report recommends early pregnancy assessment services to try and diagnose ectopic pregnancies, which are frequently missed by doctors, and a 24-hour phone service.
Health Minister: Support for women and parents crucial
Pregnancy, and the birth of a new child can be both a joyous and an emotionally challenging time.
The Government recognises that women with depression both during and after pregnancy need care and support, not stigma. That's why early diagnosis and support for women and parents is so important, and it is midwives who provide the vital personalised, one to one care for women and families during pregnancy and childbirth.
That is why the Government has invested in over 900 additional midwives working in the NHS since 2010.
Antenatal depression can be 'very difficult for parents'
Sally Russell, co-founder of Netmums, who jointly founded the report, said antenatal depression can make it very difficult for parents.
Depression and anxiety can be common in pregnancy, sometimes making life very difficult for both the parents and new baby. Midwives can do a lot to help and reassure, so should be open with mothers and fathers-to-be about the condition and trained to spot the signs.
Those suffering often don't know who to talk to, so it's essential they know they can be open and honest about how they are feeling with midwives.
Report reveals antenatal depression affects relationship with baby
Half of the 260 women surveyed in the The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and Netmums study revealed that antenatal depression affected their relationship with their baby.
This survey shows that there is an urgent need to identify and help women with depression in pregnancy and after the birth of their baby. If we can identify women as early as possible then we could prevent them declining into much more serious mental health problems.
The Government has made a promise to women that they will be offered better support postnatally and that more will be done to spot and support postnatal depression. However, we know that antenatal and postnatal services are suffering as a result of budget cuts and a shortage of midwives.
This is in addition to the postcode lottery of service provision for women with postnatal depression. If this situation is not rectified, the NHS will continue to fail women with mental health problems during pregnancy or birth and the Government's pledge would be judged to be an empty promise.
