The identification of maternal smokers postnatally in an Irish maternity hospital

While many women quit smoking spontaneously before or during early pregnancy, information is limited about maternal smoking as pregnancy advances. This study examined the smoking behaviour of women throughout pregnancy and immediately after delivery.

Women on the postnatal ward were consented for BCO testing and after completing this under supervision, they were asked to complete an accompanying questionnaire on smoking behaviour (unsupervised).

In this small pilot study, we found BCO testing in an inpatient environment, not surprisingly, was ineffective in identifying current smokers. As reported in other studies, we found that few women quit smoking after the time of the first antenatal visit.

This suggests that postnatal smoking cessation interventions should receive greater attention. We recommend that all women who identify themselves as current smokers at the first antenatal visit should complete a short questionnaire postnatally and should be offered support to quit smoking or maintain cessation after they bring their baby home.