If you’re pregnant or living with someone who is, now is the time to take a big step toward a healthier future. Smoking during pregnancy can harm both the baby and the mom, but quitting isn’t easy. That’s why Tennessee’s GIFTS program is here to help.
The GIFTS program offers free, personal support to help pregnant women and their families quit smoking for good.
What Does GIFTS Offer?
· Free help to quit smoking
· One-on-one counseling sessions
· 25-dollar vouchers for baby items like diapers and wipes
· Support for pregnant women and household members
Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight. In Tennessee, six percent of women smoke while pregnant, which is twice the national average. Babies born to women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to spend time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and face long-term health issues like asthma.
Smoking in the home after a baby is born also impacts the infant’s health. Infants of smokers have more than three times the risk of SIDS, and the risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Children of smokers have an increased risk of bronchitis, pneumonia, and ear infections. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are also more likely to experience wheezing and asthma.
Even if you smoke outside, secondhand and thirdhand smoke can still harm your baby. Third-hand smoke sticks to your clothes, your hair, your furniture, even long after you’ve put out a cigarette. That’s why the GIFTS program helps anyone living in the home quit smoking.
How Does the Program Work?
You’ll start with four counseling sessions during pregnancy to help you quit. After the baby is born, you’ll have monthly check-ins for one year. Each time you attend a session and test smoke-free, you earn a 25-dollar voucher for things your baby needs.
Quitting isn’t easy, but you don’t have to do it alone. The GIFTS program is free and available in every county in Tennessee.
Learn More About the GIFTS Program:
tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/fhw/tennessee-tobacco-program/pregnancy-smoking-cessation.html
Find a program near you:
Quitting smoking is one of the best gifts you can give your baby and yourself. Let GIFTS help you take that first step.