A mum who stopped smoking while she was pregnant has backed a campaign calling for pregnant women to stop smoking.

Hayley Carlton, who gave up smoking when she was pregnant with her daughter Eve, is supporting Hertfordshire County Council’s ‘Love Your bump’ campaign, aimed at getting pregnant women to stop smoking.

Health chiefs say smoking increases the risks of miscarriages, stillbirths and cot deaths.

The council says more than 1,000 babies in Hertfordshire are born to mums who smoke.

Ms Carlton, who started smoking when she was aged 18 years old at college, said: “Once you meet your perfect, tiny, helpless baby you will 100 per cent understand why you put yourself through the stress of trying to give up.

“All of my friends smoked and I wanted to impress a boy. It did work briefly – but by the time we broke up I was a fully paid up smoker.

“Before I was pregnant, I had never tried to quit, but when I went for my booking in appointment with my GP, he suggested I call the stop smoking service. So I decided to go once and see what they had to say.”

Council chiefs stress support is at the heart of the campaign, which is also reaching out to partners, mums, dads and friends of pregnant smokers.

Ms Carlton added: “I spoke to a lady at the clinic who was amazing. It made a refreshing change from my husband who was always nagging me.

“Two things she gave me really helped, the first was a day chart that I could count each smoke free day off on. The second was something she said, which was the fact that a craving lasts 4 minutes and then it’s gone, and then the next will be the same.

“Once I knew that I just had to distract myself for 4 minutes, I felt like I’d actually be able to do it.”

Katie Chilton, Head of Midwifery and Nursing Services Manager Women and Children Services at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust said: “We see up close the damaging effects that smoking during pregnancy can have on mums and babies, so we are fully behind the ‘Love your bump’ campaign.

“If you are pregnant and smoke and coming to see your midwife or GP, please tell them you smoke.

“That way they will be able to signpost you to free expert support to help you quit, giving you the best chance of having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby."