Martin stared smoking at 14. He’d grown up in a smoking home with a Mum who smoked, so starting smoking in his early teens seemed normal.
When he met Heather she had quit smoking but it wasn’t long before she started again, tempted back by always being in the company of a smoker.
But at the beginning of 2018 everything changed when Martin and Heather found out they were going to have a baby. As a smoker Heather was referred to the QuitReady stop smoking service by her midwife.
QuitReady arranged to visit Heather at her home and it was at this home visit that Martin became involved with the stop smoking service too.
“I always intended to quit to support Heather but it wasn’t until I met the advisor that I realised there was a service out there that could help me.”
Martin was strongly motivated to quit to protect his new baby. He agreed to face to face meetings with the advisor and was prescribed a nicotine inhalator to help with cravings.
“I wanted to make sure that my child had a safe and healthy environment to grow up in where they wouldn’t be around smoke or the risk of a fire. Plus it meant we could save money to spend on the baby.”
But he also wanted to be there for Heather: “I knew if I quit it would help Heather too.”
Heather agrees: “I needed his support to stop more than anything. His strength gave me strength.”
So what is Martin’s advice for other Dad’s in his position?
“You have to support the mother of your child, it’s just as hard for them to quit but they have to think of the baby. It’s your job to protect them both.”
