PREGNANT women are almost twice as likely to quit smoking if they are supported from their first midwife appointment.

Researchers from Newcastle University carried out a study of 40,000 mothers-to-be on the “BabyClear” programme, screening all pregnant women for smoking.

Any woman still smoking when she first saw a midwife, at around eight weeks, was given information about the risks and put in contact with agencies to help her quit.

The report, published today in Tobacco Control, found the number of women who quit smoking almost doubled.

Dr Ruth Bell, who led the study, said: “If we help make it routine for midwives to ask about smoking and screen every mother-to-be for carbon monoxide, we can double the number of women who quit smoking in pregnancy and substantially increase the number of healthy babies.”

The team found women who did not smoke in pregnancy went on to have babies that were more than half-a-pound heavier at full term, than those who continued.