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SMOKING TEST TO PREGNANT LADIES

Pregnant mothers in Britain should undergo test to check if they are secretly smoking, and if found positive they should be helped to quit, according to a new UK health guidance. Midwives should give carbon monoxide tests to all women they see at antenatal appointments, said Britain's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). Women found to have high carbon monoxide readings - a sign that they are secretly smoking - will be referred to "smoking cessation services", said the proposed guidance. Under the guidance, according to The Sunday Times, all discussions about giving up smoking would be recorded in the mother's notes. NICE, a special health authority, provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care in the UK. An estimated 21 per cent of women smoke during pregnancy. 
This harms foetal growth and development, with smokers three times more likely to have a baby with low birth weight — a leading cause of infant death. But Royal College of Midwives (RCM) source told The Times the guidance was "ill-judged" and could damage relationships with expectant mothers. Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the RCM, said the test could help show women the potential damage to unborn babies, but said the final decision must lie with the mother. The test will not be compulsory but midwives fear many mums-to-be will feel under pressure to take it. Parenting expert Ellie Lee, of the University of Kent, said: "It's outrageous. If pregnant women think they need help with stopping smoking then that is fine, but it's not the place of midwives to start dictating to women what they do and don't do," Lee was quoted as saying by 'The Sun'. "The next thing will be blood tests on women to see how much they drink."

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