In 2011, Sophie Jones was heartbroken when she delivered a stillborn baby. Now Jones believes her addiction to cigarettes was the reason her son, Korey, died. She admitted that during her pregnancies she smoked more than 25 cigarettes a day; however, at the time she didn’t realize the dangers smoking can have on an unborn child.
According to the Center for Disease Control, smoking during pregnancy can cause premature birth and birth defects. Smoking can also cause sudden infant death syndrome and in 2006 Jones lost a son from the condition. Her baby, Frankie, lived for only four days before passing away.
Jones shared more of her story with the the Daily Mail.
She said, “It is absolutely devastating to lose two children as you never expect that to happen. When I go to tidy up their graves I think I should be tidying their bedrooms not their gravesides. I think about them both everyday, but it’s particularly sad at this time of year because on Christmas Day I think there should be two more piles of presents.
Losing my baby boy Korey as a stillbirth is one of my biggest regrets and continues to haunt me to this day. I never fully understood the risks of smoking while pregnant. I just thought it led to a smaller baby. How wrong I was. I cut down when I fell pregnant, but obviously that wasn’t enough to save my baby.”
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Currently, Jones is pregnant with her fifth baby and has quit smoking altogether. She said, “I visited Northumberland Stop Smoking Service where the advisers were just the best. They gave me so much knowledge and support that I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done. When they sat me down to explain how smoking could be depriving my unborn baby of oxygen I felt sick.”
Jones concluded, ‘To learn smoking could be damaging me and my unborn baby in this way was gutting. I made my mind up about quitting there and then. I’ve now been quit for four months and I’ve never felt better. I no longer suffer from breathlessness and the money I’ve saved from not buying cigarettes has bought a new cot for the baby. All of my children are so proud of me for not smoking and tell me all the time how happy they are that I don’t smell. I’d encourage any mums-to-be who smoke to think about the risks to your baby and get help.”
