 The midwife will be trained help women give up smoking |
A midwife is to be recruited by NHS Highland and trained to help pregnant women give up smoking. The authority said the role would be aimed at reducing the proportion of women aged between 17 and 25 who smoke in early pregnancy.
NHS Highland said there had been little change in smoking rates among pregnant women over the past five years.
The new smoking cessation midwife post will be funded by the Scottish Executive.
Helen Bryers, NHS Highland's head of midwifery, said a midwife had done the job successfully in the past.
She said: "The previous midwife was pretty effective but we want to build on her work and make stronger efforts to cut down the number of smokers.
"We need to show teenage girls the risks involved to them and their babies if they smoke.
"Smoking can lead to problems such as low birth weight in babies and a decrease in the placental function."
The midwife will be based at Raigmore Hospital and travel around the Highland area, visiting women's homes, health centres, mother and toddler groups, ante-natal classes and parent classes, and giving specialised support and care to pregnant women.
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We need to show teenage girls the risks involved to them and their babies if they smoke
Highlands & Islands
