'I don't need you to criticise me, I need you to support me'. A qualitative study of women's experiences of and attitudes to smoking cessation during pregnancy.

Background: Smoking is associated with health inequalities and is the most important modifiable risk factor for poor outcome in pregnancy.

Aim: To explore women's experiences of smoking during pregnancy, examine their attitudes and barriers to smoking cessation, and to discover what support they feel might enable them to have a smoke-free pregnancy in future.

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted with nineteen women in the United Kingdom who had smoked at some stage in pregnancy during the last five years.