I have a healthy two month old and i smoke and nurse, will it hurt him?

Question

I hear confilcting things about it. I never smoke around him, always go out side and he's never has a cold or anything. but i don't know who to believe about it.

Answer 1

According to most of the websites below, smoking will not cause much harm to your baby unless you smoke around him or smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day. Heavy smoking can cause the baby to have nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, and colic. Babies of smoking mothers and fathers also have a seven times greater chance of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Although it would be best for your baby if you quit, you will lessen the risk by not smoking around him (going outside, like you are already), not smoking more than 20 per day, and smoking immediately AFTER nursing - it takes about 95 minutes (over an hour and a half) for only HALF of the nicotine to leave your body.

Good luck and congrats on your new baby! Check out some of the links below for more info:

Answer 2

I do the same thing, I always go outside to smoke and he's never seemed to have problems with it. I'm not pretending to be an expert here because I know this can be a real touchy subject for some people but here's what my doctor told me: Try to quit, smoking is never a good thing and it's bad for you. Nicotine will get in your breastmilk and can cause problems. But if you can't quit; limit yourself to a half a pack a day at THE VERY MOST, never smoke around the baby (and wear a coat or something when you go outside to smoke so your clothes won't have the smoke on them) and don't smoke right before breastfeeding. And if the baby has any problems, not just respiratory, excessive nicotine can give the baby diarhhea or make him throw up,you might need to switch to formula if you really can't stop smoking, (but if you limit your nicotine intake, breastfeeding is still better than formula). Hope this helps

Answer 3

The nicotine is in your breast milk. Would you light one up and stuff it in his mouth? Probably not. While La Leche League states that they would rather see a mom continue breastfeeding instead of switching to the bottle even though she was a smoker, they also say that smoking cessation aids (gum, patches) put less nicotine into the breast milk than smoking does, so there is no excuse. You don't have to quit cold turkey - get the patch or Nicorette gum and work towards being smoke-free. If your baby grows up seeing you and/or his dad smoke, he will likely pick the habit up himself. Set a good example and quit before it becomes a problem. You have one very good reason for doing so. Good luck.

Answer 4

Although I would certainly recommend trying to stop smoking for your child's sake, I have always read that it is better to nurse the child even if you are smoking. You may want to change clothes before you do, so he's not breathing that awful smell all the time. If you smoked while you were pregnant with him, be sure to watch him closely, as this increases the risk of SIDS threefold. I just hope the poor baby doesn't lose his mother to cancer at an early age.

Answer 5

Well I would suggest that you quit smoking at least until you stop breast feeding the baby. Just to be on the safe side. I'm pretty sure that it's gonna be a little tough, cause the baby can also bring some stress which will make you want to smoke even more, I used to smoke myself but I've stopped since I started TTC. Try staying really busy, it helps a lot when you're trying to quit. Good luck;)

Answer 6

i personally think it's wrong, but that's my opinion. I am breastfeeding my second child right now and when I am breastfeeding I don't even drink caffeine drinks (no soda, no coffee, etc.) if it's not good for adults then it's definitely not good for our babies. But on that note I found this article

Question:

What are the risks of smoking while breastfeeding? Does this affect your child?

Answer:

Smoking does affect breastfeeding. However cigarette smoking is not a contraindication for breastfeeding. So yes, you can smoke and breast feed. Women who smoke cigarettes have a significantly decreased amount of breast milk. Cigarette smoking inhibits the effects of prolactin (a hormone needed for breastfeeding). Research has found that women who smoke cigarettes have a 30-50% lower base level of prolactin during the first 21 days of breastfeeding. Research has also found that women who smoke wean their infants earlier. Also, infants of women who smoke have a higher incidence of colic. Nicotine is present in the breast milk of smoking women as well as the air the infant breaths. The amount of nicotine received by the baby depends on the number of cigarettes smoked, the amount of time between cigarettes and when the cigarette smoking occurs in relationship to a feeding. It is important to note that the infant will consume more nicotine from the air than from the breast milk. If you are smoking, do not smoke in the baby`s presence. If you are going to continue smoking while breast feeding try to smoke following a feeding, rather than right before a feeding. Children of parents who smoke in the home have a greater susceptibility to respiratory problems than children of nonsmokers. Second hand smoke is also related to increased incidence of otitis media (ear infections). If you are planning to breast feed do so. However, try to cut down on the number of cigarette you smoke. There are many smoking cessation programs that you can participate in. If you are in a program that uses the nicotine patch or chewing gum, be sure to discuss this with your infant`s health care provider. (most of them have less nicotine than cigarettes, but you can NOT smoke while using these, because of the amount of nicotine the baby would receive).

Answer 7

Let me provide you with some REFERENCED information on this topic.

Breastfeeding and smoking is healthier for your baby than formula feeding and smoking.

Breastfeeding provides many immunities that help your baby fight illness and can even help counteract some of the effects of cigarette smoke on your baby: for example, breastfeeding has been shown to decrease the negative effects of cigarette smoke on a baby's lungs. It's definitely better if breastfeeding moms not smoke, but if you can't stop or cut down, then it is better to smoke and breastfeed than to smoke and formula feed.

You should know that smoking has been linked to earlier weaning and that it can sometimes lower milk production or interfere with your letdown reflex. One study (Hopkinson et al 1992) clearly suggests that cigarette smoking significantly reduces breast milk production at two weeks postpartum from 514 milliliters per day in non-smokers to 406 milliliters per day in smoking mothers.

Make sure you continue to go outside to minimize his exposure to your smoke. And, if you can, have a "smoking jacket" or "smoking sweater" that you throw on over your clothes while smoking so not as much of the smell clings to you when you come back inside.

Smoking has been linked to fussiness. In one study, 40% of babies breastfed by smokers were rated as colicky (two to three hours of "excessive" crying) as compared with 26% of babies breastfed by nonsmokers (Matheson and Rivrud 1989). It's important to note that this link between smoking and colic has also been found with artificially fed babies with one or more smokers in the home (Lawrence, p.519).

Answer 8

The way I heard it was that even though your not smoking around your baby as you are obviously aware of the dangers and want the best for your little one, when you come back from having a smoke you are still exhaling a bit of smoke into the air (or the face) for a couple of hours or so. Think what you want.

Try to give up though, you don't want your little one being without a Mummy 'cos she wanted the odd smoke.....please.

Answer 9

Yes, absolutely.

Children of smokers have twice the incidence of respiratory problems compared to children of nonsmokers.

You are teaching him by example that smoking is ok, putting him at increased risk of becoming a smoker himself, and all the ill health effects that go with it.

You risk orphaning him, not seeing him graduate from high school, seeing him get married, and other important things in life.

If you love your child, you will make every effort to quit smoking NOW.

Good luck to both of you.

Answer 10

You should not stop breastfeeding him. Breast milk is still the best food for him. It would be good if you could quit or cut back on smoking, but it will be healthier for him if you smoke and breastfeed than if you smoke and formula feed.