smoking while breastfeeding??

Question

I quit smoking when I got pregnant( whole 9 months), after giving birth I started smoking again. I smoke 3-6 cigarettes a day. I feel guilty. I just want to know, How bad is that? What effects would it have on my baby?

Answer 1

3-6 cigarettes a day isnt that bad. Just dont smoke around your baby. And a doctor told me that if a woman smokes and breastfeeds there should be at least 60 minutes between the feeding (or pumping) and the cigarette. Same goes with drinking. I read somewhere that for every alcoholic drink there should be an hour wait before feeding. (So if you had 3 drinks you should wait 3 hours) Dont feel guilty. I smoked after my baby was born. Shes 19 months old now and shes only been sick once (the common cold). And just because you smoke doesnt mean your child is going to grow up to be a smoker. My mother and father both smoked (my dad quit when I was 7, my mom still smokes). Out of their 3 kids, I was the only one who ever smoked. My brother and my sister have tried it but only once. They didnt like it. And I dont think I started smoking because of my parents. I started because a lot of my friends smoked and I didnt want to feel left out. (I know thats a stupid reason but its true) If you can quit smoking though, that would be best. I know its hard but you seem like the type of person who could do it. You quit for 9 months-thats pretty impressive considering how hard it is to stop smoking.

Answer 2

Smoking while breastfeeding (and while pregnant) is linked with SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and the nicotine in cigarettes is really bad for the baby. It takes just a few cigarettes a week to get a teenager addicted to nicotine, imagine what it does to a small baby. There are also over 4000 chemicals in each puff that you take of your cigarette. Think about that!

Smoking is not only a disgusting habit, it's also expensive and it's so bad for you. If you gave up smoking during your pregnancy, why did you start again?

The kind of effects that smoking has while you are breastfeeding are:

Addiction
Middle ear infections
Less breast milk
Destruction of brain cells
Colic or excessive crying
Circulatory damage
Chronic Depression
Not being able to initiate breast feeding
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Decrease in your child's ability to learn or memorize
A reduction in the breast's ability to pass key nutrients to the infant

(from this website: http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:jthLyjwBOF4J:whyquit.com/whyquit/LinksBirth.html+smoking+while+breastfeeding&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=ca)

For the best of you and your baby you really should quit smoking! You did it for 9 months, you can do it again!!

Good luck, don't stress yourself out... a lot of women actually do smoke and have healthy babies too, but if it were me who had to choose to smoke again or not, I wouldn't put my baby at that risk.

Answer 3

You should NOT be smoking while you're breastfeeding. Why bother quitting if you're gonna start up again? You carried the baby inside of you while pregnant providing it with all it needs and now that the baby is out you're feeding him with breast milk which comes from your body and smoking gets to the baby either way! It's not good for you or him. If you can't stop for 9 months you can quit altogether! And second hand smoke is a lot worse! Good Luck!

Answer 4

you should still breastfeed if you're smoking that few cigarettes. just make sure there's at least 95 minutes between cigarette and nursing. i also quit while i was pregnant, but shortly after giving birth, i gave in to the cravings again. just smoke outside, and it's OK. don't feel too guilty. there's a study done somewhere that says your smoking MAY help protect your baby from future second-hand smoke exposure... but it wasn't proven to the point that anyone would encourage nursing moms to smoke or anything.

Answer 5

Babies exposed to second hand smoke have a higher rate of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome SIDS

you or anyone else shouldn't smoke inside the house. And when you go outside to smoke always put on a coat or something similar and then take it off when you go inside. So that the smoke will go on that and not on the clothes that you are wearing. And this is for EVERYONE who will be near your baby.

Answer 6

It's great that you quit while pregnant.. At this point the only issue you have is the nicotine, just keep in mind how addicting that it is for you, when you stop breastfeeding the baby will go through the same withdrawal you did, so my answer would be quit again. I know how hard it is to quit...

Answer 7

Your baby will be fine. I smoked while breastfeeding (about as often as you do, maybe a little less). I just make sure I don't smoke around my son, always washed my hands after, and tried to time my cigarettes in between feedings.

Answer 8

try to space out the times between you smoking and nursing, and keep the smoke away from your baby. Maybe have a special jacket you put on to smoke and leave it outside? And wash your hands, of course.

Nursing is still better than not nursing in your situation though.

Answer 9

Don't feel guilty. Just make sure that you don't touch or breastfeed your baby for thirty minutes after having a cigarette.

I got this directly from a nurse practitioner and lactation specialist. She said, "If you gotta have a smoke, you gotta have a smoke. Just wait thirty minutes before going around the baby and just make sure you smoke outside, not near the baby."

Don't let anyone browbeat you into feeling guilty...mothers have smoked for generations even while pregnant.

Answer 10

Did you quit smoking during your pregnancy, if so why would you smoke while you are breastfeeding!
Nicotine is still transferred to the baby in breast milk. What do you think is the right thing to do?
If you didn't quit while you where pregnant then why would quit for breastfeeding. What's the difference!