smoking while breastfeeding?

Question

My son is 7 months old and I am still breastfeeding. I did not smoke at all during the pregnancy and I have recently started back about 2 weeks ago... will any cigarette chemicals get to my baby through my breast milk??? I just want to know if it's harmful because if it is, I can stop because I am not a very heavy smoker.

to answer some people's questions i never smoke in the house or anywhere where my baby could breathe in the smoke

my boyfriend does not smoke around him either

Answer 1

You should definitely quit, for the following reasons:

Babies of smoking mothers and fathers have a seven times greater chance of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Smoking has some serious side effects on nursing for both parties. It can change the mother's milk supply by more than one hundred milliliters. Despite the baby's demands for milk, the mother's body simply may not be able to respond because of the effects of smoking.

Babies and children who are exposed to cigarette smoke have a much higher incidence of pneumonia, asthma, ear infections, bronchitis, sinus infections, eye irritation, and croup.

Colic occurs more often in babies whose mothers or fathers smoke or if a breastfeeding mother smokes. Researchers believe that not only does the nicotine transferred into mother's milk upset baby but the passive smoke in the home acts as an irritant. Babies of smoking parents fuss more, and mothers who smoke may be less able to cope with a colicky baby (due to lower levels of prolactin).

Smoking by breastfeeding moms occasionally causes symptoms in the breastfeeding baby such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea.

Children of smoking parents have two to three times more visits to the doctor, usually from respiratory infections or allergy-related illnesses.

Children who are exposed to passive smoke in the home have lower blood levels of HDL, the good cholesterol that helps protect against coronary artery disease.

Children of smoking parents are more likely to become smokers themselves.

A recent study found that growing up in a home in which parents smoked could double the child's risk of lung cancer later in life.

Good luck - you can do it! And if your husband smokes, it is very important that he doesn't smoke in the house or in the car. Your baby's health literally depends on it.

Answer 2

I really want to be nice about this answer, so please don't take it the wrong way. If you don't need to smoke, then don't. Even if it doesn't do anything to your baby now, it would suck if you got cancer when they were older and needed you. I smoked before and it's a difficult addiction to break. I never smoked when I was pregnant. But it sure was easy to get back into after I was done having the child, nursing, etc. Since then, I've quit.

Smoking really isn't a good habit. It makes you stink. I have a niece who passed down a bunch of clothes to my daughter ... they reaked of smoke because my sister-in-law smokes ... I washed them in the machine FIVE times. They still spelled. It really is a gross habit.

If you've quit for this long ... just be done with it. Good Luck! :-)

Answer 3

Yes, of course it effects your baby. The nicotine gets into your blood stream so naturally it is going to effect your breastmilk. If you didn't smoke the whole 9 months you were pregnant, why in the world would you start back only to put your newborn at risk? Not only through the breastmilk but also any second-hand smoke.
In recent studies it has been found that smoking while breastfeeding may even lower the amount of milk produced so don't except to be breastfeeding for long if you continue.

Answer 4

To Karen-> she asked a question not for criticism. it shows that you do care a lot because a large percent of mothers would just keep smoking and breastfeeding. But back to your question Yes chemicals can be passed to the baby. I have a friend who smoked while breast feeding and the baby was always a little bit underweight, I would think that its because how cigs hold back your appetite. Good luck with your baby and giving the cigs up

Answer 5

While you shouldn't ever smoke around your child, if you DO smoke there is even more reason to breastfeed as that will boost your child's immune system and help them develop stronger lungs, etc...

Since you say you can stop as you aren't a heavy smoker, then DO! For yourself, for your child. I understand it can be very addictive, but if you've already stopped this long (over a yr?) then keep going and stop for good. It's worth it for your health and those around you.

Answer 6

Yes, it is passed on in your breastmilk. Also, the smoke stays on your clothes and your baby is breathing second hand smoke everytime you hold him. It's more than just harmful through the breastmilk. I would quit. Besides the health hazards, it's expensive and you need all the money you can to pay for stuff for the baby.

Answer 7

There's no easy way of gauging, but. The less you can smoke, the better.

"First of all, a mom who can't stop smoking should breastfeed. 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.

The more cigarettes that you smoke, the greater the health risks for you and your baby. If you can't stop smoking, or don't want to stop smoking, it's safer for your baby if you cut down on the number of cigarettes that you smoke.
...
Smoking has been linked to:

Earlier weaning. One study showed that the heaviest smokers tend to wean the earliest.
Lower milk production
Interference with milk let-down
Lower levels of prolactin. The hormone prolactin must be present for milk synthesis to occur.
One study (Laurberg 2004) indicated that smoking mothers who live in areas of mild to moderate iodine deficiency have less iodine in their breastmilk (needed for baby's thyroid function) compared to nonsmoking mothers. The study authors suggested that breastfeeding mothers who smoke consider taking an iodine supplement.
Although smoking has been linked to milk production and let-down problems, this may be related to poor lactation management rather than physiological causes. Dr. Lisa Amir, in a review published in 2001, concluded that "Although there is consistent evidence that women who smoke breastfeed their infants for a shorter duration than non-smokers, the evidence for a physiological mechanism is not strong.""

http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/smoking.html

kellymom.com is *very* reliable, much more so than those dime-a-dozen baby info sites.

Answer 8

It would be best not to smoke, of course - it is harmful to your baby whether you are breastfeeding or not. However, if you're going to smoke, it's still better to breastfeed than to feed your baby formula.

http://www.medela.com/NEWFILES/faq/smoking_bfdg.html
http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/smoking.html

Answer 9

First of all, a mom who can't stop smoking should breastfeed. 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.

The more cigarettes that you smoke, the greater the health risks for you and your baby. If you can't stop smoking, or don't want to stop smoking, it's safer for your baby if you cut down on the number of cigarettes that you smoke.
Babies and children who are exposed to cigarette smoke have a much higher incidence of pneumonia, asthma, ear infections, bronchitis, sinus infections, eye irritation, and croup.
Colic occurs more often in babies whose mothers or fathers smoke or if a breastfeeding mother smokes. Researchers believe that not only does the nicotine transferred into mother's milk upset baby but the passive smoke in the home acts as an irritant. Babies of smoking parents fuss more, and mothers who smoke may be less able to cope with a colicky baby (due to lower levels of prolactin).
Heavy smoking by breastfeeding moms occasionally causes symptoms in the breastfeeding baby such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea.
Babies of smoking mothers and fathers have a seven times greater chance of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Children of smoking parents have two to three times more visits to the doctor, usually from respiratory infections or allergy-related illnesses.
Children who are exposed to passive smoke in the home have lower blood levels of HDL, the good cholesterol that helps protect against coronary artery disease.
Children of smoking parents are more likely to become smokers themselves.
A recent study found that growing up in a home in which two parents smoked could double the child's risk of lung cancer later in life
Smoking has been linked to:

Earlier weaning. One study showed that the heaviest smokers tend to wean the earliest.
Lower milk production
Interference with milk let-down
Lower levels of prolactin. The hormone prolactin must be present for milk synthesis to occur.
One study (Laurberg 2004) indicated that smoking mothers who live in areas of mild to moderate iodine deficiency have less iodine in their breastmilk (needed for baby's thyroid function) compared to nonsmoking mothers. The study authors suggested that breastfeeding mothers who smoke consider taking an iodine supplement.
Although smoking has been linked to milk production and let-down problems, this may be related to poor lactation management rather than physiological causes. The ideal: Stop smoking altogether.
Cut down. The less you smoke, the smaller the chance that difficulties will arise. The risks increase if you smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day.
Don't smoke immediately before or during breastfeeding. It will inhibit let-down and is dangerous to your baby.
Smoke immediately after breastfeeding to cut down on the amount of nicotine in your milk during nursing. Wait as long as possible between smoking and nursing. It takes 95 minutes for half of the nicotine to be eliminated from your body.
Avoid smoking in the same room with your baby. Even better, smoke outside, away from your baby and other children. Don't allow anyone else to smoke near your baby

Answer 10

Yes anything you put into your body will affect your baby if you breastfeed. Thats why breastfeeding moms wont get flu shots or anything like that.