Smoking While Breastfeeding

Many women mistakenly believe that smoking while breastfeeding will not affect their babies. While smoking certainly isn't a reason to refrain from breastfeeding your baby, there are some important points you should be aware of.

The Facts

According to the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Women's Health, approximately 25 percent of U.S. women of reproductive age smoke tobacco. What's even more alarming is that many of these women continue to smoke during pregnancy and after the birth of their child.

In a recent article entitled "Breastfeeding and Smoking" published in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the authors noted the results of a study on breastfeeding and smoking and its short-term effects on infant sleeping. While the study didn't note any marked difference in breast milk intake, it was noted that infants spent much less time asleep after their moms smoked than those who did not smoke. The study concluded that the higher the levels of nicotine ingested, the less amount of time a baby slept. These results represent only one aspect of the negative impact of smoking while breastfeeding, however.

Smoking While Breastfeeding Concerns

In some cases, women who are concerned about breastfeeding, but find it difficult or impossible to quit smoking, simply give up nursing their babies. If you must smoke, don't forgo breastfeeding completely. Instead, consider the following:

• Women who continue to smoke after the birth of their baby tend to stop breastfeeding earlier than those who don't smoke.
• Women who smoke will have a decreased amount of breast milk production. This is due to the fact that nicotine affects the production of the hormone prolactin which is needed to produce breast milk.
• Nicotine can be transferred to a baby through the air and through the ingested breast milk, but more nicotine is consumed through the air than through breast milk.
• Women who smoke often have difficulty feeling the "let-down" sensation that accompanies the rush of milk to their nipples as their infant prepares to nurse.
• The taste of breast milk may be affected, causing an infant to refuse to nurse.
• Infants and even older children of smokers are at greater risk of respiratory problems than those of non-smokers.
• Second-hand smoke has also been found to increase the occurrence of ear infections in children.

Precautions

The best thing you can do for your baby is to stop smoking while breastfeeding. Even better…stop smoking for good, which is the best decision you can make for your baby and yourself! However, if you must smoke, take the following precautions:

• Do not smoke during a breastfeeding session with your baby.
• Try to put as much time as possible between the last time you smoked and the next time you nurse.
• Don't smoke in the house. Instead, walk outside to smoke.
• Wear a special hoodie outside when you smoke. Once you've finished your cigarette, remove the hoodie before going back inside, and do not get near your baby when you are wearing that hoodie.
• Try to cut back on the number of cigarettes you smoke during a day. The more cigarettes you smoke, the greater the risk to your child.
• If you are using the nicotine patch or chewing nicotine gum, be sure and tell your pediatrician. It is important that you refrain from smoking if you are using either one of these aids.

Finally, there are numerous programs available that can help you quit smoking if you are motivated enough to do so. Visit the American Lung Association's website and LoveToKnow Recovery for more information.

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