Breastfeeding and Smoking
Smokers usually light up when they are feeling anxious and anxiety is one of the many feelings you feel as a new mother.
Of course, if you are a breastfeeding mom you should make every effort to stop smoking. If you simply cannot quit cold turkey, it may surprise you to know that the recommendation of experts (including La Leche League and the American Academy of Pediatrics) is that you should still breastfeed your baby. 
If you smoke, do not stop breastfeeding due to fear that the nicotine that passes into your breast milk is harming your baby. Breastfeeding and smoking is much better than giving your baby formula because breast milk has antibodies that will help combat the effects of your smoking near your baby. That’s right, some of the risks of second hand smoke such as lung cancer and asthma are lowered because of breast milk.
Breastfed babies have fewer respiratory illness, even if their moms are smokers.
One of the biggest concerns with breastfeeding and smoking is that nicotine may contribute to reduced breast milk production and problems with letdown. If you are having trouble providing enough breast milk to your baby, you may try to cut back on the amount of cigarettes you smoke each day to see if that will help.
Some more recommendations:
- Do not smoke around your baby. This is pretty obvious.
- Smoke right after you breastfeed, not before or during. Ditto for nicotine gum – chew it after feedings.
- Cut down as much as possible.
- Find as many ways to reduce stress as possible. Breastfeeding in itself tends to calm a mom down due to the relaxing effects of prolactin and oxytocin, the hormones involved in nursing.
Read more about breastfeeding and smoking here.
Tags: breastfeeding and drugs, breastfeeding and health care
One Person has left comments on this post
Smoking is just disgusting. Good blog. It still sounds a little too encouraging to smokers to continue, though, even though you aren’t advocating for it.