Breastfeeding and smoking is very bad. You need to make sure to feed your baby anyway. But remember smoking around a little baby can be terrible for their health. It is well known that smoking during pregnancy can harm the baby, but what about breastfeeding and smoking? What are the risks if you continue to smoke while nursing your baby? And if you cannot quit, should you breastfeed at all?
Breastfeeding And Smoking
Breastfeeding and smoking may not seem so dangerous as smoking in pregnancy because at least the baby is now receiving oxygen from the air. As long as you do not smoke around the baby, she can receive unpolluted oxygen. However, her only food source is still coming from your body, and it will contain nicotine and other toxins. In fact, there is more nicotine in breast milk than in the blood that reaches a fetus through the placenta.
Babies receiving breast milk from mothers who smoke more than 5 cigarettes a day are more likely to suffer from digestive problems including colic, nausea and diarrhea. If there is smoke in the air that the baby breathes, she also has an increased risk of respiratory diseases including asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia.
No Breastfeeding And Smoking
If you managed to quit smoking when you were pregnant, then it is worth holding out a little longer. Even though your baby is not dependent on your blood supply any more, she will still receive toxins through your milk. Over 4000 different toxins have been identified in cigarette smoke. Your body will get rid of these any way that it can, and through the milk is one way.
If you smoked through your pregnancy, then it will still benefit your baby if you can quit now. Be careful how you do it because heavy use of nicotine replacement products would not be good for your milk either.
When they hear these facts about breastfeeding and smoking, many nursing mothers ask: okay, so if I am nursing I should not smoke, but what about the other way around? If I smoke and I don’t believe I can quit, should I still breastfeed, or is it better to give my baby a store-bought baby milk that will not contain these toxins?
Breastfeeding is Still Very Important
The answer from the medical world is that yes you should still breastfeed even if you smoke, as long as you have enough milk. Heavy smokers tend to produce less milk than non-smokers, so this may be an issue and you will need to ensure that your baby is receiving enough to be well nourished. Smoking more than 10 cigarettes a day has been shown to reduce breast milk production.
If you cannot quit, then at least be sure not to smoke around the baby and avoid smoking right before you nurse. The nicotine levels in the blood are highest when you have just had a cigarette. So if you have to smoke, the best time is right after the baby finishes feeding. Then she will usually fall asleep and you can leave her safe in her crib and go outside the house to smoke.
Imagine if you could easily use the same method that allowed Paul Peyton, a heavy smoker for more than 14 years, ? to permanently quit overnight… Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
Well, guess what – you can. In fact, ANYONE can do it.
But first, you need to understand where you’ve gone wrong in the past… Treating just the physical addiction to smoking. But it can only be removed completely by using targeted psychotherapeutic techniques. NOT by ignoring it and hoping it will go away. And CERTAINLY NOT by throwing even more nicotine at it, in the form of patches or gum. You MUST deal with BOTH parts of your addiction the right way, or you will keep getting those cravings forever…
Specific, step by step instructions ? we show you exactly what to do, so nothing is left to chance. You choose the timeframe ? implement the method at your own pace, as you feel comfortable. Tried and tested method ? this cutting-edge method has been successfully used to cure thousands of happy ex-smokers. Permanently removes your mental dependence at the subconscious level ? resulting in a permanent end to mental cravings.
But keep in mind that as your baby grows, she will be around you more and more. When babies are older they may not be taking your milk any more but they will be more likely to be around your smoke. So now is a great time to quit if you possibly can, and reduce the risks to your baby from the effects of breastfeeding and smoking.
So the real shocking part of this whole story seems to be the picture itself, although I think that breastfeeding just kind of makes a lot of people feel uncomfortable. The woman on the Time Magazine breastfeeding cover is Jamie Lynne Grumet and she is actually standing in defiance while nursing her 3 year old (maybe 4 year old) son standing on this stool.