Smoking while breastfeeding - harm and consequences

Smoking is the scourge of modern society. It’s sad to see how barely removed schoolgirl bows, hiding around the corners, ruin their young body by smoking. But it’s even worse to see a young mother rolling a stroller and blowing smoke. And the baby lies, panting, clogging its forming lungs with tobacco carcinogens from the air, and if a woman is breastfeeding, then this is generally terrible. What can smoking lead to while breastfeeding, consider this article.

Smoking is a persistent psychological dependence that is difficult to get rid of on your own, but you can always reduce the amount of harm. Nursing mothers should definitely think about what damage they bring to their child because of their imaginary pleasure. Even if it is still very difficult to give up a cigarette, try to follow the simple rules when smoking nursing mothers. Many systems have been created to combat nicotine, including psychological ones. It is possible that when you learn about the good experiences of other mothers in the forums, you too can overcome this habit in yourself.

What is harmful cigarettes

About how harmful smoking, we begin to learn from the school desk. And yet, fewer pregnant women are ready to part with this addiction for the sake of good health of their baby. Perhaps they forget that in any cigarette collected about 4000 components dangerous to the human body. Of this number, about 70 can cause cancer.

Watch the presentation on the dangers of smoking (clickable)

The harm from tobacco smoke is experienced not only by the direct smoker, but also by others. They are passive smokers because they inhale the “cigarette cloud” generated by your smoking. Smoking of a pregnant woman or a nursing mother cannot but affect the baby's condition, regardless of his desire, he will necessarily receive a portion of harmful substances first through the umbilical cord, and then through the mother’s breast milk.

Consequences of smoking

A breastfeeding woman who smokes should remember that nicotine is absorbed into her blood within the first 30 minutes. Then he goes to the child in the composition of milk. It has been observed that breastfeeding in smokers is different from that found in mothers without a passion for nicotine.

1. Firstly, the volume of milk produced is much lower. This is due to the fact that the concentration of the hormone prolactin decreases and does not allow the production of milk in the right amount.
2. Secondly, along with the volume, the quality of milk is also deteriorating. It is not so saturated with various vitamins, beneficial enzymes, hormones, protective antibodies.

Smoking is harmful not only when the baby is breastfeeding, passive smoking of children is no less dangerous. Children from smoking families in most cases become the same heavy smokers already in the initial stage of puberty, and the bad habit is passed on from generation to generation.

Tobacco smoke into which the baby plunges is capable of causing nausea, allergies, vascular spasm, various respiratory diseases. The most obvious example of tobacco harm is that instead of pure oxygen, the child receives carbon monoxide, known for its toxic properties.

The harm of smoking to a nursing mother

Pregnancy takes away from a woman not only a lot of strength, but also useful substances from the body. All the necessary elements for a full-fledged birth of life are taken from maternal resources, therefore, after 9 months of bearing a child, a woman gets into the maternity ward tired and exhausted. You can improve your health as soon as the baby is born. Nutritious and healthy food, compliance with the regime will restore lost strength, replenish the "baggage" of vital trace elements. The process of renewal is unlikely to happen to a woman who smokes: nicotine is firmly rooted in the body, has taken the place of the necessary substances, and now they simply have nowhere to stay.

Cigarette addiction negatively affects the emotional state of not only a nursing mother, but also the baby. His irritability and constant vagaries knock the tired mother out of balance even more, so it seems that this situation will never end.

How does smoking spoil breast milk?

The harmful enzymes contained in cigarettes mainly affect the blood vessels: they constrict them, and the milk ducts are no exception. Narrowing, they do not allow the passage of breast milk in full, from here begin the problems with the production of the hormone prolactin. Its insufficient level reduces the rate of milk in the female breast.

The nutritional value of milk, which carries particles of nicotine, is markedly reduced (read an article on the composition and benefits of breast milk) Any eaten product will necessarily affect its taste, so a smoking nurse will definitely be endowed with an unpleasant cigarette aftertaste. In case of tobacco dependence, the period of breastfeeding is not long - up to 4-6 months. Then the milk itself begins to “go away” and this is unlikely to be avoided unless a caring mother puts an end to her “passion."

Important: how to increase lactation

Harm for a child from breast milk of a smoking mom

Now imagine that partially nicotine enters the baby’s body through breast milk. It spreads quickly enough, and destructive processes begin to occur in the baby in a completely still immature tiny body.

First of all, the baby’s small heart begins to suffer - nicotine causes dysfunction of this organ, and if the mother smokes throughout the entire breastfeeding period, the baby may develop heart failure. From the daily penetration of nicotine into the blood of a newborn, the baby’s heart rhythm is gradually disturbed, as a result of which such diseases appear, like arrhythmia, tachycardia. For the infant, this is a serious danger that poses a threat to life.

What else could be the consequences for a baby from smoking mom?

• Sleep disturbance - the child’s sleep is often interrupted, the baby is very anxious, overexcited;
• Decreased appetite, weight loss, slows the development and growth of the child;
• Almost one hundred percent tendency to allergic reactions - it is very difficult to introduce new foods for feeding, the skin reacts with rashes and inflammation;
• Failure of the gastrointestinal tract - the child suffers from gas, colic, constipation, frequent vomiting;
• Tendency to pulmonary diseases (nicotine affects the respiratory system of a child, causing asthma and various respiratory diseases), decreased immunity;
• The harm of smoking during breastfeeding can affect the nervous system of the child, as a result, this can lead to the developmental delay of the child;
• Mom’s smoking makes the baby nicotine-dependent in the future;
• And the worst thing is the predisposition to cancer and the risk of sudden infant death increases.

The harm from smoking with HB is incommensurable with the “pleasure” that a mother gets when she smokes a cigarette. You can reduce the health effects of a cigarette only by abandoning this addiction; there is no other way.

If you are interested in the question, what is preferable - to breast-feed a child and smoke, or to transfer him to artificial feeding, there is no consensus. Breast milk is preferable for a child, and the WHO organization says that if you smoke up to five cigarettes a day, you can continue breastfeeding. On the other hand, it is not known whose immunity will be healthier: an “artificial” child or a child who is fed breast milk with nicotine.

Continuing smoking during the period of hepatitis B, be prepared for the fact that your lactation will be short-lived - according to medical statistics, feeding in such mothers lasts only 4-6 months. Breast milk, “flavored” with nicotine, has a bitter aftertaste and the smell of cigarettes - so your baby can refuse it even in the hospital.

The consequences of smoking for a child during subsequent adulthood

A nursing mother, who has not yet parted with a cigarette, risks the health of her child not only during infancy. Addiction can negatively affect the emotional and physical condition of the baby, slow down his mental development already at a more mature age.

Studies by scientists have led to the conclusion that with further puberty, a child who is accustomed to nicotine in infancy will become tobacco-dependent very early on. Children who were forced to use nicotine with breast milk may subsequently be characterized by increased irritability and aggressiveness. Usually they do poorly at school, have problems with memory and behavior. If we talk about health, then children fed on milk with nicotine are more likely to have respiratory diseases, problems with the respiratory system and various allergic reactions. Weak immunity and developmental delay will not allow the child to be among the best pupils and students.

How to reduce the harm of smoking during the period of hepatitis B

If you still can’t “tie up” or you think that breastfeeding and nicotine are completely compatible, then you should at least limit yourself to the number of cigarettes smoked. The basic rules for reducing the harmful effects of cigarette smoke on your milk:

• The maximum number of cigarettes smoked per day is 5. Smoking is allowed only during the day, because at night the most turbulent stage of prolactin begins and tobacco cannot be allowed to interfere with this process.
• Cigarettes should be smoked immediately after eating the crumbs, so that at least 2 hours from the moment nicotine enters the lungs of the mother before the next feeding.
• Do not smoke in the same room with the baby.
• Change clothes after smoking, thoroughly brush your teeth and rinse your mouth, wash your hands from tobacco smell.
• The time interval between cigarettes is 2-3 hours.
• Eat nutritious and mineral-rich foods and consume vitamins.
• Drink more fluid, it will quickly remove nicotine from the body.
• Frequent walks with the baby on the street.
• Gradually reduce the dose of nicotine, reducing it to zero.

Remember cigarettes are poison. Do not poison your child, because taking care of his health is your main goal and prerogative. Get rid of addiction and be healthy!

How to quit smoking

It is especially worth considering this if you are a mother, and your baby is now on the GV. To wean yourself off cigarettes on your own, just make a list of positive facts that you can get when you give up the habit. It can be saving money, improving health, craving for sports, etc. You should be the best example for your children. Looking at his parents, the child will build his life in a similar way.

Self-restraint smoking cessation has gained good popularity. Only 4 rules should be selected from the list and try to comply with them. When they are densely settled in your lifestyle, add 2 more from the list. Complete freedom from cigarettes will come to you, subject to the entire list.

• Replace the time spent smoking with sports or walks in the fresh air.
• Do not smoke 2 hours before meals.
• Do not smoke on an empty stomach. Try not to smoke as long as possible in the morning, delaying the dose of nicotine.
• Do not smoke immediately after eating.
• Try replacing cigarette smoking with something tasty (candy, seeds).
• Smoke in an uncomfortable position (squatting or standing in an uncomfortable position).
• Do not carry a lighter with you.
• Do not smoke during a telephone call or at a computer.
• Take rest time for interesting and useful activities, do not spend it on poisoning your body.
• Smoke only half of the cigarette.
• Do not drag on deeply.
• Choose cigarettes that you don't like.
• Stop smoking if someone nearby is “smokeless”.
• If you need to smoke, try distracting yourself and delaying the time.
• Do not smoke outdoors.
• Do not take cigarettes as a presentation.
• Do not rush to open a new pack of cigarettes.
• Buy no more than one pack of cigarettes at a time.
• Do not smoke in your home or at work.
• If cigarettes run out, then you should not ask for them or borrow.
• Do not smoke while waiting for the bus, etc.

Together with this effect, folk remedies (herbal flavors) and pharmacy methods (nicotine patch, special chewing gum, tablets) can be used.

How to quit smoking without any chewing gums, plasters, tablets, coding? A new way has appeared: Monastic tea - a natural remedy that helps to completely get rid of nicotine addiction in just 3 weeks (click on the picture for details)

 

Anyone who still doubts whether to quit smoking or not should visit special forums and blogs. There you can read real life stories, for example, about the fact that in families of smokers the syndrome of sudden infant death occurs 7 times more often than in families without cigarette addiction. Perhaps this will make you think about which harm you can inflict on your child by crossing out with his addiction the successful future of the baby or even his life. No satisfaction of your addiction can be compared with the health and formation of your child in adulthood.

We also read:

• Smoking during pregnancy - how it affects the baby and what harm it can cause
• Alcohol while breastfeeding
• What is absolutely impossible with breastfeeding

Very useful on the topic of GW:

• Tips for nursing mothers
• Basic rules for breastfeeding

Video on the dangers of smoking