Smoking while breastfeeding - harm and consequences

More than a century has passed since Columbus discovered America and introduced the world to tobacco. In the Middle Ages, smoking cigars and snuffing tobacco was the privilege of the nobles and was used as a painkiller, a remedy for migraines and other ailments. Over time, the fashion for smoking spread to all segments of the population.

Today it is no secret that cigarettes are addictive and shorten life. However, acting as a psychostimulant that causes euphoria, nicotine keeps a third of the male population in tobacco slavery. What can be said about women who smoke? Their number is growing steadily. But a woman who smokes puts not only her health at risk, but also the health of her future children. What if she already had a baby? Is smoking acceptable while breastfeeding? Does nicotine pass into mother's milk? And how can you best take care of your baby if someone in the family smokes?

Removing nicotine from breast milk and how long it stays there

How long does it take for nicotine to be eliminated from breast milk? The main component of a cigarette is nicotine. In terms of its structure and properties, it is a drug characterized by a detrimental effect on the nervous system and increased similarity to body tissues.

The substance produces its effects by penetrating biological barriers: blood-brain (protects the brain) and placental (surrounds the fetus).

When breastfeeding, the toxin is definitely in the milk. Additionally, it reaches the baby when smoking in his presence, seeping through the diet, through the respiratory system and skin.

In the presence of a strong addiction that completely clouds the mind, when a young lady is unable to give up the addiction at least for the period of gestation and lactation, it is necessary to look for a “golden mean”.

The half-life - the length of time during which half of the nicotine that enters the blood is utilized - is 100 - 100 twenty minutes. Every hour the content in the blood decreases by half.

After such a period, the desire to light a cigarette appears again. The substance is completely eliminated after 48 hours: this is how long the liver and kidneys need to process it.

It should be noted right away that the “severity” and the number of cigarettes smoked can change the time frame. Plus, features cannot be ruled out.

Test for smokers

Is it possible to smoke while breastfeeding?

To a simple question about the possibility of women smoking during lactation, one can give an unequivocal answer - it’s impossible, it’s very harmful. However, psychological factors contribute to the behavior of young mothers.

In a Canadian study, 228 smoking mothers were given a series of lectures about the dangers of cigarette smoke for children. Subsequently, none of them gave up cigarettes, but the majority decided to wean the child from breastfeeding. The results of this study indicate that drug addiction to nicotine overshadows even the natural desire to raise a healthy child.

If you are planning to have children, you should quit smoking 6 months before the expected pregnancy. This period of abstinence does not lead to an increase in the likelihood of birth defects in the child, compared with women who have never smoked.

The effect of nicotine on breast milk and how it affects quitting smoking breaks

How does nicotine affect breast milk? Like most body processes, lactation is a process dependent on hormones, subject to changes mainly from the nervous system, which is the first to react and “get hit” by a bad habit. The main hormone for successful feeding is prolactin, the maximum release of which occurs at night.

Nicotine reduces the concentration of the latter and suppresses milk production. E If the mother does not stop smoking immediately after giving birth, lactation may not be established. The effect clearly manifests itself when consuming more than 5 cigarettes per day. The permissible number of cigarettes smoked per day is 5, if the postpartum mother wishes to use breastfeeding.

At night it is necessary to avoid smoking breaks, at this time the best food for the baby is produced and accumulated in the mammary gland. The composition and quality of milk changes. It is bitter, with a characteristic unpleasant odor, which is why children refuse to breastfeed.

These factors lead to the fact that on average, lactation among smokers lasts 5-6 months. Nicotine interferes with the absorption of vitamins and microelements in a woman, depleting breast milk of the substances necessary for the baby. This applies to antibodies - substances that protect the baby from pathogenic microorganisms. The child’s immunity is significantly reduced, and so is the mother’s.

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Statistical data

If a woman, having learned about pregnancy, was unable to overcome the craving for cigarettes in 9 months, then she should find out frightening data about the dangers of smoking:

1. Nicotine addiction develops at lightning speed. 10 out of 100 people develop cravings 2 days after the first cigarette. Within a month, 30% of people become heavy smokers.
2. Daily smoking shortens a woman's life by 10 years.
3. Tobacco smoke contains several thousand harmful substances; under their negative influence, the human body sooner or later begins to develop cancerous tumors.
4. 50% of smokers worldwide have an increased risk of dying between the ages of 35 and 63.
5. People with nicotine addiction more often than others suffer from diseases of the lungs, gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system.

Important! Nicotine is the most dangerous drug in cigarettes. Its toxic effects lead to serious disorders in the human body.

Penetration of nicotine into breast milk

How long does it take for nicotine to pass into breast milk? The substance has good permeability, is absorbed by the mucous membrane of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and easily penetrates into the lungs. The respiratory organs, which contain many blood vessels, absorb the poison first. This happens by diffusion.

Cigarette smoke, without lingering in the oropharynx, goes straight to the lungs, which deserves the title of the most dangerous. The smoke from cigars and pipes behaves completely opposite.

It is known from the school biology course that oxygen is absorbed in the cells of the lungs, which is carried to all organs and tissues.

The bloodstream, saturated with cigarette smoke, reaches the mammary glands. There, through many biochemical reactions, the composition of the blood changes and milk is formed. Once again, it should be noted that the percentage of nicotine in the mother’s blood and breast milk remains unchanged.

How to remove nicotine from breast milk, is the harmful component released or removed?

When the concentration of poison in the mother’s blood decreases, its content in breast milk decreases strictly proportionally. To remove nicotine, it is necessary that it be utilized in the body of a nursing woman.

The decomposition products are completely utilized after 48 hours, and after an hour and a half, half of the smoked substance will not be in the mother’s blood, and also in the mammary gland.

The fact that the state of the body can change the average time frame was stated above. To speed up the decay, physical activity and walks in the fresh air will help. This is beneficial for both mother and child.

Drinking enough liquid and freshly squeezed juices will help reduce the dose of the toxic substance. A possible way to remove nicotine-enriched milk is by expressing. But this method disrupts lactation, so it is possible in rare, almost extreme cases.

The amount of nicotine that passes into breast milk

The concentration of nicotine in milk is equal to the content in the blood. To put it simply, all the absorbed nicotine goes through the milk to the baby. With cigarette smoke, 90% of nicotine enters a woman’s bloodstream.

It is believed that when smoking a cigar or pipe, chewing or sniffing tobacco, less nicotine is ingested. An alternative is to use these methods and feed.

The combination of smoking and auxiliary methods is not desirable, one might even say unacceptable. This results in a series of peaks in the presence of the toxin in the blood, which is detrimental to the child.

The effect of cigarette smoke on a nursing woman

There is a lot of information in specialized sources about the general negative impact of cigarette smoke on the female body.

But during lactation, specific effects of nicotine appear that are harmful to the girl’s health.

1. Under the influence of cigarette smoke, the elasticity of connective tissue decreases, its fibers become loose and prone to stretching. With a sharp drop in milk production, the breasts become irreversibly sagging and lose their attractive shape.
2. A decrease in the level of prolactin in the blood under the influence of nicotine leads to the cessation of physiological amenorrhea. As a result, already at 3-4 months of feeding, menstruation may begin, which are often irregular and protracted.

Everyone takes care of their own health, but a nursing woman should also take into account the interests of the child when smoking.

Good afternoon I'm already tired of this tobacco, it's expensive and smells bad, so I'm planning to buy an electronic cigarette. I am breastfeeding my daughter and have been smoking for 3 months. Tell me, are electronic cigarettes harmful too? Rita, 36 years old.

Good afternoon, Margarita! Electronic cigarettes contain nicotine, which negatively affects both milk production and the baby's health. Stop smoking immediately and think about the harm that smoking brings to your daughter.

Consequences for a child with breastfeeding and smoking

Smoking is a bad habit – it’s no secret.

Women who give up the habit only during pregnancy need to be aware of the impact of smoking on the baby:

1. Massive vascular spasm occurs. With blood, tissues and organs are enriched with oxygen and carbon dioxide is removed. Compression of the vessel leads to ischemia, which means that the tissue does not receive vital oxygen and is “poisoned” by excess carbon dioxide. The tissue most susceptible to ischemia is the brain. The consequences of frequently recurring spasm of cerebral vessels in a newborn include: deterioration of sleep; change in behavior, the child becomes more capricious; retardation in physical and mental development; c there may be an increase in convulsive activity and the development of an epileptic seizure.
2. Nutrients are supplied in insufficient quantities. Where does the slow weight gain and lack of sufficient vitamins come from? Children are more susceptible to colic due to changes in the digestive system.
3. Decreased immunity, the process of adequate production of antibodies changes and the supply of the latter from the mother decreases.

If you decide to break the habit

If you decide to quit smoking, you can do it in three ways:

• gradually eliminating one smoke break per day or reducing the volume of cigarettes smoked (that is, not a whole cigarette, but half);
• immediately quit smoking abruptly, replacing the habit with something else (seeds, nuts);
• using modern means (for example, videos, patches, etc.).

In the first case, for mothers it will be like training for future weaning. Only the mother herself will have to be patient. Although this option will be the most gentle and easy.

In the second case, this will be a stressful situation, which is very dangerous when feeding, since stress can disrupt the normal course of lactation or the milk may disappear altogether. In this case, you will have to replace cigarettes with something else.

The third method can be used only after consultation with a psychologist and narcologist, since many methods have contraindications, especially during lactation.

At first, changes in mood, nervous breakdowns, drowsiness, lethargy, loss of appetite are possible. Gradually the symptoms disappear.

Also, do not forget that the baby will also experience nicotine withdrawal, since getting used to it happens very quickly, but it is more difficult to wean it off. The child can also become very capricious and hysterical. Any change will cause crying. Refusal to eat may occur as its taste has changed. But perhaps, on the contrary, the child will become calmer, or rather, inhibited and sleep too much. In any case, you should consult your pediatrician. Maybe before this and during the withdrawal period, he will recommend some soothing herbal infusions for both the child and the mother.

Some mothers ask whether it is possible to smoke a hookah during breastfeeding. Doctors generally have an extremely negative attitude towards smoking. But pregnant and nursing mothers are categorically told that this cannot be done. Moreover, you should not use marijuana and hemp. This smoking is already classified as a narcotic, which will cause severe poisoning of the child’s body and permanent disruption of the nervous system.

Smoking during breastfeeding, as well as during pregnancy, does not have any positive aspects. Many people say that this helps them calm down and feel more confident. But this is an illusion, just self-deception. To make the mother feel calmer, she can use various approved medications and herbal decoctions. You can also do relaxing yoga, listen to relaxing music, or read your favorite book. Household chores can be delegated to your husband and other relatives. The main thing is to remember that at the moment the most important thing is your child and his health. After all, for his sake you have already endured so much and forgotten. Maybe we should postpone this habit for later?

How long does it take for nicotine to pass into breast milk?

When smoking a cigarette, the maximum concentration of nicotine in the blood, and in milk, is determined after 30 minutes. This means you can’t smoke before feeding.

There is a theory: if you smoke before feeding, nicotine will not have time to penetrate the blood. In this case, the remains of combustion products reach the baby: tar and smoke, which additionally have a harmful effect.

Plus, the newborn must have time to get enough before the toxin begins to enter the milk and reaches a peak concentration. It is better to resort to a cigarette after feeding, when you have several hours to utilize the nicotine.

How to reduce the harm from cigarettes

Most women try to give up smoking during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is not uncommon for nicotine addiction to overcome common sense. It is necessary to find a “golden mean” in order to preserve the child’s health and not lead the young mother to a nervous breakdown.

By following the simplest rules, the task becomes achievable and helps reduce potential harm to the child:

1. Never smoke in front of your baby. This applies to all family members and friends who come into contact with the child. In addition to nicotine, the baby suffers from harmful chemical impurities.
2. Smoking is contraindicated before feeding. This depends on the time at which nicotine enters the milk.
3. It is better to refrain from night smoking breaks. At night, prolactin is released and milk accumulates.
4. The maximum number of cigarettes smoked is 5 pieces per day.
5. Drink enough fluid – more than 2 liters per day.
6. Dilution occurs, which means the concentration of harmful substances, nicotine, decreases.
7. Follow a balanced diet, fully balanced with vitamins. If signs of deficiency appear, you need to add pharmacy vitamin complexes. It is advisable to consult a doctor for individual selection of a medicine. Freshly squeezed juices will solve both points at once.
8. Nicotine substitutes - chewing tobacco or gum, patches are considered gentle if a woman is trying to quit smoking. Combining the described methods and cigarettes - the effect doubles and the harm to the baby, accordingly, too.

Breastfeeding is the healthiest food for a baby. There are 2 opposing views regarding smoking and lactation. First, smoking and lactation are not compatible. Better artificial formula than poisonous milk. Secondly, for a child, the potential danger from not breastfeeding is higher than the risk of lactation and smoking. But, as they say, the decision remains with the mother herself.

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How does the smoking habit affect a child?

If a woman does not quit smoking while breastfeeding, she should be fully aware of the extent of the negative impact of nicotine on the child. The opinions of experts, including Dr. Komarovsky, are unanimous about the effects of smoking while breastfeeding. If you lack willpower and the ability to get rid of a bad habit, then you should at least reduce the concentration of nicotine that regularly enters the body. However, it will still not be possible to completely eliminate the harmful effects on the child.

Let’s look at the dangers a mother’s smoking habit poses to a baby:

• excessive nervousness, capriciousness for no reason;
• acute intestinal colic caused by toxins;
• high susceptibility to viral and cold-related diseases;
• developmental delay.

Smoking and breastfeeding at the same time significantly increase the likelihood of sudden death of newborns. According to statistics, if parents in the family smoke, then this risk increases five times.