Smoking during pregnancy is an absolute taboo. For many smokers, it's not that difficult to keep their hands off the smoke with a positive pregnancy test. But after giving birth, it becomes increasingly difficult as a former smoker. Can you smoke a cigarette if you're breastfeeding? We have answers.
Smoking is harmful, primarily for the smoker himself. In fact, passive smoke and the nicotine content of it also have a negative impact, a negative influence on other people. Infants, babies and small children are particularly at risk.
It is even more harmful for babies than passive smoke if the mother smokes and breastfeeds herself.Studies show40-50% of women who gave up cigarettes during pregnancy start smoking again after giving birth. That's why, toowrites the National Breastfeeding Commissionin parent information because “the adverse effects of smoking during breastfeeding are less known” than the negative effectshat.
The nicotine contained in cigarettes (and other harmful substances and poisons) finds its way into breast milk and thus into the child's body. So should women who like to smoke a cigarette best not breastfeed their babies? The answer is: yes.
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Smoking and breastfeeding: These are the biggest dangers
Cigarette smoke contains numerous harmful and carcinogenic substances. These can come from the air we breathe (i.e. passive smoke), from the smoker's clothing and skin, and from the smokerbe transferred to the child.
The level of harmful substances in breast milk depends on the amount of cigarettes the mother consumes and the chronological order in which she smokes and breastfeeds. Nicotine, for example, reaches a concentration three times higher in breast milk immediately after consuming a cigarette than in the mother's blood.
Breastfeeding is therefore an important factor. If a woman absolutely cannot give up smoking but still wants to breastfeed her child, she should definitely ensure that she breastfeeds first and then takes up a cigarette.
Consequences of smoking and breastfeeding
Milk production
Depending on how many cigarettes the mother smokes per day, breastfeeding problems may occur. Tobacco consumption inhibits milk production, milk quantity and the milk ejection reflex.Studieshave shown that the more cigarettes a woman smoked, the more pronounced this effect was.
Milk taste
The milk also tastes different to the infant, which in turn means that he drinks less. In fact, studies have found that babies born to mothers who smoke are often more restless, vomit more often, suffer from colic more often, and gain weight more slowly than babies born to mothers who don't smoke. Children from smoking households are also more likely to suffer from respiratory diseases.
Secondary diseases
The risk of oneis increased for children whose mother smoked and breastfed at the same time.
How breastfeeding and smoking affect the child's future health can only be guessed at. It is difficult to prove whether, for example, children who were breastfed by a smoking mother are more likely to develop cancer.
Mother's motivation
Studies show that women who smoke while breastfeeding are less motivated to breastfeed their children. Perhaps also because they are more or less aware of the dangers of nicotine and numerous other harmful substances in cigarettes. Scientists were unable to find a connection between the social status of a breastfeeding smoker and her willingness to breastfeed.
Should smokers breastfeed at all?
Breastfeeding is considered the optimal nutrition for babies and infants. If the mother smokes while breastfeeding, this negatively affects the positive effects of breast milk. However, scientists disagree about the extent to which this occurs. So it is not clear whether it is more harmful to the child if the mother smokes or if she does not breastfeed at all.
For babies whose mothers smoke a lot, i.e. at least ten to 15 cigarettes a day, the negative effects are definitely increased. Every more cigarette is more damaging to the child's health.
Official recommendations for smoking while breastfeeding
The National Breastfeeding Commission recommends that all mothers breastfeed while breastfeedingconsistently not to smoke. If you still can't help it, you should try very hard to limit smoking as much as possible. The benefits of breastfeeding may outweigh the risks of smoking if smoking is moderate.
It should never be smoked in the presence of the child or the nursing woman. If smokers consistently avoid smoking in their home and all rooms remain smoke-free, the risk of sudden infant death syndrome is reduced.
If possible, there should be a long period of time between smoking and breastfeeding,but at least an hour. The nicotine concentration in the mother's milk, for example, decreases significantly within an hour. However, other toxic substances in cigarettes take significantly longer.
Hands and face should be washed after smoking. Ideally, clothing should also be changed.
Sources:
Breastfeeding lexicon – information portal about breastfeeding
Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
National Breastfeeding Commission
Federal Center for Health Education
Important NOTE:This article is for information purposes only and does not replace a diagnosis from a doctor. If you have any uncertainties, urgent questions or complaints, you should contact your doctor.
