There has been a long-standing debate whether women can continue smoking while breastfeeding. There are arguments and supporters both for and against this. Some say that it is better for women to breastfeed even if they are smokers than give infants formula food. Others believe that women who smoke must refrain from breastfeeding as the nicotine and other toxins can harm the infant. Although the debate is still on, there is greater research evidence on the effects of smoking on the infant.
Smoking while breastfeeding — Are you harming your baby?
Here, we will look at some research findings on the effects of smoking while breastfeeding on the infant as well as things that the mother should keep in mind while breastfeeding.
The major problem when you smoke while you are nursing is that nicotine inhibits the production of the hormone prolactin. This is the hormone that helps the mammary glands to produce milk. This means that there is less milk for the infant if you smoke while you are nursing.
Another effect is that smoking alters the taste of breast-milk. So if you have not smoked for a while and breast-fed your infant, there is a chance that the infant might reject your milk once you start smoking. This is because your breast-milk tastes different due to nicotine and other chemicals present in it from inhaled cigarette smoke.
Conflicting views about smoking while breastfeeding
In-spite of these effects, there are still conflicting views whether women who smoke should breastfeed and continue smoking. One group of people believe that women who smoke must not nurse as they have no right to expose the infant to nicotine and other toxins. This is a valid argument as nicotine and other toxins from cigarette smoke can cause a number of complications in the infant. Restlessness, incessant crying, pale skin, improper sleep patterns and nicotine poisoning are some effects seen in infants from exposure to cigarette toxins in breast-milk.
Another group of people believe that it is better for women to smoke and breastfeed than feed the infant formula food. This argument, too, is valid, especially with research studies coming up with some interesting findings. Studies have found that infants who were breastfed by mothers who were smokers suffered from fewer lung infections and other respiratory infections as compared to infants who were fed formula food. Nicotine is no longer included in the list of substances that are counter-indicated for breastfeeding.
The best, however, would be if women stop smoking altogether when pregnant and breastfeeding, if not quit for good. This would eliminate any risks associated with smoking for both the mother and infant. But if that is not possible, women should try and cut down on the number of cigarettes they smoke. They should time their smoking according to breastfeeding time and smoke away from the infant.
