Smoking and breastfeeding

To give your baby the best start in life it is best to stop smoking when you find out you are pregnant. However, many mums and dads struggle to quit before their child is born. It is important to try and quit. If it is not possible to quit, then continuing to breastfeed is important to give your baby the best start in life. As breastfeeding has many benefits including supporting your baby’s developing immune system³.

The toxins that you inhale during smoking can be passed to your baby through your breast milk. These toxins could cause negative effects to your baby, such as⁴:

• Changes to sleep patterns
  
• Liver damage
  
• Lung damage

Either parent smoking increases your baby’s chance of SIDS, therefore it is best to quit or smoke outside and away from your baby. It is also extremely important to not share a bed with your baby if you smoke, as this can further increase your baby’s chances of SIDS². Breastfeeding helps to reduce chances of SIDS⁵, and so it is important to try and continue to breastfeed if you smoke.

Nicotine is the addictive substance in cigarettes and there are multiple products which can give you this nicotine without smoking. Nicotine itself may also affect breastfeeding supply⁶ but is a much better option than smoking and so nicotine replacement therapy in place of smoking is a good option while breastfeeding⁷. Some nicotine replacements medications can’t be used while breastfeeding and so speak to your health care professional if considering the use of these⁷.

The main reason to smoke is as a stress reliver. Therefore, if trying to quit it is best to try and remain relaxed during the breastfeeding time. Breastfeeding releases oxytocin, ‘the love hormone’, which increases the bond between you and your baby and helps relaxation⁸. Therefore, breastfeeding might be useful in helping you to relax and therefore quit smoking.