# i have a question about smoking while breastfeeding :/



## ryleeee (Feb 9, 2005)

i'm just wondering exactly what i should know about this.
before i got pregnant with haye i was smoking maybe...a pack a week or two weeks. i quit the second i found out i was pregnant.
the other day i had a puff on my husbands cigar after i fed haye and mmmm was it ever good!








he's going to be buying some rolling tobacco from a local tobacconist today. all of the stuff they sell has a fairly short shelf-life because they make the mixes themselves and there are no preservatives in it.
i know nicotine is bad and smoking is bad, but how bad would it be (for my baby through BM) if i had a couple puffs off a rolled cigarette every once in awhile?

are there moms who smoke here?
i don't want to get flamed, please love me.


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## MotheringHeart (Dec 18, 2005)

Nicotine is really not good for babies. It does come through in the milk, though like alcohol, it leaves the breasmilk. If you HAD TO (though I must say I think it is not good for the baby or you) the best time to smoke would be right after he nursed, which would give you lots of time for the nicotine to be out of (or at least lower levels) in your milk.

I am not flaming you, this is your decision and you are a grown up, but I think that weighing the risks of smoking versus the short term pleasure of it would be an important thing for you to do. Nicotine is addicting and the baby can get addicted to it.

Simply put it isn't good for you or him. So, IMHO, you shouldn't do it.


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## ryleeee (Feb 9, 2005)

thank you, i am looking for good advice and that is good advice. =D


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## robin4kids (Jan 20, 2004)

I have 5 kids and only one has had health issues. The child that did was cared for by a very loving women who smoked. She never smoked in the house with the children, but none the less she had the smell of smoke on her. I loved her and really wanted her to care for my dear baby. My baby was only cared by her for 6 months while I took a temporary teahing job. What I want to tell you is, he got sick...a lot. We are not talking about your usual sicknesses. He got terrible ear infections. The doctors put him on all kinds of meds and told me if they did not clear up over the summer, then they would have to talk about tubes.

I later found out that the smoke smell on the clothes can cause ear infections.








Your baby should not even be held for any long period of time by someone who smokes, let alone be living in a house with someone who smokes.


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## bri276 (Mar 24, 2005)

it's actually not the smoke "smell" but particles that can cause increased risk for allergies, asthma, etc.

just don't do it. I'm an ex smoker too. we don't allow it around our dd and I don't want nicotine in her system any more than I want pesticides on food in her diet. even a small amount is worse than no amount.


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## Mama Poot (Jun 12, 2006)

Hi- ex-smoker here. I used to smoke maybe 4-5 cigs a day, and unfortunately I never totally quit during my pregnancy with DS#1, which continued into breastfeeding. I tried to "rationalize" my habit by never smoking right before a feeding, not smoking in the house, etc....But nothing could ever get rid of the constant feeling that I was harming my child. Nothing except quitting, which I am happy to say I've been smoke-free since March. I will say this though- I know my supply would have been much better and my son's growth faster had I not been smoking. Just quit. You will feel better, your baby will be better off, and you won't have to constantly worry about what the nicotine and all the other horrible things in cigs are doing to your baby. While you're at it, why not get DH to quit with you?


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## ryleeee (Feb 9, 2005)

thanks guys =D
he did quit, once in awhile he has a cigar, but other than that he has cut back about 98%.
i won't be smoking, i told him not to buy any.


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## jenny-g (Nov 10, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ryleeee*
thanks guys =D
he did quit, once in awhile he has a cigar, but other than that he has cut back about 98%.
i won't be smoking, i told him not to buy any.

Good for you! My mother smoked, and it harmed me quite a bit (I suffer from severe asthma/lung disease and other problems) and it killed her. Not fun for anyone. I know it is SO hard to quit, so it's one of those things that if you can just plain avoid it.. it might be easier than doing it a bit casually. Take the money and do something else fun for yourself







Reward yourself for going the no-smoke route!


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## rianna (Jul 28, 2002)

I dont feel the same as the rest of the mothers. I smoke... anywhere from 1-4 cigs a day. I roll organic tobacco. I nurse and my kids are great. Never been sick, had alergies, ect.....

I know smoking is bad.. I am not blind to the effects but it helps me get through my day. None of my kids have had ear infections (and I have a 13yo) they are all great weight. I dont know... I think that if you do things in moderation that it will all be all right... I have to believe that. So if you do want to enjoy a puff or two I say do what makes you happy. There are many things that go through our milk... I feel like our bodies are amazing fillters. The main thing is not to feel to bad about yourself.

Good luck


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## ryleeee (Feb 9, 2005)

i agree with you as well, it's not like i would be smoking even one cigarette a week. maybe just a puff here or there. derek didn't end up buying the tobacco but i might have a puff off our hookah tomorrow.


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## smeep (May 12, 2006)

I'm no expert, but I think a puff every once in a while (like a glass of wine or a beer every once in a while) is no biggie. Just wait a while before nursing again like you would with a glass of wine. And make sure you don't do it around the kiddos and change your clothes afterwards because just smelling the smoke on your clothes is really bad for them. have fun


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## smeep (May 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rianna*
I dont feel the same as the rest of the mothers. I smoke... anywhere from 1-4 cigs a day. I roll organic tobacco. I nurse and my kids are great. Never been sick, had alergies, ect.....

I know smoking is bad.. I am not blind to the effects but it helps me get through my day. None of my kids have had ear infections (and I have a 13yo) they are all great weight. I dont know... I think that if you do things in moderation that it will all be all right... I have to believe that. So if you do want to enjoy a puff or two I say do what makes you happy. There are many things that go through our milk... I feel like our bodies are amazing fillters. The main thing is not to feel to bad about yourself.

Good luck

While I agree with you for the most part, I do feel that what you're saying sounds similar to formula feeding mothers who say "My kid's perfectly healthy, so why should I breastfeed?" Of course, we all know that formula affects a child much more than the occasional cigarette since formula is their main diet. But, I just had to point that out.







But, I do agree that our bodies are amazing filters. It's best ot do it right after nursing, but I'm not sure how much (if any) harm the occasional cigarette, cigar, whatever would do.


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## Party*of*5 (Jun 26, 2006)

I think don't do it at all. Even the occasional one can lead to thoughts of rationalization and more frequent occurances. I believe that once you have children you give up the "right" to certain choices. The ones that impact the kids. Sure you're an adult, but I don't believe you have the right to choose this anymore. Especially if you are still feeding your baby something that's produced inside the body you want to pollute. My mom smokes, she lives next door. I could just kill her most of the time. She stinks all the time. I make her take off her jacket, sometimes I even make her go home for a while until she doesn't reek up the downstairs when she walks in. She says she wished she never started because she can't quit. That's total bull, she just doesn't want to do the work and suffer the withdrawls that would be required. But she does have one point - she never would be this "addicted" if she had never started!


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