Does nicotine pass into breast milk? Smoking with HS. Baby refuses breast

The expectation of a child and his birth is a period in the life of every woman preparing to become a mother, when she is ready for anything for the health of the baby. But sometimes there are situations where parents do not have the willpower or desire to abandon addictions. And then logical questions arise: "How harmful is smoking during lactation and does nicotine pass into breast milk?"

Harm of smoking for women after childbirth

Having a baby for nine months and having a baby is a real stress for a woman. Smoking with HB can be an additional burden for a weakened body.

What is the danger of smoking after childbirth for a woman:

1. Longer postpartum rehabilitation. The protective forces of the female body after pregnancy and childbirth are noticeably weakened. On the one hand, it slows down the elimination of harmful substances, in particular nicotine. On the other hand, due to poisoning, the recovery process will take longer than usual.
2. Decreased immunity. Due to the fact that all the useful substances consumed by the mother are not used to restore the immune system, but to neutralize the chemicals that enter the body from a cigarette, the woman remains unprotected for various diseases for longer. All viral and bacterial infections to which a weakened body is so prone, must be treated with drugs that are not acceptable when breastfeeding. In such a situation, you have to choose whether to treat your mother or to feed your mother with breast milk.

In order to return to the previous form as soon as possible and to be able to devote all of yourself to the happy period of motherhood, everything possible must be done to abandon the addiction.

The negative effect of nicotine on the baby

A negative effect on the female body is not the only problem of smoking mothers. In addition to regularly harming herself, her mother risks her baby’s health.

What threatens a newborn who is fed milk with nicotine? He may have:

• problems with the cardiovascular system;
• violations of the liver;
• breathing problems (increased risk of asthma);
• poor quality of sleep;
• frequent crying;
• a constant state of nervous excitement;
• weather dependence;
• problems with the gastrointestinal tract (colic, bloating, flatulence, regurgitation);
• lack of appetite and, as a result, low rates of weight gain;
• poor state of the immune system;
• delayed physical and mental development;
• 3-5 times increased susceptibility to sudden infant death syndrome.

In addition to all this, a baby who is a passive smoker and consumes nicotine with milk is more likely to become addicted to this habit in adulthood, since it will form nicotine addiction from birth.

Change in lactation while smoking nursing

There are several myths thanks to which women are in no hurry to give up a bad habit. And this is despite the fact that the answer to the question of whether nicotine passes into breast milk is positive.

False allegations about smoking while breastfeeding:

1. Due to its composition, mother's milk minimizes the harmful effects of nicotine. It is not true. Only after completely leaving the woman’s body, toxic substances will not harm the baby.
2. The taste of milk does not change due to smoking. Every young mother sooner or later wonders what breast milk tastes like. After observing it, it can be noted that its taste and texture are affected by everything eaten and drunk the day before. It is not surprising that the substances contained in the cigarette leave their imprint on the taste of milk - it becomes bitter, with a smack and smell of nicotine. In this regard, smoking women often have complaints that the child does not take the chest, freaks out and cries.
3. Smoking does not affect the duration of lactation. It has been scientifically-experimentally proved that a smoking woman is able to breastfeed her baby for no more than 5-6 months. This happens due to a decrease in the level of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for successful lactation. As a result, the baby refuses the breast itself, or feeding stops for physiological reasons.
4. Cigarettes are not able to reduce the amount of milk produced. This statement is also false, since cigarettes constrict blood vessels, and this, in turn, negatively affects the milk ducts. As a result, the baby does not have enough milk, the mother is forced to feed it with mixtures, which in most cases ends with a complete transition to artificial feeding.

Women who smoke often face the problem of bitter milk, breastfeeding is short, so if breastfeeding is a priority for a young mother, be sure to completely abandon cigarettes.

How fast does nicotine get into milk?

Some women who smoke while they are breastfeeding reassure themselves that it takes a long time before nicotine and other toxic substances from the smoked cigarette get into the milk. In fact, this process is not so long. So how quickly does nicotine pass into breast milk?

The mechanism of nicotine poisoning:

1. Cigarette smoke, falling into the mouth, is easily absorbed by the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, larynx, esophagus, stomach and finally reaches the lungs.
2. The lungs, in which there are a large number of blood vessels to provide oxygen to the body, instead of oxygen absorb a toxic mixture of air and cigarette smoke, which is carried to all human organs.
3. The mammary glands are no exception - as with all internal organs, blood enriched with nicotine and other cigarette poisons comes to them.
4. Checking what breast milk tastes like, mom feels bitterness. This is due to the fact that milk absorbs all the toxic substances that the baby is forced to eat.

Nicotine passes into breast milk within an hour after smoking, therefore, with regular smoking before feeding the baby, sooner or later, the mother may encounter a situation where the baby does not take her chest, freaks out and cries.

The rate of elimination of poison from the body

How and with what to feed her child, each woman decides on her own, and only she will have to make a choice whether to smoke or not. If the young mother still decides to breastfeed, but does not plan to give up cigarettes, she needs to know how long after the smoked cigarette to offer the baby the most safe breast.

An hour and a half is enough to remove half of the toxic substances from the mother's body, and, therefore, from her milk. Fully breast milk will be cleared of nicotine not earlier than after 3 hours. Half-life products are stored in a woman's body for up to two days.

How to speed up the purification of milk from nicotine?

To make mother's milk safe for a newborn as quickly as possible, a smoking mother should follow these recommendations:

• spend as much time as possible in the fresh air;
• observe drinking regimen (consume as much liquid as possible);
• lead a physically active lifestyle;
• consume freshly squeezed juices;
• express nicotine poisoned milk.

When choosing the latter method, it is worth considering that decantation often becomes a cause of violation of lactation, therefore it is worth resorting to it only in extreme cases.

Methods of reducing the harm of smoking in hepatitis B

When lighting a cigarette before breastfeeding, it should be understood that in doing so he becomes a passive smoker, inhaling cigarette smoke deposited on his mother’s clothes, arms and hair, and receiving toxic substances with mother’s milk. If, in spite of all the arguments, the mother fails to give up the bad habit, there is a list of tips on how to reduce the negative effect of toxic substances on the child.

How to reduce the harm of smoking while breastfeeding:

• gradually reduce the number of cigarettes per day (starting to reduce the smoked is worth no more than 5 cigarettes);
• smoke only in the fresh air, not in the presence of a child;
• before the break, wear replaceable clothes, after - wash your hands thoroughly, wash if possible;
• smoking only in the daytime, since the hormone prolactin is actively produced at night, which contributes to lactation;
• give preference to smoking after feeding, so that at least 2-3 hours elapse before the next meal;
• observe drinking regimen;
• add as many healthy foods to the diet as possible;
• spend as much time as possible in the fresh air.

Breast milk is not able to replace any artificially created mixture for baby food. Therefore, it is worth considering whether nicotine passes into breast milk and whether to refuse to breast-feed a baby for the sake of their addictions.

Ways to quit smoking

Only the complete cessation of smoking can completely neutralize the negative impact of cigarettes on a child.

What helps quit smoking?

• Gradual reduction in cigarettes smoked per day.
• Refusal of smoke breaks after eating and waking up.
• Replacing cigarettes with seeds, candy, etc.
• Smoking half a cigarette instead of a whole.
• Buying cigarettes whose taste is not pleasant.
• Quitting smoking in familiar situations (during a telephone conversation, during stress).

All these tips can help only if the smoker has a desire to get rid of addiction.

Replacing Classic Cigarettes

Modern medicine is ready to help people suffering from nicotine addiction. The pharmaceutical market is widely represented drugs that help to cope with a bad habit.

How to replace a cigarette? It could be:

• nicotine patch;
• Electronic Cigarette;
• herbal-based cigarettes.

All these inventions will help a young mother quit smoking and thereby prevent a situation when a child refuses to breast.

Future consequences for the child

In addition to the harm that a smoking mother does to a nursing baby, making him, in fact, a passive smoker, this addiction will not remain without consequences in the more adult age of the child.

What threatens smoking mother for an older child?

• Lag in mental and physical development.
• Mental disorders (nervousness, irritability, sometimes even an inferiority complex).
• A teenager who has received a nicotine addiction in the literal sense of mother’s milk is more likely to start smoking during the puberty period.

It cannot be argued that a baby raised by a smoking mother will be an inferior member of society or seriously ill. But the question of whether nicotine passes into breast milk can only be answered positively, which means that its negative effect on the baby cannot be denied.