Some women erroneously believe that smoking while breast feeding does not affect their babies. However there are various points that a breast feeding smoking mum should be aware of. Studies have shown that there is a definite change in the sleep patterns of a child that is breast fed by a mother who is a smoker. Those children who are breast fed by mothers who are smokers tend to sleep a lot less as compared to babies that are breast fed by mothers who are non smokers. The high quantities of nicotine that get ingested by the mother cause the baby to sleep less. This is only one aspect of smoking on babies who are breast fed. Another negative aspect that studies have shown are that mothers who smoke tend to stop nursing much faster than mothers who do not. Mothers who smoke and breast feed also tend to have a decrease in their production of milk production.
Nicotine it has been found has a direct effect on the production of prolactin which is the hormone that is required to produce breast milk in the mother. Nicotine it is discovered can also be transferred from the air when the mother is smoking around the baby. Studies have actually indicated that more nicotine gets transferred from the air than from the breast milk. Another problem that smoking mothers face, is the problem of experiencing difficulty, in their milk being let down. Smoking has also been found to affect the taste of the breast milk that is being produced by the mother. This can in turn cause a reduction in the amount of milk being consumed by the infant. Sometimes the milk takes on a sour taste. Second hand smoke from mothers smoking has also been found to increase the risks of ear infections in the infants. Older children and other infants are also more like to develop mild to severe signs of respiratory infections as a result of the mother smoking around them or while nursing them. It is best that mothers who are nursing should stop smoking. It is considered to be one of the best decisions that one can take for one’s child and its health. If the mother does smoke, then should try and keep a long gap between the time the mother smoked and when she breastfeed toddler. One should also try to reduce the number of cigarettes that they are smoking in a day.
Submitted by J on November 24, 2010 at 11:34