Hi, my name is Angie Howald and I'm a nursing student at Ivy Tech in Indianapolis, IN. A topic that is of major concern to me is, mothers who smoke cigarettes and breastfeed. Many quit smoking while pregnant, but take back the habit as soon as baby is delivered. Stop-Smoking-Tips.com states that if a mother consumes less than 15 cigarettes each day, the risk to her baby from transmitted nicotine in breast milk is quite small. However, as the number goes up, more nicotine is transmitted through breast milk. The baby might have problems like diarrhea, cramps, nausea, vomiting. Nicotine takes about 95 minutes to be eliminated from the body and breast milk. For this reason, it's imperative that the mother avoid smoking right before feeding. I believe that not all women will abide by this rule. Nicotine can change a mother's milk supply by more than 100ml. Even if baby demands the milk, the mother's body may not be able to respond because of effects of smoking. Nicotine decreased prolactin in the bloodstream. A smoking mother's calorie supply may be low, which makes it more difficult to produce milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a baby be breastfed for the first 12 months of life to reap all the benefits. Babies of mothers who smoke and breastfeed are three times more likely to wean by 6-9 months. Smoking is a risk factor for SIDS and respiratory problems, as it reduces baby's resistance to them. It is states that it is always better to smoke following a feeding as the blood and milk levels have less tobacco chemicals. Smoking in the vicinity of infants and children at all is harmful. Respiratory illnesses, lacking immune systems and incidence of cancer are higher for smokers and those who are usually around cigarette smoke than they are for nonsmokers. The baby's urine levels may contain cotinine, which is a product of nicotine. It is stated that, although formula milk doesn't have such chemicals, it must be remembered that formula milk doesn't have living cells and other germ killing chemicals that help in protecting babies against illness. Formula milk, as opposed to breast milk, doesn't have nutrients that help with the brain's developments and with hormones needed to assist digestion and immunity. I have also read that if a woman decides to smoke and bottle feed, it has been shown that the baby will be at a higher risk for illness, allergies and asthma throughout childhood. My question to professionals is, whether you agree that smoking and breastfeeding is better for the baby, rather than weaning early or not breastfeeding at all? Thank you for your time...Angie Howald ITSN References: Hartwell, Eric. Smoking and Breastfeeding. Retrieved September 30, 2007, from Ezine Articles. Web Site: http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Smoking-and-Breastfeeding&id=464047 Stepans, Wilkerson N. Physiologic Effects of Maternal Smoking on Breast-feeding Infants. J Am Academy of Nurse Practioners. 1993 May-June; 5 (3): 105-3. ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html Mail all commands to [log in to unmask] To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or [log in to unmask]) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet or ([log in to unmask]) To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]