Breast milk is an ideal source of nutrients for a young child and forms the basis of his diet during the first 6 months of life. For this reason, smoking while breastfeeding is very dangerous - the consequences for the child can be extremely serious. Harmful substances in cigarettes can negatively affect milk quality and baby's health. If a nursing mother smokes, what are the consequences for the child, is it possible to combine this process with lactation, how does nicotine affect breast milk, is it possible to replace ordinary cigarettes with an electronic analogue, is described in this article.
Smoking with hepatitis B can harm the baby's body
Is it possible to combine smoking and hepatitis B
Can I smoke while breastfeeding? These things in their totality represent a dangerous combination. The main problem is the mother's strong dependence on this addiction - it is very difficult to quit smoking, but breastfeeding should not be abandoned either. Doctors recommend that mom gradually reduce the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Over time, the habit should disappear. If this is not done, then harmful substances will penetrate into the child's body along with milk, the baby's nutrition will deteriorate, as a result of which his growth, development and health may be affected.
Important! Nicotine has the greatest harm to a child during the HS period. It is known that the lethal dose of this toxic substance is 1 mg per 1 kg of body weight.
Influence of nicotine on the lactation process
Having studied the question of how nicotine affects breast milk and a child, modern medicine confirms the fact that the quality of breastfeeding for mothers who smoke and for women who do not have this habit varies significantly:
- The milk volume of those mothers who have nicotine addiction is much lower. This is due to the low content of the hormone prolactin in the body (due to smoking), which stimulates milk production.
- The quality of a natural product deteriorates, which is reflected in a decrease in the amount of enzymes, vitamins, hormones and other substances necessary for the development of a child contained in it.
On a note. The poisonous components that make up cigarettes affect the vessels and ducts of the mammary glands. By causing them to spasm, these substances interfere with the normal movement of milk. As a result, the beneficial properties of the natural product are reduced, the product acquires a tangible nicotine aftertaste.
Does nicotine get into milk
This component enters the mother's bloodstream within 30 minutes after smoking a cigarette. Subsequently, nicotine moves throughout the body along with the blood flow. This is how it passes into breast milk.
Components that make up cigarettes pass into mother's milk
The effect of harmful compounds on the child
Here's how smoking a nursing mother affects her baby:
- The baby begins to feel strong nervous irritation, as a result of which he constantly cries and is capricious;
- There is a risk of sudden death of the baby. This syndrome has no clear explanation - various factors can contribute to this condition. One of these is the smoking of a woman feeding a newborn with her milk. In such cases, the probability of sudden death increases 3 times, if both parents suffer from nicotine addiction in the family, then the risk increases 5 times;
- The work of the gastrointestinal tract is noticeably deteriorating - the newborn is tormented by colic, he often spits up, and stool disorders are observed. These processes are quite natural for the first months of a baby's life, however, under the influence of cigarettes, the problem is aggravated, and the baby suffers more than usual;
- The body's protective functions are weakened, which leads to frequent colds and other infectious diseases;
- The effects of cigarettes can slow down the physical and psychological development of the infant;
- In rare cases, there is a risk of pathologies of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, the development of oncological diseases;
- The child may develop nicotine addiction. The pernicious process often begins in the womb, which abused smoking during gestation;
- Infant sleep disorder. Rest becomes intermittent, the child becomes restless, capricious;
- The newborn's appetite worsens, which as a result can lead to weight loss, growth retardation;
- There is a serious predisposition to allergic reactions.
On a note. The tobacco smoke that surrounds the baby also negatively affects his condition. Poisonous substances can provoke nausea, allergies, and breathing problems. Smoke, getting into the child's blood, affects his heart and leads to disruption of the work of this organ. Regular exposure to nicotine can cause irregular heartbeats and even lead to heart failure.
How harmful substances get to the child
Nicotine and other toxic components that make up cigarettes first enter the mother's blood. Then, through the blood vessels, they reach the mammary glands and thus end up in breast milk, which the baby feeds on.
Eating poisoned milk, the baby "smokes" with his mother
Komarovsky about smoking with GV
According to Dr. Komarovsky, if a nursing mother cannot quit the addiction during lactation, the child, along with milk, will receive a certain share of harmful substances that are contained in cigarettes and thus also "smoke" with the mother. Therefore, smoking and feeding a baby are poorly compatible things. The doctor recommends to minimize the effect of smoking on the lactation process by replacing regular cigarettes with lighter ones. At the same time, the pediatrician does not advise replacing breast milk with an artificial mixture, since there can be nothing else better than a natural product for a child.
On a note. According to Dr. Komarovsky, no vitamins or drugs can reduce and even more neutralize the negative effect that the components of cigarette products produce on the child's body.
The harm of tobacco smoke for a child
Inhaling the smoke of cigarettes, the baby becomes a passive smoker. Harmful substances that enter the baby's body through the lungs can provoke nausea, vomiting, allergies, as well as various problems in the child's respiratory system.
Smoke poses the greatest danger to the health of the newborn's cardiovascular system. The baby's heart is still not strong enough, so the risk of malfunctioning of this organ under the influence of tobacco smoke is quite high. Regular inhalation of the cigarette "scent" can lead to irregular heartbeats and, even worse, heart failure.
Interesting. From the point of view of psychology and heredity, a child who grew up in a smoking family is more likely to become addicted to the addiction during adolescence than a child whose parents did not have nicotine addiction.
Passive smoking babies
The effect of smoking on the mother's body
If a nursing mother smokes, the impact on the baby is not the only problem. During pregnancy, the body of the expectant mother loses a large amount of nutrients, loses a significant proportion of physical strength. Therefore, after childbirth, a woman needs to restore the lost resources as soon as possible. Replenishment occurs due to a properly composed diet, which includes a maximum of useful and nutritious components. A woman who smokes deprives herself of the opportunity to quickly regain her strength and regain physical shape.
On the emotional side, the mother, who is experiencing strong nicotine addiction, constantly feels nervous tension and irritability. These feelings are only intensified by the stress of caring for a child. A similar condition affects the baby, who takes over the mood of the mother, as a result of which he behaves restlessly and is capricious. The woman becomes even more irritated, a vicious circle turns out.
Myths about the effects of smoking on lactation
Popular misconceptions about how smoking affects breastfeeding and baby health include:
- Breast milk eliminates the harmful effects of cigarettes on babies. In fact, the product retains all toxic substances, including nicotine, and does not prevent it from entering the child's body;
- Nicotine can be neutralized in a woman's body. According to some women, organ systems are able to filter components that enter milk;
- The bad habit does not affect the volume of the natural product. In fact, milk can not only decrease in quantity, but disappear altogether;
- Cigarettes do not affect the taste of milk. As practice has shown, the taste of a natural product under the influence of smoking significantly deteriorates.
How to reduce harm from smoking
The following actions can help to minimize the risk of exposure to cigarettes on a child's health:
- Reduce the number of smoked cigarettes per day (at least up to 5 pieces);
- Do not smoke immediately before feeding, it is better to do this immediately after feeding.
- Do not smoke in the room where the child is;
- Do not smoke at night, since it is at night that the prolactin hormone is actively produced;
- Reduce the GV period to 4-6 months;
- Smoke only light cigarettes or replace them with electronic ones.
Electronic cigarettes for HV
Using e-cigarettes is much safer than conventional ones. Thanks to this, the child is practically not exposed to tobacco smoke.
Electronic cigarettes are a good replacement for the usual
Nursing mothers should know the dangers of smoking with HV, how it affects the child, whether smoking and breastfeeding of a newborn baby can be combined. The negative effect of cigarettes on a baby during hepatitis B is obvious. However, doctors do not recommend replacing a natural product, even poisoned with cigarettes, with formula milk. Since it is very difficult to give up a bad habit both from a psychological and physiological point of view, a smoking mother in most cases only has to minimize the negative effects of nicotine.
