Had A Couple Cigarettes Over Holiday

[westbrja]

So OH and I went to our friends house for the holiday weekend. I quit smoking before I got pregnant with LO, but last night couldn't resist the urge to have 2 cigarettes. I was just wondering will this affect my milk supply? I know its not good to smoke while BF and don't have a problem not doing it again but I was just wondering if how many cigs will have an impact on my milk. Anyone?

 

[Celesse]

I think nicotine is metabolised pretty quickly. Some people metabolise it quicker than other, which is why some people are gagging for a cig after a couple of hours and some people can only smoke 3 a day. So it would probably be out of your blood stream pretty quick. I have no idea if it gets passed through breastmilk.

I think one of the dangers of smoking whilst feeding is the close proximity of smokey clothes and skin to the baby whilst feeding. The smoke sticks to your clothes and then baby breathes it in.

 

[nada87]

i will confess to smoking while bfing my older two. they don't seem to be negativly impacted by it. i always took care to wash my hands, change shirts, and brush my teeth before handling them after smoking. i have no idea if nicotine gets into breast milk though.

 

[curlykate]

In prenatal classes, we were told that smoking moms should still bf. Just make sure to not smoke around the baby, and keep smokey clothes away from baby.

 

[samface182]

i was a smoker before i fell pregnant, and stopped as soon as i found out. then after i had aiden, i gave in and i am back to smoking 5 a day, whereas before i was smoking 15 or more. i asked my bfing support woman if it will pass through my milk to aiden and she says no, as long as i smoke after i feed him, and not before. i smoke outside wearing a big dressing gown over my clothes and i always make sure i brush my teeth and wash my hands before i pick him up.

it wont affect your supply hun xx

 

[freckleonear]

Breastfeeding and smoking is still far better than formula. Breastmilk can actually help counter some of the harmful effects of cigarette smoke on your baby. Nicotine does pass into breastmilk and it takes 95 minutes for half of the nicotine to be eliminated, so smoking just after a feed reduces the amount of nicotine your baby will be exposed to. Smoking has also been linked to lower levels of prolactin, lower milk production and let-down problems, but with good management this shouldn't be a problem.