Smoking and breastfeeding

Maternal smoking may induce nicotine poisoning in infants.

Indeed, nicotine and cotinine excreted in human milk and nicotine found in the blood of infants depends on the present in the mother.

More mothers smoke, the more nicotine concentrations in infants is important.

PASSIVE SMOKING is also implicated in the passage of cotinine in milk.

You should know that the plasma half-life of nicotine is 30 to 120 minutes. It is therefore essential to recommend that the smoking mother (who did not have the desire to quit) do not smoke 2 hours before feeding.

On the other hand, a woman who smokes has a milk production much lower than the non-smoker (about 700 grams against 1 liter per day). It seems that this is the release of adrenaline that affect the reflex secretion of milk.

Calorie milk quality does not seem affected, but we find a larger "pollution" in smokers. Milk contains more nitrites, nitrates, cadmium, lead, insecticides.

Poisoning the baby is manifested by vomiting, diarrhea, high agitation, insomnia, pallor and some fast heart.

Remember that passive smoking is the provider of bronchopulmonary infections and ENT repeatedly in babies.

Remember also that it is necessary not to take medication while breastfeeding, it is also important to not smoke.

To conclude, if the mother was not able to stop smoking should be advised to focus on nighttime feedings because nicotine is much lower at night than during the day.