Almost every modern woman is aware of the damage she is doing to herself by smoking. Nevertheless, according to statistics, every year in our country, the number of smoking women is growing. Smoking is especially dangerous during pregnancy and during breastfeeding of a child. Every doctor strongly recommends that you give up this addiction at a time when the woman finds out about her pregnancy and before breastfeeding ends.
The birth of a child changes a woman. Each mother wants to create the best conditions for her baby, surround him with care and love. Most young mothers feed their children on demand and are with them in prolonged bodily contact. But most of the positive effect of breastfeeding and long co-stay is crossed out if the mother smokes.
Dangerous habit
Smoking and breastfeeding are incompatible for the full physical and emotional development of the newborn. This is proved by psychologists, physicians and many parents. Smoking during breastfeeding negatively affects the baby from several points of view.
- Lactation and smoking. The nicotine contained in each cigarette depresses the production of milk. According to medical research, if a woman starts smoking immediately after birth, then in 2 weeks the amount of milk that she produces is 20% less than normal. Due to constant smoking during breastfeeding, the release of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for the production of milk in the mother's body, decreases. This circumstance can significantly shorten the period of feeding. From all of the above, it follows that smoking during lactation contributes to the earlier introduction of complementary feeding for the baby and his excommunication from the chest.
- Wednesday for the newborn. The combination of lactation and smoking is dangerous not only with less milk production - the smoking mom turns her baby into a passive smoker. The danger of this phenomenon is known and detailed by the Ministry of Health. Secondary smoke, getting into the baby's lungs, leads to oxygen starvation of the baby. Also, since the first days of life, nicotine begins to destructively affect the heart and blood vessels of the newborn. So smoking during breastfeeding can later lead to pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases in the child.
- Newborn health. Smoking during breastfeeding leads to the fact that nicotine through milk enters the body of the newborn. The presence of this harmful substance in breast milk helps to reduce the concentration of vitamins and other nutrients. Thus, in a smoking mother, the baby loses many of the microelements that are necessary for its full development. Smoking and breastfeeding increase the risk of developing the following diseases in a baby: bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia. Such children are much more likely to get sick and less likely to gain weight.
In addition, psychologists found that children who smoke parents are more irritable.
If the mother still does not intend to quit smoking during lactation, then she should at least adhere to the following rules:
- Do not smoke before feeding, as the smell of nicotine does not erode for 60 minutes and spoils the taste of milk;
- do not smoke at night;
- Smoke no more than 5 cigarettes per day.
Doctors say that, despite the harm of nicotine, breastfeeding mothers should smoke better and continue breastfeeding than refuse to smoke for breastfeeding.