Tobacco

Mother’s tobacco addiction increases the risk of not initiating breastfeeding or early weaning.

The milk of smoking mothers contains higher levels of Cotinine, Cadmium, Mercury other heavy metal, lower amount of proteins, Vitamin A C and E and other antioxidants.

Smoking may decrease milk production and induce alteration of lipid pattern of human milk.

There is a higher risk of future obesity and lower stature among breastfed siblings of smoking mothers. The risk for Sudden Infant Death is also increased.

A major health problem among infants who have been raised into a tobacco polluted environment is that they are more prone to suffer of respiratory tract infections, asthma and more frequent hospital admissions for this reason. Not because of Nicotine excreted into the mother’s milk but because of the inhalation of smoke particles originated from combustion of tobacco, which are suspended in the air.

However, all this risk increases if in addition to mother smoking, the infant is formula fed. The latter is a reason to support breastfeeding among mothers who are not able to stop smoking since it is more effective whether the mother decreases smoking and avoids doing so inside the house. Most important, however, is that the mother would continue breastfeeding the baby. Nicotine excretion into milk is decreased if the mother feeds the infant 2 hours after smoking.

Health promotion campaigns against tobacco addiction should be focused on non-breastfeeding moms.

Breastfeeding should be regarded as a unique opportunity to enhance good health practices as to quitting from an unhealthy habit as smoking which is harmful for mother’s health and other next people.

Bed-sharing is not recommended for mothers who smoke.

See below the information of this related product:

• Electronic cigarette (Low Risk probable)