How Long After Smoking Can I Breastfeed?
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Nicotine diffuses into the breastmilk
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When you breastfeed and smoke, nicotine from the cigarette diffuses into the breastmilk and your child may suffer from colic, lack of appetite, vomiting or increased heart rate. The fumes from smoking become trapped in the lungs and enter your bloodstream, according to Denise Fisher, MMP, BN, RN, RM, IBCLC with Sandpiper Education.
Breast feeding is better than formula feeding
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If you cannot stop smoking, you are still better off choosing breastfeeding over using formula, writes Wendy Jones, Ph.D, because the benefits of breastmilk outweigh the negative consequences of nicotine in the child's system. Breastmilk protects your child against infections.
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Bottom Line
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If you must have a cigarette, you may want to wait at least one hour and 40 minutes after smoking before breastfeeding your baby. Nicotine has a 97-minute half-life in the blood circulatory system, according to Denise Fisher.
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