A study on drugs, meds and smoking while breastfeeding

So I am very big about what I ingest - food, drink and meds - and where I am at as a mother who breastfeeds. I try to eat really good, but I do eat fast food when I feel lazy, though I have cut back a lot. I also research heavily or talk to the pharmacist or pediatrician about certain otc pills I'm interested in taking and how they'll affect my milk supply and my son. (On my soap box) One thing I do really hate though, and I say hate because I am really against this, is when I walk into/leave a restaurant or store where there are smokers right outside the door. Ok, I get it. You have a disgusting addiction, but really, do you have to do it close to a door? When I walk into someplace, I don't want to smell your cigarettes. I especially don't want my baby to have to smell them. I have asthma, my brother has asthma, my mother-in-law has asthma. The chances my son will have asthma are pretty high and I try to protect him from as much as I can. I know I can't protect him from everything and he'll grow up getting hurt and I may not always be there, but when it comes to smoking, I do not want my son to inhale that disgusting crap! (Off soap box)

I follow Sixty Second Parent on Facebook and Twitter. I saw a very interesting post about how "Babies Can Receive Drugs and Medicines Though Breast Milk." Did you know women who breastfeed can carry between 2 and 240 nanograms of nicotine per milliliter? Meaning their babies receive a dose equivalent to 0.3 to 36 micrograms/kg/day. These infants tend to suffer more from colic and are more prone to respiratory infections. This post also covers how caffeine and drugs affect a breastfed baby.


My advice is to give up smoking, second hand smoking and any other drugs altogether. Why risk the chance of your baby having any problems? Not only is smoking disgusting, but it doesn't only cause internal damage, like mouth/throat/lung cancer, but it can also age you, change the color of your nails and teeth, plus the breath. My mother was a smoker and drank a lot of coffee throughout her day. Her breath was the most disgusting thing I have ever smelled. And it wasn't just her breath. People who chain smoke and drink coffee all have bad breath. The worst thing she would do is pop a breath mint, because she knew it was bad but thought it would help. Truth is, people who smoke don't even realize how they smell even more. It's like a second skin to them. Why do you want your child to end up with some kind of problem because you chose to do or continue drugs?

I hope there are mother's out there that chose to smoke and still do, have chosen to quit. And the same goes for any kind of drugs. It's not just you anymore and how it makes you look, but it's also how it affects your babies and children. Ok, now I'm really off my soap box.