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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Fess up. Who's had an occasional cigarette while breast feeding?

66 replies

OnlyWantsOne · 12/10/2012 19:11

Not actually baby - attached feeding, but you know...

Discussed this earlier & did some research about nicotine etc in milk .... But I only know one person that did it , but lots who would go out and drink alcohol and still feed etc

OP posts:
SirBoobAlot · 12/10/2012 19:54

Dontcha know you can't possibly discuss breastfeeding without it ending in a bun fight? Wink

How old is your baby? Remember you ideally need to shower, brush teeth and change clothes after having had a cigarette before you go near little ones.

However... I would say that one always leads to another. Have an extra glass of wine instead. You've done fantastically well with not smoking.

Factually speaking, you should be fine.

QueenOfFarkingEverything · 12/10/2012 20:01

OFGS.

Smoking around children is NOT good. It has lots of health risks for them. If you smoke, you should always smoke away from your child/ren (pref outside) and wash hands/face/teeth if you can before going back to look after them.

However. IF you smoke at all, it is better for your baby to get breastmilk than formula. The combination of a smoking parent and formula feeding is riskier than the combination of smoking parent and breastfeeding.

The IDEAL is that nobody smokes at all, its stinky and bad for you. But hey ho, life isn't perfect and neither are mothers. Therefore, harm reduction information is important.

kinkyfuckery · 12/10/2012 20:06

Queen I thought you were waffling on about HAM reduction information!

OnlyWantsOne · 12/10/2012 20:07

Dd will be Having bottles tonight.

I shall be going out and having potentially a smoke and a bucket of white wine

Then a bath & shall clean my teeth and we don't co sleep

OP posts:
Moominsarescary · 12/10/2012 20:09

I've been known to have one on occasion when out drinking.

JockTamsonsBairns · 12/10/2012 20:10

I smoked and Ffed.

OnlyWantsOne · 12/10/2012 20:20

Well DP still isn't home so a night out isn't looking likely.

OP posts:
toldmywrath · 12/10/2012 20:23

Well done Jock for being brave & coming clean! Only wants one-oh dear your plan to inhale has been thwarted by lateness of DP!

Justreadthefuckingwords · 12/10/2012 20:23

I used to use their fontanelles as an ashtray .

kay1980 · 12/10/2012 20:25

I have heard it all now bfing and smoking is better than formula feeding! I honestly don't know how my two DD's have grown into two perfectly healthy children having been fed with that poison Confused

Mintyy · 12/10/2012 20:25

Yes, I smoked a little when I was still breastfeeding my dc.

HorraceTheOtter · 12/10/2012 20:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OnlyWantsOne · 12/10/2012 20:29

Yes Kay it is a complete quandary.

OP posts:
SirBoobAlot · 12/10/2012 20:32

Yes that's exactly what we said, formula is poison and you're all shit mothers

Is he home yet, OWO?

MakeItALarge · 12/10/2012 20:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Softlysoftly · 12/10/2012 20:33

If you do get out and dc is having bottles this is important.

Set up your pump before you go, do not stumble in, forget where you put it, hand express into a teacup on the floor in front of a horrified DH, wake up with a sore head and rock hard boobs.

Ummofumbridge · 12/10/2012 20:35

Yes I did.
I didn't start smoking again (post preg) until she was about 6 months though and I only bf until 8 months or so.
Ive quit now :)
I love queen's perspective on it. Precisely what I was thinking.

ErikNorseman · 12/10/2012 20:39

Yes I did. Started with the occasional one then on to maybe one a day by the time I stopped bf. I did slide into full on smoking though so watch it!

BertieBotts · 12/10/2012 20:40

IIRC the risks come from having a smoker as a parent, rather than any effects coming through milk as they don't really.

I didn't smoke during pregnancy or after having DS until he was 18 months old. I don't know if I would have done so earlier had I not been with a controlling partner who insisted that I didn't smoke in case it made him want to start again.

I don't smoke a lot and I keep it away from DS but I just don't think it's that awful, TBH. I was still breastfeeding when I started again, he's only just stopping now and he's 4.

I think if I had another child I'd probably try to stay off them for the 18 months or so again because I co-sleep and it's not safe to co-sleep if you're a smoker.

ErikNorseman · 12/10/2012 20:41

Figgygal logic fail

rogersmellyonthetelly · 12/10/2012 20:41

I did with dd. according to the stats the benefits of bf outweigh the bad bits of smoking for the baby at least. It wasn't a lot, always outside. I needed something ( preferably ear plugs or a full time nanny) as she cried seemingly non stop for the first 6 months of her life.
For the record, I ff ds so I'm not at all interested in a ff/bf bunfight, formula isn't poison, and having the odd smoke outside isn't the end of the world either IMO. Each to their own. I will be bf this baby too, and if she is anything like her big sister ( please lord cut me some slack and send me a contented easygoing child) I will probably end up back on the fags again.

Woozley · 12/10/2012 20:46

My mum used to smoke in the house all the time when I was little. She gave up before she got pregnant with me but started again when she went back to work, I think.

Onken · 12/10/2012 20:46

i smoked and BF all mine.

Justreadthefuckingwords · 12/10/2012 20:46

Righto, after my previous facetious comment I'm going to wade in, OP, I smoked & breast fed with both of my DCs - I smoked outside but did not go through the apparently acceptable full body detoxification process that it entails.

I went out for a fag, I came back in, I breast-fed my child.

This is what I did. I BF'd my daughter until she was nearly three, she does not appear to crave fags, she does however, have eczema , as do I, I was FF by a non-smoking mother.

I expect neither applause nor flaming - there have been many studies as to the effects of smoking whilst BFing & FFing - none conclusive.

Life's a tricky balancing act, ultimately it comes down to a case of - do as you will (as you will), listen to others as you please, accept the consequences of those choices.

Ain't none of us perfect & we don't have to seek validation or approval for our actions - we just have to live with them.

QueenOfFarkingEverything · 12/10/2012 20:46

Nobody said formula was poison except you, kay1980 Hmm

The only poison being discussed in this thread is nicotine, and the ways to minimise the risks that exposure to nicotine poses to small children.