Smoking and breastfeeding?

[The3Bears]

Ive a had a VERY stressfull month (think partner leaving me with 12 week old ds2 and then returning but v depressed) I have not smoked for years 6-7 years to be exact, except when on a night out I would have a few.
I have been so stressed recentley that I have been smoking a couple a day the most maybe 5! Now I dont want to carry on and I am stopping but life is very hard atm and im finding it's the only way im coping slightly, silly I know but thats life.
Will this be harming my baby alot hes 14 weeks now and im worried I could be harming him :( he's ebf, should I be trying formula while im smoking?
Thank you for any advice.

i think even when you are a smoker the benefits of bfeeding still outweigh the negatives of formula.

i am guessing you go outside, wahs you hands etc after having a fag, its not great but 5 a day isnt loads either.

dont beat yourself up about it as long as you are sensible, wear a coat, go outside, wash you hands etc nad maybe dont feed within half an hour or so before baby needs to feed?

you might some info on kellymum etc?

i read up on this as well as i bfed and smoked with ds4, didnt smoke much like you but i had pnd and sometimes these things happen. anyway the research i read said that bfeeding is still beneficial even if you smoke.

sounds like you need a hug, be kind to yourself xx

kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/smoking/

here you go :)

the risks increase once you smoke more than 20 a day, which you dont, this article says its fine to bfeed :)

www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/lv/lvaugsep04p75.html

this is what lalecheleague has to say and it has some stuff from paediatricians etc :)

I second what 5madthings said.

What others have said, re breastfeeding and smoking.

What support do you have in real life? Having a small baby is hard enough, even without the chaos of your partner.

Don't worry, you should be fine. I've been smoking too (just stopping BF this month...maybe!) and I have about 2-5 a day. My LO is 7 months. I wash my hands after,and make sure I change my top when I come in as well (or use a particular jacket I have for smoking, which I always take off before I pick baby up).

One of the main dangers with smoking around young babies is that they come to associate the smell of smoke with being loved and cared for and thus are attuned to smoking long before they're of an age to smoke themselves. They often end up as smokers and very often people who find it hardest to give up are those whose parents smoked when they were tiny. Anything you can do to minimise the smell of smoke will help, particularly on your hair, around your face and your hands.

That Kellymom article does not say it is fine to smoke and breastfeed!

It says it is best to stop. It also says it is dangerous to smoke immediately before a feed & after 95 minutes the nicotine is halved.

It lists the negatives of smoking while breastfeeding & also states that a baby of a smoker is 7 times more likely to die of SIDS.

Let's not sugarcoat it.

Wouldn't it be better to go to the gp and get some medication for stress?

I'm not completely unsympathetic, I get where you're coming from (ex social smoker, 3 dcs, 4yrs, 2yrs, 11wk old baby & single parent myself).