Is a bf baby with a mother who smokes ,better off than one who is not bf at all?

[princessmel]

I've been wondering that for a while.

A friend of a friend has just had a baby (last week)and she's bf. She also smokes.

Do you think that the benefits of breast feeding outweigh the fact that she smokes? She was smoking outside by the way.

I genuinly don't know the answer to this. Also does the smoke get into the milk?
I know she will be breathing smoke onto and around him when she comes back inside but will the chemicals actually be in the milk?

I don't want to cause a huge row but just wondered which would be best for the little baby.

Yes.
Without a doubt.

oh ok , thanks!

Yes, without a doubt

the chemicals do pass through to the milk ( I think, don't jump on me) and even if you smoke outside you still breath carbon something or other out for another 20 mins afterwards
BUT still better to be BF

i'm pretty sure i've seen tik tok say it's still better than not breastfeeding. i hope so anyway as i've smoked a couple of time while bf-ing (mostly while at horrible job last year when evil boss upset me)

I have heard that it is still better than ff. I think the recommendation is not to feed for 60-90 minutes after smoking.

thats what i always tried to do so figured in the long run it was no worse than knocking back a drink... or at least so my homonal reasoning ran!

I've smoked the odd fag while breastfeeding.
Oh and necked plenty of wine.
My conscience is crystal clear.

I don't think she could be doing that though as he was only a few days old when I saw her and she said he was feeding all the time and her nipples were sore.

When I saw her outside smoking, I thought that she couldn't be bf ( I don't know why but I jus did) but then she said she was. I was really pleased but just wondered about the risks for the baby.

I didn't breast feed but adore my son feed him organic and cook most stuff myself Tried to use homeopathy and reiki and massage where possible when he was/is ill and have never missed a school play or a parents evening and read him a story every night when he was little but I know he is DOOMED

in MN eyes

Moondog, do you know what the facts are with drinking too?

My dd is nearly 18 months and I hardly drink atall. Maybe the odd shandy with a curry.

Some people say its ok and some say don't. I just never know whats the best thing to do.

I do miss going out when its birthdays and being able to have cocktails etc. But I know I will be able to again one day. Its not the end of the world.

well if moondog, queen of all things bf, can get away with a clear conscience i feel alot better

Haha,I'm no goody goody,believe me.
Mel,check out the MN archives.
Lots of threads onthis (and authoritative advice from Tiktok,Mears at al)
I had a few drinks occasionally.Maybe a glass or two of wine with dinner twice a week?
Certainly a glasso f Champers or cocktail on special occasion.

God,the thought of life without was tooooooo grim for words.

Ironically,I drink less than ever now I am neither pregnant nor breastfeeding.Have had 1/2 a pintof lager in four weeks.

Thanks Moondog

sorry to hijack and this is totally off topic, but moondog, are you still in Russia? I'm in Almaty (Kazakhstan)... interesting to talk to other post-soviet mumsnetters..

Hi Gemmity.
My dh has been working in Turkey for three years so no!
We left Russia a few years ago.
I am mostly in the UK with the children now as I am doing an MSc and working.We loved Russia though. He was offered a job in Odessa (great place) but feel he hes 'done' the CIS now and is looking for somewhere else.

Aren't you pg?
What is it you do exactly?
Do you enjoy life there?
Are you a Russian speaker?
Such an interesting part of the world.
Never got as far as there but would have loved to.

hiya,

odessa would have been interesting, but understand the 'sick of CIS' thing... both me and DH working in Kaz 3 years now, he a journalist, I manage small grants projects for the EU. Studied Russsian but only really learned to speak it while here.. It's an interesting region but I've been lazy about travelling, mainly cos we've used our hols to go back to the uk and see parents, get married etc, a pity really.. have been to Tajikistan, just Dushanbe, and a bit of Kyrgyzstan, and trip round Uzbekistan, but very little of Kazakhstan itself.

was preg, had little Darius in October in Belgium, starting back at work next week (yikes). Have doughty Russian nanny called Vera who will be shown the ropes beforehand, has some typical ideas like children shouldn't play on the floor, cot death doesn't exist etc, but she seems caring which is the main thing..

right, time for more infant feeding, speak later!

Ah yes,the Russian way of bringing up children!
I was always being bollocked by baboushki for taking them out in temps. of at least 25C without socks,hats and so on.
And yes,the playing on the floor thing-!
The women in dh's office would shriek and throw up their hands when they saw me doing it.

almaty0 isnt that where suejones has just been?

yep, well sue was there for a few days over xmas/new year mistakenly thinking she was on her way home!

i think most of her time was in Ust tho.

her blog

Children shouldn't play on the floor? Where on earth do Russian children play? Windowsills?

Noddy you reflect my thoughts exactly.

A woman who smokes and breastfeeds is better than a woman who smokes and doesn't breastfeed, but being a smoker (not, having had the odd one) is much worse for your baby than formula feeding. Even if you don't smoke directly around the baby, your baby is still getting some passive smoking fumes, because you're breathing them out.

Oh duh, I don't think that was the question.