The Effects Of Smoking, Alcohol And Drugs During Breastfeeding

Much of what the mother takes during breastfeeding enters the baby's body. In this sense, it is vital for breastfeeding mothers to carefully monitor what they consume. In newborns, the effects of smoking, alcohol and drugs can be especially dangerous.

What you need to know about breastfeeding and smoking?

Breastfeeding mothers should not smoke, as tobacco contains nicotine and other harmful ingredients that can pass through breast milk. Nicotine in the baby's body can cause colic. It can also make the baby nervous and irritable. Electronic or smokeless tobacco products should not be used instead of cigarettes, as they also contain nicotine. When smoking near the baby, he is also exposed to cigarette smoke by inhaling it. This passive smoking irritates the respiratory tract and can cause frequent shortness of breath, colds and runny nose.

Studies show that cigarette use reduces lactation (because it suppresses the secretion of hormones such as prolactin and oxytocin, which stimulate milk production). However, since breastfeeding is especially important for the baby's health, it is better not to stop, even if the mother does not want to give up smoking. In this regard, it is good to follow the following tips:

• Do not smoke in the home (room) where the baby is raised
• Do not smoke in the car while the baby is in it
• Do not breast-feed your baby for at least an hour after smoking. If you can't help it, it's best to smoke a cigarette immediately after breastfeeding so that your body can cleanse itself until the baby's next feeding. Harmful chemicals in breast milk decrease about an hour later.

Maternal smoking as well as inhalation of cigarette smoke from the baby increases the risk of diseases and disorders among babies. Some of them are:

• Ear infections
• Respiratory problems - sinusitis, croup, bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma.
• Conjunctivitis
• Allergic conditions

If these conditions do not sound scary enough, here are other fatal consequences - sudden infant death syndrome. The risk of developing this syndrome in children of smokers is seven times higher than that of non-smokers. And other studies show that, subsequently, children raised by smoking parents are at twice the risk of developing lung cancer.

For these reasons, have a strong will and focus on your baby's health as the main motive to quit smoking!

What you need to know about breastfeeding and alcohol?

Modern research questions traditional myths that beer or a glass of wine can act as a stimulant for milk production. In fact, the opposite is true. There are still no safe levels of alcohol intake during pregnancy. After the baby is born, it is best to avoid using it while breastfeeding.

Alcohol passes into breast milk and its concentration in it is almost as high as in the blood. Babies, on the other hand, do not have the ability to eliminate it from their body. This can lead to lack of energy, hormonal damage and other health problems in the child. Even a moderate amount of alcohol can affect a baby's muscle coordination, sleep, nutrition and milk production. Drinking regularly or in large quantities leads to reduced lactation. In addition, alcohol may change the taste of breast milk and the baby may refuse to breastfeed.

Studies show that alcohol concentrations are highest between 60 and 90 minutes after consumption. Therefore, it is recommended that babies not breastfeed for at least 2-3 hours after drinking alcohol.

You can see in the table how long it takes for the alcohol to leave the milk according to your weight:

What do you need to know about breastfeeding and medications?

At some point during breastfeeding, you may need to take medication to deal with a certain health problem. Then you need to think, in addition to how the drug will affect you, how it will affect the baby. Most medicines pass into the baby's body through breast milk. That is why you should not take medicines if it is not really necessary and cannot be postponed.

Medications used during childbirth can affect breastfeeding. Your baby may have trouble breastfeeding for the first 24 hours if you have been under anesthesia or have been given painkillers. To help with the breastfeeding process (breast milk flow, breastfeeding and contraction), it is a good idea to hug your baby as his skin touches yours. You may need to express breast milk and bottle feed your baby. The safest analgesic that can be used during breastfeeding is paracetamol. However, the use of narcotic analgesics can be dangerous.

Medicines that are taken for colds, coughs or allergic conditions are safe for breastfeeding, but it is good to meet the following conditions - to be single-component, not combined; be short-acting, not prolonged-release products!

Cough syrups taken by nursing mothers should not contain codeine. If this is still too necessary, then its use should not exceed a day or two.

It is a good idea to monitor your baby during the treatment period, and if he or she develops drowsiness or irritability after taking the medicine, you need to adjust your baby's feeding schedule to the hours of medication.

If it is necessary to take an antibiotic, the best option is to use them in a one-week or maximum two-week course of treatment. Even the most commonly used and harmless antibiotics (penicillins, cephalosporins) penetrate breast milk and can cause allergies in the baby (usually in the form of a rash). The use of antibiotics can also lead to diarrhea in the baby or the development of thrush in the mouth. Antibiotics from other groups, as well as slufonamides, are contraindicated and should not be used. If you need to take just such drugs, then you need to stop feeding the child naturally for a while. Corticosteroids in moderate doses are not dangerous for the infant, as well as adrenaline and ephedrine.

It is desirable to take the prescribed medication after breastfeeding or after the evening one. The next feeding of the baby should not be earlier than 4 hours after taking the drug.

They should be taken only after consultation with a gynecologist!

These are drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Their action is to increase the amount of serotonin (a mood-boosting substance) in the brain. From this group of drugs also have those that are considered safe during breastfeeding and those long-term use of which can be dangerous. Therefore, they are used with caution after mandatory consultation with a physician.

They can also belong to the group of medicinal products. They also need to be treated with caution! Vitamin overdose can be dangerous. It is advisable to avoid herbs during breastfeeding, as there are no scientific studies to prove their safety. This is especially true of ginseng , black oman , laurel , licorice .

Your doctor should be aware of what medicines and supplements, in what dose and how often you take. He or she may recommend other safe ones during breastfeeding or advise you to stop breastfeeding temporarily or permanently. If you need to temporarily stop breastfeeding, it is necessary to express breast milk during this period to stimulate lactation. Expressed milk cannot be used and must be discarded.

Sometimes it is necessary to stop breastfeeding permanently, as it is necessary for the mother to take medication for a long period of time. In such cases, the baby can be fed breast milk, milk from breast milk banks or formula milk.

What you need to know about breastfeeding and drugs?

Breastfeeding is absolutely contraindicated for mothers who use drugs (cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamines, phencyclidine). Not only can they interfere with the mother's ability to care for the baby, they also have an adverse effect on the baby's nervous and sensory systems. Drug use by the mother can lead to accidents, injuries or even the death of the baby!