Hookah during breastfeeding: are there any contraindications?

Is it possible for nursing mothers to smoke hookah?

Children are a joy for every family and, as it seems to us, first of all for the mother. From the moment a child is born, women have to change their lifestyle and their daily routine changes dramatically. There are a lot of important things to do and worries, and a hookah, as a way of relaxation, would be very helpful for a young mother, but first you need to figure out whether a nursing lady can touch the smoky world or should she wait. In order to say for sure, it is worth carefully understanding the composition of what a woman exhales when smoking a hookah, as well as the influence of the components on the body of each element.

Why is hookah dangerous when breastfeeding?

So, a fact already proven by many scientists: Hookah, like other tobacco products, directly affects the milk of a young mother. That is, during the lactation period, carcinogens (harmful substances) from hookah enter not only the mother’s body, but also into the child’s body through milk.

Here you need to understand that an adult’s body is more resistant to toxins than a baby’s body. It turns out that if you smoke pot, you will get almost nothing, and the child may develop diseases and pathologies. And this is already scary. The child's reactions may be as follows:

1. He may simply refuse milk because of the bitterness. Yes, yes, when you smoke a hookah, the milk becomes bitter.
2. Baby may stop sleeping and scream more often due to unknown negative processes in the body. Including colic due to slowing of the gastrointestinal tract.
3. He may become less active and appear lethargic.
4. Due to the lack of supply of necessary minerals and vitamins through milk, asthma, allergies, and lung diseases (upper and lower respiratory tract) may develop.
5. There may be cases of slower weight gain and growth. Again, this can happen due to a decrease in the quality of the nursing mother's milk.
6. The pathology of mental retardation and mental instability may appear.

In addition, you must understand that if you smoke, your lactation will decrease. In principle, the milk may disappear altogether and the little one will have to be switched to artificial nutrition. This happens because when you smoke, your prolactin levels (the breastfeeding hormone) decrease.

As a result, when a mother smokes a hookah while breastfeeding, the quantity and quality of milk deteriorates. Think about whether you need to risk your expensive baby for such evening fun.

Hookah is dangerous when breastfeeding

How does hookah affect a nursing mother's milk?

Let's take a closer look at the effect smoking has on milk. Immediately forget about all the myths that a hookah has less influence on a nursing baby than cigarettes, etc. This is all untrue.

As I said above, there are two main consequences:

1. Termination of lactation (milk production) . This threatens that your milk will disappear and you will not be able to feed your baby. Recent studies have shown that mother's milk is much healthier than formula and milk. Therefore, by denying your baby natural nutrition, you can slow down his development.
2. Decrease in the quality of milk of a nursing mother. Remember that when smoking a hookah, you receive a certain dose of toxins and carcinogens. They remain in your body for a certain time, replacing and destroying beneficial vitamins and minerals. That is, you will feed the child not with useful substances that promote growth and development, but with toxins that harm the baby’s body.

Milk is the baby's only access to nutrients and vitamins, so it is better to postpone smoking

Smoke components and their influence

Nicotine. It can cause blood deterioration and lead to thrombosis. As a result, there may be a disturbance in the nutrition of various organs in a nursing mother. A child may receive a certain amount of nicotine along with milk, and this can cause restless sleep, increased moodiness and other neurological disorders.

Benzopyrene. When this substance enters a woman’s body, namely into breast milk, it can cause severe disturbances in the developing nervous and genitourinary systems of the child; in the worst case, this can lead to the development of tumors. The most unpleasant thing is that benzopyrene is poorly excreted and accumulates in the body

Carbon monoxide. Prolonged hookah smoking causes a lack of oxygen, which leads to a slowdown in the mother's metabolism. This affects the quality of milk and subsequently the child does not receive the amount of vitamins and microelements he needs for healthy growth and development.

Tobacco also contains preservatives and flavorings, which one way or another will also enter the body of the woman, and later the child. In a still unformed person, they can cause an allergic reaction or even poisoning.

It has been proven that smoking is harmful not only during pregnancy, when the baby is in the womb, but also after childbirth - directly during breastfeeding.

Smoking and breastfeeding

It goes without saying that a nursing mother should ideally not smoke. However, if a woman cannot give up a bad habit, this should not be a stop sign for breastfeeding.

The amount of nicotine passing into breast milk is more than double the amount of nicotine passing through the placenta during pregnancy. However, there is strong evidence that the benefits of breast milk outweigh the negative effects of nicotine.

Breastfeeding provides immunity to counteract the side effects of smoking. Experts say it is better to smoke and breastfeed than to smoke and only formula feed.

According to studies, mothers who smoke produce less milk, and the milk that does come has an altered composition.

What happens when you smoke while breastfeeding?

There are proven risks of smoking while breastfeeding, listed below.

• Impact on the child

Infants who are exposed to cigarette smoke are more susceptible to pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, sinus infections, eye irritation and infections, and croup.

Children whose parents smoke often develop colic. And we are talking not only about the nicotine in breast milk, but also about the passive smoke around, which acts as an irritant.

Your baby may also have gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal cramps.

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is common, and babies whose parents smoke are seven times more likely to develop SIDS.

Secondhand smoke is also harmful because it reduces the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood, which protects the body from coronary heart disease. Smoking has been shown to be a risk factor for childhood obesity and thyroid dysfunction.

Children who grow up in a family where both parents smoke double the risk of developing lung cancer.

• Effect on breastfeeding

Babies whose mothers smoke tend to be weaned early.

Smoking while breastfeeding reduces milk production. Nicotine reduces the “drop” reflex, which causes the breasts to release milk quickly, leading to feeding problems.

The production of prolactin, a hormone that signals the breasts to produce more milk, is reduced in breastfeeding mothers who smoke. In addition, the composition of milk changes: the amount of iodine decreases, which increases the likelihood of thyroid dysfunction in the child.

Given that breast milk is the optimal combination of nutrients, it is worth stopping smoking while breastfeeding to reduce any negative effects from nicotine.

Tips for minimizing the risk to your baby if you smoke

There are a few tips that will definitely help.

• Quit smoking completely.
• Reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke. The risk is extremely high if their number reaches 20 per day.
• Avoid smoking before or during breastfeeding. Smoke after feeding, which reduces the level of nicotine in milk.
• Increase the interval between smoking and breastfeeding, as after about 1.5 hours half of the nicotine will be eliminated from the body.
• Never smoke in the same room as your child. Also, make sure no one else smokes around the baby.

What are electronic cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes are no safer than regular cigarettes. They may be more harmless to human health, but provide the same amount of nicotine to the smoker. Taking this into account, replacing a regular cigarette with an electronic one will not make much difference to breastfeeding.

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Is hookah harmful during pregnancy and why?

Let's find out how hookah affects the body of a pregnant woman. So:

1. Hookah smoke contains nicotine and carbon monoxide. These substances are toxic and cause irreparable harm to the expectant mother and baby. Even passive smoking during pregnancy is dangerous! Therefore, a woman should stay as far away from smokers as possible.
2. Tobacco is not always certified, its quality is difficult to track. It may also happen that the smoking mixture turns out to be dangerous. And the flavored smoke from it can lead to poisoning by flavor enhancers.
3. Harmful hookah smoke is inhaled during smoking for at least half an hour. Imagine for yourself how many dangerous substances can penetrate into the mother’s body during this time. It is not recommended for pregnant women to inhale hookah smoke. It can cause severe headaches and even poisoning.

Smoking a hookah while breastfeeding - Reducing the risks

If you can't resist smoking a hookah while breastfeeding with friends, then follow these precautions. By the way, it will not be possible to completely eliminate the risks, since hookah still affects your lactation and the quality of your milk. These methods will only help reduce risks, and not completely eliminate them:

1. Try to smoke hookah no more than once a week. This will allow you to reduce the amount of carcinogens entering your body and the health of your baby. At the same time, you will have to drink more water or milk to quickly remove all toxins from your body.
2. Smoking a hookah during breastfeeding should be limited to 20-30 minutes. This must be done either before the coals are completely lit, or after. The smoke should be thin and small so as not to poison the body of the new mother and child.
3. Do not smoke hookah from 21:00 to 8:00. During this time period, the body produces the most active lactation. That is, it is during this period that the quality of a nursing mother’s milk can be spoiled as much as possible. It will be better if you feed your baby fresh nutritious milk and only then go to smoke a hookah.
4. If you do smoke a hookah, then do not feed your baby your milk for 3 days. It is within three days that all toxins from hookah are removed from the body. At this time, you can feed the baby with formula - it will be healthier. But don't abuse this advice!

If you suddenly feel sick from hookah, then read this article. There I told you what to do in such cases.

Smoking while breastfeeding is still prohibited

Is it possible to smoke during lactation?

Most new mothers did not see anything wrong with this Eastern procedure before pregnancy. What changes in the body of the mother and child can such unconventional smoking provoke?

Effect on the mother's body

Smoking can cause the following reactions in a woman:

• Lead to serious problems in the gastrointestinal tract;
• Impaired functioning of the respiratory system;
• Promote improper functioning of the cardiovascular system, cause changes in blood pressure;
• Negatively affect the nervous system.

In addition, toxic substances in the tobacco mixture affect the production of the hormone prolactin, which reduces the amount of breast milk. Therefore, non-traditional smoking may hasten the completion of the breastfeeding period. The effect of hookah on the female body is quite strong and negative. Therefore, the mother must understand the seriousness of the consequences.

Impact on the baby's body

Along with mother’s milk, the child’s body receives not only the substances necessary for its full development, but also harmful microelements. Therefore, it is not surprising that after smoking the quality of milk deteriorates significantly. Consequently, when breastfeeding, after smoking a hookah, harmful substances are not removed from the woman’s body, but pass along to the baby along with the milk. The consequences may be as follows:

• The appearance of nervousness, anxiety in the baby, problems with falling asleep;
• Increased moodiness, lethargy;
• Possibility of breast refusal, loss of appetite;
• Frequent changes in mood;
• Stunted growth;
• The appearance of allergic reactions;
• Weight loss;
• Poisoning;
• The occurrence of bloating and pain in the stomach area contributes to the occurrence of colic.

It is known that the development of a baby largely depends on the quality of mother's milk. Children whose mother regularly smoked hookah during lactation lag behind their peers in development. If a woman has only visited a hookah bar a couple of times, this will not cause the baby to develop poorly. Please note that hookah with heated water can cause significant harm to the child’s body. It is dangerous for the developing systems and organs of the baby.