Effects Of Smoking, Alcohol, And Medicines On Breastfeeding

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Smoking, alcohol, and medicines can all affect your breast milk. You can pass harmful substances to your baby when you breastfeed. Keep your breast milk safe for your baby. Do not smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs while you are breastfeeding. Tell caregivers about all of the prescribed and over-the-counter medicines that you use. Certain medicines are not safe for your baby if you are breastfeeding.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Follow up with your primary healthcare provider as directed:

Write down your questions so you remember to ask them during your visits.

Smoking and breastfeeding:

Breastfeeding mothers should not smoke. If you smoke, it is never too late to quit. Ask your primary healthcare provider for information if you need help quitting. Nicotine and other harmful chemicals are found in cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco and snuff). These go into your breast milk when you smoke. Your baby is exposed to these chemicals through breastfeeding and inhaling cigarette smoke. The more cigarettes you smoke, the higher the risks are to your baby. Smoking affects your breastfed baby in the following ways:

• Decreased milk supply: A low milk supply may not give your baby what he needs to gain weight normally.
  
  
• Decreased quality of your breast milk: The chemicals from smoking decrease the amounts of iodine (a mineral) and vitamins found in breast milk. This can affect your breastfed baby's growth and his ability to fight infection. Your baby also may be able to taste nicotine in your breast milk.
  
  
• Problems with your baby's behavior: Nicotine in your breast milk can cause your baby to cry more than normal or for no known reason. If your baby breastfeeds right after you smoke, he may have trouble sleeping.
  
  
• Health problems caused by secondhand smoke: Your baby can have problems such as ear or lung infections and asthma if he breathes in cigarette smoke. His risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) may also increase if he breathes in cigarette smoke.

Reduce the harmful effects of smoking while breastfeeding:

The following may reduce the harmful effects of your smoking on your baby:

• Smoke fewer cigarettes: If you smoke less, your baby may have fewer problems.
  
  
• Do not smoke in your home: Go outside to smoke. Do not allow others to smoke in your home.
  
  
• Wait to smoke until after a breastfeeding session: The harmful chemicals in your breast milk decrease about 1 hour after you finish smoking.

What you should know about drinking alcohol while you are breastfeeding:

Do not drink alcohol while you are breastfeeding. Alcohol goes from your bloodstream to your breast milk. When you drink alcohol, it affects your baby in the following ways:

• He may get less breast milk than he needs: Five or more drinks of alcohol decreases your ability to make milk. A low milk supply may keep your baby from gaining weight as he should. One drink of alcohol is 1½ ounces of liquor, 4 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer.
  
  
• His brain development may be affected: An infant's brain keeps developing after he is born. You can cause long-term problems with your baby's brain development if you drink alcohol in large amounts while breastfeeding.
  
  
• He may get less sleep than he needs: Alcohol may affect your child's sleep.

Reduce the harmful effects of alcohol while you breastfeed:

If you plan to drink alcohol, breastfeed your baby first. Wait at least 2 hours after you drink before you breastfeed again. This will allow your body to get rid of the alcohol so the amount in your breast milk will decrease. If you abuse alcohol, you may not be able to breastfeed. Alcohol abuse is when you drink too much alcohol or drink it too often. Talk to your primary healthcare provider about drinking alcohol while breastfeeding.

What you should know about using illegal drugs while breastfeeding:

• Do not use illegal drugs: Some examples of illegal drugs are cocaine, heroin, LSD, marijuana, methamphetamine (meth), and phencyclidine (PCP). Drugs pass from the bloodstream into breast milk and damage your baby's health. Your milk production may decrease. Your baby's growth may be affected, or he may not gain weight as he should.
  
  
• Do not start using drugs again: Do not begin using drugs again after your baby is born. If you have not used drugs or alcohol for at least 3 months, you may be able to breastfeed. You may need to give samples of urine for tests. If the tests show that you are not using drugs, you may be able to breastfeed. Ask your primary healthcare provider if it is safe for you to breastfeed your baby.
  
  
• Stop breastfeeding if you use drugs again: If you started using drugs again while breastfeeding, stop breastfeeding and see your primary healthcare provider right away. Your baby should be fed formula from a bottle.

What you should know about medicines and breastfeeding:

• Some medicines may go into your breast milk and affect your baby: Certain medicines can decrease your milk supply, make your baby very sleepy, or affect your baby in other ways. Tell your primary healthcare provider about all of the medicines you use, including over-the-counter medicines. Tell him how often and how much medicine you use. You may need to wait to breastfeed after you take certain medicines. Your primary healthcare provider may change the type or amount of medicine that you take.
  
  
• Medicine used during labor and delivery may affect breastfeeding: Your baby may have trouble latching on to your breast for the first 24 hours if you had anesthesia or medicine to decrease pain. To help your baby breastfeed, hold him close to you, with his skin touching yours. You also may need to express milk to feed your baby. Ask your primary healthcare provider for more information about expressing milk.
  
  
• You may need to increase breastfeeding: Breastfeed, express, or pump your breasts more often if your medicine decreases your milk supply. You can increase your milk supply by doing this. Ask your primary healthcare provider about medicines or herbs that may help your breasts make more milk.
  
  
• You may need to discard breast milk: You may need to express your milk and dump it out while you use certain medicines. You may need to do this if you take medicines for a short time that may be harmful your baby. This helps your breasts to keep making milk until you can breastfeed again. Bottle-feed your baby until your primary healthcare provider tells you that it is safe to breastfeed again.
  
  
• You may need to bottle-feed your baby: Your breast milk may be harmful to your baby if you need certain medicines or treatments. Pump and store breast milk before you start these medicines or treatments if possible. You can feed this milk to your baby from a bottle later. You may also give him breast milk from a donor milk bank or infant formula from a bottle.

Contact your primary healthcare provider if:

• Your baby is 4 or more days old and has fewer than 6 wet diapers each day.
  
  
• Your baby is 4 or more days old and has fewer than 3 bowel movements each day.
  
  
• Your baby is breastfeeding fewer than 8 times each day.
  
  
• Your baby is not gaining weight or looks like he is losing weight.
  
  
• Your baby does not seem to latch on to your breast correctly.
  
  
• Your baby acts fussy or shows signs that he is still hungry.
  
  
• You feel you are not making enough breast milk for your baby.

Return to the emergency department if:

• Your baby has breathing problems, seems more sleepy than usual, or is not breastfeeding well.
  
  
• Your baby feels cold, shivers, or his skin looks blue or white.
  
  
• Your baby shows signs of dehydration, such as sunken eyes, dry skin, fast breathing, or few or no wet diapers.
  
  
• You have been breastfeeding and drinking more alcohol than your primary healthcare provider says is safe.
  
  
• You have been using street drugs and breastfeeding.
  
  
• You have been taking medicines that you have been told not to take while breastfeeding.

Learn more about Effects Of Smoking, Alcohol, And Medicines On Breastfeeding (Aftercare Instructions)