Breastfeeding & smoking
By stopping before - or as soon as - you get pregnant, you can have a safer pregnancy and a healthier baby.
About 10.5% of women are still smoking when they give birth. Stopping smoking once your baby is born will still help protect them against:
Don't stop breastfeeding if you smoke
As a new mum, not smoking is also the single most important thing you can do to protect your own health.
However, if you're finding it hard to quit smoking, it's important not to stop breastfeeding. Breastfeeding will still protect your baby from infections and provide nutrients they can't get from formula milk.
If you or your partner can't stop smoking, making your home completely smokfree will help protect your baby's health. You may need to ask friends and family not to smoke near your baby, too.
If you or your partner smokes, it's important not to share a bed with your baby (co-sleep). This is known to raise the risk of SIDS, particularly if you smoke, you recently drank alcohol, or you're taking medication that makes you sleep more heavily.
Support with quitting smoking
You're up to four times more likely to stop smoking successfully with NHS support.
Your can contact Help Me Quit on 0800 250 6885 or visit their website for help with quitting smoking.
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and breastfeeding
Licensed NRT products are safe to use while you're breastfeeding. They increase your chances of quitting smoking, especially if you also have support from somewhere else like Help Me Quit.
NRT is available free on prescription while you're pregnant and for one year after your baby is born. It comes in a variety of formats, including patches, gum, lozenges, nasal spray and inhalators.
The stop smoking medicines Champix and Zyban are not recommended for breatfeeding women.
E-cigarettes, vaping and breastfeeding
While using an e-cigarette (vaping) is a lot safer than smoking, it isn't completely risk free. As well as nicotine, e-cigarette liquid and vapour can contain toxic substances, although these are mostly at much lower levels than in cigarette smoke.
At the moment there are no e-cigarettes licensed as medicines. New mums are advised to use licensed NRT products for help with quitting smoking and staying smokefree.
However, if you do choose to use an e-cigarette to help you stay smokefree, it's still better to carry on breastfeeding as the benefits will outweigh any potential harm.
Links
Click here to view Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board breastfeeding booklet for more information on breastfeeding.