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Salma Hayek was caught by the paparazzi smoking a cigarette outside of a department store in Beverly Hills the day after Christmas. Salma has been very vocal about being a nursing mom and is still breastfeeding her daughter Valentina. Although it's best if you can quit smoking, smokers should not be discouraged from nursing. It's better to smoke and breastfeed then it is to smoke and formula feed. If you can't stop smoking, at least try and cut down and never smoke around your baby and don't allow others to smoke around your baby.
From Kelly Mom:
What happens to babies when they are exposed to cigarette smoke?
Babies and children who are exposed to cigarette smoke have a much higher incidence of pneumonia, asthma, ear infections, bronchitis, sinus infections, eye irritation, and croup.
Colic occurs more often in babies whose mothers or fathers smoke or if a breastfeeding mother smokes. Researchers believe that not only does the nicotine transferred into mother's milk upset baby but the passive smoke in the home acts as an irritant. Babies of smoking parents fuss more, and mothers who smoke may be less able to cope with a colicky baby (due to lower levels of prolactin).
Heavy smoking by breastfeeding moms occasionally causes symptoms in the breastfeeding baby such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea.
Babies of smoking mothers and fathers have a seven times greater chance of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Children of smoking parents have two to three times more visits to the doctor, usually from respiratory infections or allergy-related illnesses.
Children who are exposed to passive smoke in the home have lower blood levels of HDL, the good cholesterol that helps protect against coronary artery disease.
Children of smoking parents are more likely to become smokers themselves.
A recent study found that growing up in a home in which two parents smoked could double the child's risk of lung cancer later in life.
