Alcohol, Cannabis, and Tobacco While Breastfeeding
Smoking during breastfeeding |
Smoking during breastfeeding can expose you and your child to harmful chemicals. Smoking can cause your baby to be fussy and can decrease the amount of milk you make. Babies and children are especially vulnerable to the effects of smoke; if you can, try to cut down on smoking or quit. If you or someone else in your home smokes, decrease your baby’s exposure to second-hand smoke. Here are a few ideas to consider to reduce the risks:
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Cannabis use while breastfeeding |
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No amount of cannabis (marijuana) has been proven safe to use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. It is safest to stop using cannabis while breastfeeding. Caution is warranted with any cannabis product, including CBD oil. No matter how cannabis is used, cannabis compounds are stored in body fat and can be passed to your baby through breastmilk. These chemicals are slowly released over time (up to 30 days) which means that “pumping and dumping” breastmilk does not work the same way it does with alcohol. Some research reports that babies exposed to cannabis though breastmilk have slower motor development, reduced muscular tone, and poor sucking. If you consume cannabis and need help to reduce your consumption or would like help quitting, please speak to your health care provider. Resources:
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Alcohol use while breastfeeding |
| Alcohol passes into breastmilk. Alcohol is not stored in milk, rather it enters and exits according to your blood alcohol levels. Once alcohol is out of your blood, it will be out of your breastmilk. As a general rule, it takes 2 hours for an average woman to clear the alcohol from 1 standard alcoholic drink.
Is it safe for me to drink alcohol when breastfeeding? The safest choice is not to drink any alcohol. If you are breastfeeding and are thinking about drinking alcohol occasionally, follow these simple rules to reduce the risks to your baby:
How can alcohol affect my breastfeeding baby? Moderate, occasional alcohol consumption is not likely to pose a problem to an infant, but heavy alcohol consumption is to be avoided. Heavy alcohol consumption can put you and your baby at risk by:
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