breastfeeding

the bottom line

A woman's smoking affects her ability to breastfeed her baby in two ways.

First, women who smoke are less likely to breastfeed and those who do breastfeed continue for a shorter time than nonsmoking mothers do. Scientists are not sure whether this is a matter of choice or whether smoking interferes with a woman's ability to breastfeed successfully.

Second, the breast milk produced by women who smoke contains nicotine and other tobacco products, which is transferred to the baby. How this affects the baby's health is uncertain.