World No Tobacco Day: We Need Food, Not Tobacco…

All new moms want nothing but the best for their new baby and any mom who smokes, knows that smoking is harmful to her baby – but yoh, quitting is tough!

You never smoke around your baby, but soon you discover that smoking impacts your breastfeeding, reducing both the quality and quantity of breast milk, disrupting your baby’s sleeping patterns, and can lead to numerous health problems ^1.

Breast milk is the baby’s food, and it is crucial for their growth and development. Studies show that smoking during breastfeeding can decrease the amount of breast milk produced, alter the composition of breast milk, and expose the baby to harmful chemicals such as nicotine and carbon monoxide ^2.

That’s why the theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day, “We need food, not tobacco,” is so important. The theme aims to raise awareness about alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers and encourage them to grow sustainable, nutritious crops. By doing so, tobacco farmers can shift their focus to producing food that nourishes people instead of a product that harms them ^3.

Similarly, smoking mothers can shift their focus from smoking tobacco to producing breast milk that nourishes their babies. Breast milk provides all the nutrients a baby needs in the first six months of life and has additional health benefits such as reducing the risk of infections, allergies, and chronic diseases ^4.

Sadly, smoking during breastfeeding undermines many of the benefits. It can decrease the quantity and quality of breast milk, and expose the baby to harmful chemicals such as nicotine and carbon monoxide. Studies show that smoking during breastfeeding can reduce the duration of breastfeeding by up to two months ^5. It can also disrupt the baby’s sleep patterns and increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) ^2.

Fortunately, quitting smoking during breastfeeding can reverse these negative effects and improve the health and well-being of both moms and babies. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that smoking cessation during pregnancy and breastfeeding can improve the quantity and quality of breast milk and reduce the risk of SIDS ^6.

So, what can smoking mothers do to quit smoking and improve the quality and quantity of breast milk?

One option is to seek support from smoking cessation programs like ByeGwaai.

ByeGwaai offers a range of services, including telehealth consultations, cognitive behavioural therapy activities, habit tracking tools, and personalised quitting plans to help you quit smoking. The program also provides support from trained smoking cessation counsellors who understand the challenges that pregnant and breastfeeding mothers face when trying to quit smoking.

Another option is to seek support from one of the incredible midwives, obstetricians, and lactation consultants at Sister Lilian Centre and Network One Health.  These professionals can provide advice, guidance, and support to help smoking mothers quit smoking and improve the quality and quantity of breast milk.

These organisations have partnered to bring you the ByeGwaai for Bumps initiative that provides an accessible and affordable smoking cessation program that caters to the unique needs of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers ^1.

“We need food, not tobacco,” at its surface highlights the need for alternative crop production and opportunities for tobacco farmers, but at its heart reminds us that breastfeeding is a vital source of nutrition and health for our growing babies. Breast milk provides all the nutrients a baby needs in the first six months of life and has additional health benefits such as reducing the risk of infections, allergies, and chronic diseases. Therefore, quitting smoking during breastfeeding is a vital step that smoking mothers can take to help their babies grow healthy and happy.

Quitting smoking is not easy, but with the right support and resources, it is possible. Initiatives like ByeGwaai for Bumps and the support of healthcare professionals can make a significant difference in helping smoking mothers quit smoking and improve the quality and quantity of breast milk.

References:

  1. World Health Organization. (2023). World No Tobacco Day 2023: We Need Food, Not Tobacco. Retrieved from
    https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-no-tobacco-day/2023
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Breastfeeding. Retrieved from
    https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/index.htm
  3. National Institutes of Health. (2022). Breastfeeding. Retrieved from
    https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/breastfeeding/conditioninfo/benefits
  4. American Academy of Paediatrics. (2021). Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. Paediatrics, 147(3), e2021052923.
  5. McLemore, M. R., Braun, K. L., & Stark, L. (2018). Tobacco use and breastfeeding: a knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey of American Indian mothers. Journal of human lactation, 34(4), 716-727.
  6. Kent, J. C., & Mitoulas, L. R. (2011). Cigarette smoking and the lactating mother: breast‐milk output and infant weight gain. Nutrition reviews, 69(5), 294-299.
  7. Action on Smoking and Health. (2022). Quitting smoking. Retrieved from
    https://ash.org.uk/resources/view/smoking-cessation-in-pregnancy-a-review-of-the-challenge