Is breast milk from a smoking mother better than formula?

**Pax** · 19-06-2009 17:53

What do you think?

DO you think the breast milk of a smoker is better for a baby than formula?

**sam's mum** · 19-06-2009 17:59

The hierarchy of supply by the ABA is:

Breastmilk from a non smoking mother
Breastmilk from a smoking mother
formula from a non smoking mother
formula from a smoking mother.

I agree with this. I think that the benefits from the breastmilk outweigh the negatives. especially because a lot of the negatives come from the second and third hand smoke, and the baby is going to get those regardless of whether they are breast or formula fed.

**justmum** · 19-06-2009 18:01

Of course it is.

It absolutely staggers me that anyone has voted no.

**Jensha** · 19-06-2009 18:03

i think formula would be better

**Dilga** · 19-06-2009 18:05

Breast milk is always better.
Even donated ebm from a smoker is better then formula

**Hootenanny** · 19-06-2009 18:40

Definately breastmilk.

Sids even had this on their website;

Sources of environmental tobacco smoke exposure
A case-control study found that cotinine (a metabolite of nicotine) levels in body fluids and
hair of babies were not significantly higher in breast fed babies whose mothers smoked than
compared to bottle fed babies with mothers who smoked, suggesting that the transfer of
nicotine and cotinine in breast milk was not a significant factor and that passive smoking was the major cause of the observed high levels.

Research has also shown that it is not just smoking around the baby that is dangerous but also smokers being in close contact with the baby as they continue to exhale toxic fumes after smoking.
I can't believe that with all of the publicity surrounding Sids that parents are still misinformed or unaware, they might need to do some more promotion on this subject.

**Hollywood** · 19-06-2009 20:17

Originally Posted by sam's mum

The hierarchy of supply by the ABA is:

Breastmilk from a non smoking mother
Breastmilk from a smoking mother
formula from a non smoking mother
formula from a smoking mother.

I agree with this. I think that the benefits from the breastmilk outweigh the negatives. especially because a lot of the negatives come from the second and third hand smoke, and the baby is going to get those regardless of whether they are breast or formula fed.

This has been asked before

**Pax** · 19-06-2009 20:21

Okay found them

sorry i must have missed them!

http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/f...hlight=smoking

http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/f...d.php?t=200885

**Pax** · 19-06-2009 20:25

This is very good information, thanks Phylis

infants born to smoking parents are better protected by breastfeeding than by formula feeding.

http://sjp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/3/284

that was the answer i was looking for.

**Tam-I-Am** · 19-06-2009 20:35

Originally Posted by Jensha

Makes it sound like people will think it's ok to smoke while breastfeeding then?

No, it's not okay to smoke when breastfeeding, and nobody's said that. What they've said is that if a mother is going to smoke anyway, it's far better for the baby to be receiving the benefits and protection of breastmilk while being exposed to the damaging effects of cigarette smoke (ie through skin-to-skin contact and clothes-to-skin contact with a smoker), than it is for that same baby to be formula fed by a smoker.

The benefits of breastmilk - even breastmilk from a smoker - outweigh the dangers of being fed formula.

As for fact, yes, there are any number of sources who back this up - the World Health Organisation, the Australian Breastfeeding Association, the La Leche League, the International Lactation Consultants Association, and the list goes on.