A study released from the Monell Chemical Senses Center reports that the presence of nicotine in the breast milk of breastfeeding mothers who smoke cigarettes disrupts their babies’ sleep patterns. Julie A. Mennella, PhD, a psychobiologist at Monell, reports that overall, infants whose mothers smoked prior to breastfeeding spent less time sleeping and they woke up from naps sooner than babies not exposed to nicotine. The findings from this study were published in the September, 2007 issue of Pediatrics

Although many women will quit or cut down on the number of cigarettes they smoke daily while pregnant, many often relapse or pick up where they left off after the birth of the baby. Moms may believe that smoking while breastfeeding is not as harmful as smoking while pregnant, especially if you keep the smoking away from the baby. As Mennella points out, “Nicotine is not contraindicated during lactation… However, there has been very little research on either short- or long-term effects of nicotine delivered through breast milk.”

Nicotine is a stimulant that not only affects the developing brain in a fetus, it has also been shown to cause long-term behavioral and learning deficits. Researchers in the Monell study measured the feeding and sleeping behaviors of 15 breastfed infants over a 3-1/2 hour period on two separate days. The infants in the study were two and seven months of age whose mothers were current smokers who abstained from smoking for at least 12 hours before each observation period. Results indicate that the levels of sleep disruption were directly related to the amount of nicotine the babies received from their mothers’ breast milk.

Earlier research has shown that children whose mothers smoke are at an increased risk of smoking as teenagers, a concern for parents and for Mennella. She believes that early exposure with tobacco flavor in breast milk may increase its appeal later in life.

The results of this study raise new questions about the long-term effects of nicotine delivered through breast milk. They also point to the need for more smoking cessation programs targeted to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. Information about the harmful effects of smoking on moms and babies has been available for years, but it is obviously not getting to the women who need to hear it. Perhaps as Mennella suggests, these new findings indicating the link between smoking and disrupted sleep patterns in babies may help motivate moms to give up cigarettes while they breastfeed. Quitting smoking is difficult, but with support, reminders like this one, and the look of that precious little face, it may make it a little easier for some moms out there.

I breastfed both of my babies within the first hour of their lives. They never left my arms during that first hour, I kept them snuggled close exploring their bodies, kissing their damp foreheads and talking softly to them. They both let me know when they were ready to suckle and with that first root I gave them my breast and they snuggled in knowing just how to draw the colostrum from my body. It was beautiful, it was amazing, and it was the best thing for them. We know that breastfeeding right after birth gives our babies antibody rich colostrum. We know that breastfeeding right after birth helps our babies learn to latch on more efficiently than babies who are separated from their moms in the first hour or two after birth. But did you know that one million babies can be saved each year if they are breastfed within one hour of birth? Yes, you read that correctly. One million babies could be saved from neonatal death if they are breastfed within an hour of birth.

New research has shown that if all moms breastfed their babies within the first hour of life it would save one million out of four million newborn deaths in one year. The study, conducted in rural Ghana, was based on 10,947 breastfed singleton infants born between July 2003 and June 2004, and demonstrated that initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour following birth reduced a baby’s risk of death. It also showed an increase in risk with a delay in breastfeeding – initiating breastfeeding after day one was associated with a 2.4-fold increase in risk of neonatal death. Feeding newborns something other than mother’s milk also increased the risk of mortality.

The big news you must hold onto here is that this study showed that 41% of all babies who die only 2 to 28 days of age can be saved by the simple act of breastfeeding within one hour of birth. If you include babies who died on their first day of life, the study indicated that 22% of all neonatal deaths could be reduced. To give you a concrete example, 250,000 newborn babies in India could be saved each year if their moms breastfed in that first hour of life. How amazing is that? Just one more reason to give your baby the breast.Spread the news ladies! If you want to read the full study download the full PDF file for free at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/117/3/e380.