how to encourage smoking mothers to BF? - Page 2

[guerrillamama]

that is so sad. i don't understand.
good for you for trying your best.

[mama_kass]

Women think that to breast feed they are not aloud to smoke or drink and that there life has to be a ball and chain for the breast feeding relationship. I know mothers who have quit bf'ng because they can't handle the restrictions. That is a shame.

If she nurses before smoking the baby will get less. She will most likely cut back naturally just due to all the business of being a mom. As long as she is not smoking two packs a day the baby will be fine and much MUCH better off with mama's milk.

I hope you can help her.

[darsmama]

Kelly many 's to you for still trying. Yeah, I would be taken aback too by her attitude there.
Honestly though, even though I'm going with a midwife and doing the whole water/home birth thing, I wasn't even FOR sure about breastfeeding! I knew it was 'best', but didn't know WHY. Plus, the influence of family to use formula is STRONG. In my family, there is something WRONG with you if you breastfeed over say, a year. Some of my family even went so far as to act like there was something 'perverted' with an extended family member who breastfed until her baby was 2!!!
Since I've really read a lot this pregnancy and visiting MDC the last month, so many of the things that I thought were more *ahem* out there have been replaced by 'normal'.
Tonight I was told by a friend about a woman (a customer of her work) whose child BIT OFF HER NIPPLE once he got teeth and why bf once they get teeth is so bad. Now, I know that if this incident occured- ITS RARE, but my friend bought it completely: That's it, out with breastfeeding past 3 months!
So, sometimes submersion into a different kind of culture (IE: Breastfeeding culture) is scary, especially when people LOVE to bombard you with their horror stories and the old "I couldn't do it, so why do you think YOU can", or whats wrong with you when formula is so conveniant, attitudes...You might be fighting one or all of these, but keep trying! You are doing great!

[loving-my-babies]

from what I know, breastmilk is still best from a smoker. ofcourse, I would never smoke but in your situation, I think it's great you are helping the mama, based on the reality of the issue, that she will not quit. so if she will not quit and you are certain of that, what good does it do to nag over and over again "quit smoking" if she'll even avoid you because smokers do not want to hear it. I grew up around smokers and IME they really don't wanna hear it... it's an addiction! so I would encourage her to breastfeed anyway, just when she smokes not in front of her kids.