Tobacco use in breastfeeding mothers

Abstract

Smoking is a major health hazard that remains very common worldwide. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance. There are in excess of 250 million female smokers globally. When expectant mothers continue to smoke, they not only harm themselves, but also damage the health of their foetus [2]. Postpartum smoking mothers continue to damage infant health as the child is exposed to passive smoking and the nicotine and other harmful constituents of tobacco smoke linger in the air and are passed on through breastfeeding [2-4].