XL06: Breastfeeding area: no smoking or drinking allowed?

Lecturer: Dr Lisa Amir
L-CERPs: 1.25
Cost: US$18.75
Access Period: One week
Lecture recorded: at GOLD08
Synopsis: An easy to follow review of current literature about effects of smoking on lactation and transfer of alcohol through breastmilk and metabolism of alcohol by the baby.
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Lecture Details: Many authors have assumed there is a physiological explanation for reduced breastfeeding in smoking women - but is there evidence for this? I argue that "although women who smoke are less likely to breastfeed their infants than are non-smoking women, it appears that this is largely due to lower motivation to breastfeed rather than a physiological effect of smoking on their milk supply". On a practical level, health professionals can inform parents who smoke that the health risks of parental smoking and artificial feeding are greater than the risks of smoking and breastfeeding. Although many cultures have encouraged new mothers to drink alcohol, in particular beer, as a galactagogue, there are no data to suggest that alcohol increases milk supply. On the other hand, although some health authorities are recommending no alcohol for breastfeeding women, there is no evidence that occasional intakes of 1-2 drinks are harmful.

About the Lecturer: Lisa Amir is a general practitioner and has worked as a lactation consultant since 1990. She is the author of over 35 peer-reviewed articles on breastfeeding. She is the medical officer for lactation services at The Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia and in private practice in Melbourne. She is currently a NHMRC Health Professional Research Fellowship at Mother & Child Health Research, La Trobe University. She is the Editor-in-Chief of a new online journal, the International Breastfeeding Journal.