Can you smoke while breastfeeding?

What happens to babies who are exposed to cigarette smoke?

• Babies and children who are exposed to cigarette smoke have a much higher incidence of pneumonia, asthma, ear infections, bronchitis, sinus infections, eye irritation, and croup.
• Colic occurs more often in babies whose mothers or fathers smoke or if a breastfeeding mother smokes. Researchers believe that not only does the nicotine transferred into mother's milk upset baby but the passive smoke in the home acts as an irritant. Babies of smoking parents fuss more, and mothers who smoke may be less able to cope with a colicky baby (due to lower levels of prolactin).
• Heavy smoking by breastfeeding moms occasionally causes symptoms in the breastfeeding baby such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea.
• Babies of smoking mothers and fathers have a seven times greater chance of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
• Children of smoking parents have two to three times more visits to the doctor, usually from respiratory infections or allergy-related illnesses.
• Children who are exposed to passive smoke in the home have lower blood levels of HDL, the good cholesterol that helps protect against coronary artery disease.
• Children of smoking parents are more likely to become smokers themselves.
• A recent study found that growing up in a home in which two parents smoked could double the child's risk of lung cancer later in life.

You can ask your doctor about this, but I would not advise smoking while breastfeeding. Why take any risks with the health of your baby?

See also:
kellymom.com :: Breastfeeding and Cigarette Smoking

And this study:
Exposure of young infants to environmental tobacco smoke: breast-feeding among smoking mothers.

If you did not smoke while pregnant why would you want to smoke while breastfeeding? Nicotine is a drug and it does pass through the breast milk.