Salma Hayek is Smoking *cough* Hot...

Good job, Mom. Bleh.

Oh brother. Salma Hayek finds it necessary to smoke two feet from her daughter, Valentina. And didn't Salma just say she was "addicted to breastfeeding"? Now we know Valentina is addicted to it, too.

Harvard Medical School states:

Women are strongly encouraged to breastfeed but the ones who smoke are more likely to have a lower milk supply, and those who do breastfeed tend to wean their babies earlier than women who don’t smoke. Studies indicate that smoking more than 10 cigarettes per day decreases milk production and alters milk composition. Furthermore, mothers who smoke are more likely to think that their milk supply is inadequate and are less motivated to breastfeed. Finally, breastfed babies whose mothers smoke more than 5 cigarettes daily exhibit behaviors (e.g. colic and crying) that may promote early weaning.
In addition, because smoking is associated with sleep disturbances in adolescents and adults, researchers have begun to look at the sleeping patterns of babies breastfed by mothers who smoke. They found that the infants of mothers who smoke just before nursing have shorter sleep times and altered sleep architecture.

and

Georg Matt, psychologist :
Secondhand smoke can be extremely dangerous for babies. Among other things, it weakens their lungs, makes them more prone to ear infections, and doubles the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). At the very minimum, you should make sure nobody smokes anywhere in your house, no exceptions.Cigarettes are incredibly effective devices for spreading harmful chemicals, including nicotine and carbon monoxide, all over your house. If you light up in one room, the smoke will be detectable in the entire house within minutes, and that includes the baby's room. The chemicals and particles that make secondhand smoke so dangerous will immediately stick to just about everything in the house, including carpets, walls, furniture, and even stainless steel. Over the next few weeks and months, these contaminants will be slowly released back into the air — the same air that your baby breathes.

Back in 1984, I placed my 6-week old baby, Alex, in a daycare situation with a woman who smoked like a chimney...INSIDE the house. I was young and uneducated about the horrors of second-hand smoke back then. Almost to the day, Alex came down with his first ear infection at 6 months of age. I had NO IDEA the cigarettes were probably to blame. He was so sickly...we lived at the pediatrition's office. They never asked about someone smoking around him, so I never gave it a thought. I just hated that he came home smelling like he had been at the hotel bar all day--back when you could smoke in public places. Alex's ear infections stopped when he was 6 years old (and no longer in need of daycare--I stayed home when Hunter was born), but he has been rather frail his whole life. Hunter, who never was never around cigarette smoke was always healthy and robust. Coincidence? I doubt it.