Breastfeeding Do's & Don'ts

My mother is a lactacian consultant and told me as long as the cheese is pasturized(which almost all of it is) it is fine and a glass of wine is fine (even if it's right before you bf hardly any gets into the milk and if you bf right before you drink the wine the alcohol actually cycles out of your milk like it does your blood, so it's gone in a couple of hours). The bigger issues would be if your baby is sensitive to dairy products and you eat a lot of cheese, milk, etc. and if you drink enough wine to affect your ability to care for your infant. If I was really tired I wouldn't drink b/c it put me right to sleep and you don't wake up as easily. H. this is hekpful. Relax and enjoy breastfeeding... it goes by so fast!
~B.

How old is your little one?,,,I've got lots of answers but some of them depend on the age of your child and how well b/f is going.

I don't know about blue cheese but I was told by LLL that one glass of wine w/dinner or after baby had gone to bed is fine. As long as you feel fine, not impared, you should also be fine to nurse, no need to pump and dump. I waited until my son was over 1 year before I had a glass of wine though, just because I thought it better that way. I now have a glass of wine about once a week. my son is 25.5 mo and still nursing. Good luck!

I don't know about the cheese. But a glass of wine here and there is fine.

Go ahead and eat your bleu cheese... LOL! As a previous poster said, the only real risk is if the cheese isn't pasturized... And, most cheeses offered in the US ARE pasturized... So, go right ahead and indulge.
Also, a glass of wine here and there, or even a glass every day, is absolutely fine. Actually, while it doesn't help the actual PRODUCTION of milk, a beer right before or during feedings can actually assist w/ the let-down process. The general rule of thumb for Drinking and Nursing is this: Too drunk to drive, too drunk to nurse. And, it has little to do w/ the ammount of alcohol that might be excreted into the breastmilk (which is whatever the mother's BAC is, the ammount excreted into the breastmilk would be 1/10th of that. So, let's say a mother's BAC is 0.03%, the possible ammount excreted would be 0.003%) It's basically the premise of if you're too intoxicated to drive a car (or anything else), there is NO way that you should be either Breastfeeding a baby, or Feeding a baby a bottle- but only because you are not in a position to be safe enough to be doing ANY caring of a small child.

If you want further information about what you can/can't do while Breastfeeding, check with either an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (not these run of the mill RN's who have had a class or two on breastfeeding, therefor call themselves an LC)), check w/ a LLLI leader, or there's a couple good websites you can check out (www.kellymom.com, www.breastfeeding.com, and a host of others). You'd be surprised at the total LACK of education most Dr's and Nurses have on Human Milk Production, Lactation, and Breastfeeding in general... Even the most "Pro-Breastfeeding" Ped's can be VERY misinformed, as infant nutrition isn't their specialty- medicine and preventative care in infants and children is what their specialty is.

I think Becky's given you the best answer. If you do some research online you'll see there's a lot to back up what she says. Your breastmilk doesn't affect your baby as dramatically as when in utero and it's really not as easily affected as people would have you think. If your nurse said no problem go with it. If it makes you feel better do some googling. I drink a glass of wine every now and then or some beer and no issues. Same with caffeine. My daughter is not more hyper after I have coffee and she nurses nor is she sluggish if i have wine and she nurses. Moderation is key :) Good luck!

The thing about the cheese is that they recommend you not eat unpasteurized cheese products, and you will not find unpasteurized cheese at your local supermarket, so you are safe to have some on your salad, etc...I had that and Feta all throughout my pregnancy and my baby is fine. I also had a glass of wine here and there but to be honest the wine usually gave me heartburn so I'd have and occasional beer as well. Sometimes just one can take the edge off....

I am the type of person who just didn't want to risk anything. If i wanted something i wasn't supposed to have, i would pump immediately before, and then have it, then the next pump would be thrown away. I think you're always pretty safe then.