Drinking Alcohal While Breastfeeding

You know what...In my eyes, there is little proof that "little" amounts of alcohol is effecting the baby. When I was nursing my baby, my grandmother told me a story about when she was nursing and her Dr. told her to drink beer to increase the quality and amount of her milk. By the end of the day, she was drunk. All of her baby's turned out just fine, but I suppose people will argue that she was lucky and so were her all of her babys.

In my opinion, drinking a bit wasn't worth it to dump my milk...that stuff in my eyes was like liquid gold, so there was no way I was wasting that stuff, so for me, drinking wasn't worth it. I have been told that when you're nursing, having a drink or 2 here and there was not going to effect the baby very much, if anything...give the baby a good nights sleep. They even say that when you're pregnant, a drink here and there isn't bad...over consumption is.

I personally woudn't risk it because of the un-known, and the guilt of something happening would rest on my shoulders forever. I don't want that battle in my head...I have enough going on in my head as it is.

I am nursing my daughter who is now 16 months. We took the breastfeeding class before she was born and what they say is you can have a drink or two but it’s best to do it right after you nurse so you have time for it to work through your system. If your baby is sleeping through the night you should be able to have a few drinks without any worry as you have a long stretch between feedings. Basically, if you can feel any affects of the alcohol you shouldn’t nurse your baby. As far as pumping goes, it’s best to pump when you would typically nurse your baby and then just dump it. The main reason for pumping and dumping is actually your own comfort and maintaining your supply. Once the alcohol has worked through your system it is has also worked through your milk and will no longer be passed to the baby. I think I read it takes something like 2 – 3 / drink to get through your system. Hope this helps…

C., I breastfed both my children for 8 months each and I found the La Leche League VERY helpful. The website is LLLI.org. I believe it says you should wait at least 2 hours after your last drink. I drank once while nursing my son and I just pumped and dumped. When I had my daughter I didn't drink at all. hope this helps
P.

You can drink in moderation, but not while actually nursing your baby. If you go out and have 1-2 drinks (tops), you can safely nurse your baby 2-3 hours later. The alcohol does NOT get stored in your breasts, and you do not need to "pump and dump" unless you are trying to maintain your supply. Here is some more information.

http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html

Here is what La Leche League says...

Mothers who are intoxicated should not breastfeed until they are completely sober, at which time most of the alcohol will have left the mother's blood. Drinking to the point of intoxication, or binge drinking, by breastfeeding mothers has not been adequately studied. Since all of the risks are not understood, drinking to the point of intoxication is not advised.

Weighing the Risks and Benefits
Many mothers find themselves in a situation where they may want to drink. Maybe you are going to a wedding where wine will be served. Or perhaps you are going on a girls night out, or on a date with your husband. No matter the reason, you may have concerns about drinking and any possible effects on your baby. It is a good idea to weigh the benefits of breastfeeding against the benefits and possible risks of consuming alcohol. You might find the following suggestions helpful.

Plan Ahead
If you want to drink, but are concerned about the effect on your baby, you can store some expressed breastmilk for the occasion
You can choose to wait for the alcohol to clear your system before nursing
If your breasts become full while waiting for the alcohol to clear, you can hand express or pump, discarding the milk that you express
Alternatives
If consuming alcohol while breastfeeding is concerning to you, consider enjoying a non-alcoholic beverage instead. Any drink is more fun with an umbrella in it!
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Here is what I say... We are not just mothers. We are women. If we had a couple drinks before we became mothers why can't we have a couple when we are mothers? Why should we stop all pre-mommy behavior. Even LLL www.llli.org (breast feeding experts and advocates) says it's not going to affect your baby as long as you are responsible. When I found out I was pregnant I didn't drink. I am not a big drinker anyway so it was not a big deal. When I had nursing babies I had a drink or two but I consulted my LLL book to make sure I did it safely as to not harm my baby. You are obviously a very responsible woman. You are checking the facts. Don't be intimidated by people who force their opinions on you especially when they don't have the facts.

www.kellymom.com is a great resource for breastfeeding moms. Here is a direct link to info about alcohol and breastfeeding.
http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html

First I have to say that while I was nursing, and if I ever drank I ALWAYS pumped and than dumped it. I didt care what medical research claims, I would not take the risk. As a sister to adopted twin brother who have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects, I have to strongly disagree with Patty K who stated that one or two drinks while pregnant is OK!! Who is anyone kidding, that does that??!!! First while pregnant, by the time the pregnant mother has consumed one drink, the baby has already PASSED OUT!! The premanent effects is horrible, why risk it. My brothers are now 15 almost sixteen and both need to be in Special Ed and have continous help!! Why take the chance with it getting to your baby in your breast milk!!! My children are too important!!!

Actually you are right about 1 drink not going through breastmilk. Drinking a dark beer such as Guinness is actually recommended for increasing milk production. Any more than one a day should be pumped and dumped.
For the information about how long to pump and dump after consuming any number of drinks I would put a call through to your pediatrician. You will get an accurate answer without their opinions on what you should do.

I'd limit the drinking to one or maybe two in a day. Drinking can always come another time and I'd suggest after weaning.

I personally can't get myself to dump milk so I've always drank one drink and on a rare occassion two drinks.

You may think you can have more at night but I would worry about her waking during the night for a feeding. You never know and have to be ready for the unexpected.

Here's some good reading:
http://www.breast-feeding-information.com/breastfeeding-a...

Absolutely the drinks are going through to the baby and the baby is at risk!!! Whoever gave you that advise is WRONG! NO ALCOHOL in pregnacy and NO ALCOHOL during breastfeeding!!!! NONE! There is no reason why this cannot be put on hold or change to formula especially when it is made and there are other options!

I may be harsh but I have friend who have children affected and there is no EXCUSE for it.

I am not sure when you got your info from, but the 1-2 drinks you have ARE going through your milk and to your little girl. Obviously you are excited about having a new baby, let that excitment and love for her allow you to put your drinking and partying on hold. She is worth it. You have made a great choice to bfed her, alcohol isn't worth risking her health. You are a mom now, the parties end. LOL!
S., mom of 3

I would think it would be a big no no! I wouldn't do it.

I have heard of mom's breastfeeding with go out occasionally have drink and then when they come home from drinking they will pump and dump their breastmilk for 24hours before giving the baby any.

I see no problem drinking aslong as you dump for 24hours afterwards.

Ask yourself this question

"If you were bottle feeding with formula would you be willing to add a little liquor to your babies bottle?" - I think that is pretty typical equivalent to drinking and then breastfeeding

Hi C. -
I have a 5 1/2 month old daughter. When I took my breastfeeding class, the LC told us that if you have 1 drink, that's fine, but don't nurse for a few hours until your body has metabolised the alcohol. She also went on to say, if you feel it, so will your baby, so increase the delay in nursing based on the # of drinks you consume. The last thing mentioned was to drink water between beverages, since alcohol will dehydrate you & we all know what kind of impact dehydration has on the milk production.
I've had alcohol 3 times since my daughter was born & I tend to follow that advice. If I am unsure if it's safe to nurse again, following 2 or 3 drinks, I pump & dump. I personally feel it's better to dump it than risk the adverse affects on my child. I also will nurse her before I leave to extend the window of time. With that being said, we are mothers & we are human. My take on the subject is, if you want a drink have one, just be responsible when you do. There's plenty of time for drinking more once you wean.

My 1st son was born at the University of Washington D.C. Hospital. I took a breast feeding class at that hospital before he was born. The educator told me that a nursing mom could have 2 drinks and not worry about effects to the baby.

That said, I would say that I rarely had more than one drink at a time while I was a nursing Mom. On occasion I would have 2 or even 3 drinks, but this was after baby was in bed and it would be hours before nursing.

People posted that as long as the alcohol is through your system, it is out of your breast milk. That is the same information I was given at the class I attended.

My sons are now 3 and 16 months. The 16 month old is still nursing and I am pregnant so obviously I am not drinking now. I will nurse my 3rd baby and not worry if I have 1 drink or even 2 once and a while. I wouldn't drink more than that and nurse without waiting for the alcohol to work out of my system (8 or more hours).

J.

Here is the code I live by: I wouldn't drink more than 1 drink in a day because I wouldn't want to "pump and dump". It's too much work! I would say that if you get rip-roaring drunk, you should definitely "dump" the milk. Read up on the amount of time it actually takes for it to show up in your milk. I've read anywhere from 6 hours to 24 hours, which isn't exactly a helpful timeframe.

Re. drinking during pregnancy and breastfeeding, there is no other country in the world that wholly demonizes alcohol the way the US does. None. Literally 1 drink is not going to do anything. Americans have such a hard concept with the word "moderation". I was in Quebec while I was heavily pregnant and I was offered wine and beer--no one even thought twice about offering it.

Refrigeration, pasteurization, safe drinking water, and the importing of beverages are all fairly recent practices. Whatever did adults drink before this?--beer and wine. I'm not doubting the severity or reality of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, but if drinking in moderation caused it, a few generations ago, EVERYONE would have had it.

YIKES! There are some strong opinions on this subject out there. I was told at my breastfeeding class that one drink or one beer is fine. Basically if you feel the slightest bit drunk or tipsy, you probably shouldn't breastfeed. If you've had one beer, it's fine. When you go to the party, pump and dump a bit when you get home for piece of mind. Most likely you wouldn't even affect your baby if you fed her the next day without pumping and dumping.

I know you already have a lot of responses...but here comes another one. There is conflicting advice about when to pump & dump. Some say to consider alcohol to be in the milk for 1 hour for every drink others say for 3 hours after your last drink. It is really hard to say because alcohol is metabolized differently in all people. Rule of Thumb: If you are not sure, just pump & dump. It's better to be safe, even if it is only one drink.