How Much Alcohol Is Safe to Drink When Breastfeeding?

I would say only to drink beer. There are bacteria's in wine that babies cannot yet safely digest. The hops in beer actually helps the production of milk in the breasts. It's probably safe to say only 1-2 per day. Whenever I would feel like I needed a little bit of help with my production, 1 beer did the trick, I would experience results usually the morning after enjoying my refreshing drink!

I have read that if you want to minimize the amount of alcohol that your baby will get through your breast milk, that it is best to wait three hours after consuming one glass of wine or one beer to breastfeed, because that it about how long it takes to leave your blood ("pumping and dumping" is a myth; your breasts do not store the alcohol – as soon as it leaves your blood stream, it is no longer in your breast milk, or at least at very minimal levels). Hard alcohol takes much longer to leave your body. I did drink wine while breastfeeding, but usually had a glass after I fed my son and put him down.

It says in the book, "What to Expect in Your First Year", that one to two glasses of wine or beer is okay. I know my pediatrician and OB are okay with that. I also know of some doctors that even tell you it's okay to drink a glass of red wine during the third trimester now.

But opinions on this kind of stuff vary widely, and I bet you'll get a wide variety of responses!

Hi C.,

It takes 1 hour for your body to get rid of one drink. So 1 beer 1 shot or 1 glass of wine. So if you feed every three hours, you can have three drinks right after you feed him and three hours later everything will be out of you system. Your breastmilk alchol level is the same as you blood alchol content. You do not ever have to pump and dump. It does nothing b/c whatever your bac is is what your breastmilk is. Pumping and dumping does not cleanse te breastmilk of anything. Double check with a lactation consultant but that is what my and my doctor told me and it makes total sense.

K.

My friends would feed, then have a drink, then wait two hours before feeding again, so the alcohol will be gone...

It is the same as when you are pregnant. about a glass of wine a week or so. You should not drink any hard alcohol at all. If you do, you should pump and dump for 6 hours afterward. Anyhow, that is what I was told by our doctors.

from what i understand from a midwife, a glass of wine a day can actually increase lactation...

Everyone has their own opinions out there, but I would say NONE, why would you want to risk it? Especially when it took some hard work to get him here.

When I was breastfeeding and trying to increase my milk production, my mom remembered that women in Europe sometimes consume Beer to help increase production. I tried it and there isn't a thing wrong with my kids. I drank 1 beer a day. If you think about it - what do women drink in countries where alcohol is common for womemn, men and kids to drink (not water)? I would definately trust your own instincts - but I sometimes think that we have become so overly cautious - for example antiobiotics and now MRSA. . .

I nursed my babies, and discovered a lot of Boob Nazis out there. Your instincts are your best source of info. Occasionally (like less than once a month), I had one drink with dinner and sipped with my meal and afterwards. Everything went fine for us.

One to two glasses of wine or beer will not hurt a thing.
T.

Most people I know, myself included, are OK with one glass of wine every so often. I did this with my nearly four year old and she definitely does not seem to have suffered from it!

C.,

If you have a glass of wine and do happen to breast feed him while it is still in your system, it won't harm him. He might get a bit sleepy though.

~D.

Well whatever you consume the baby also consumes(since he feeds from your breastmilk...) So I would not drink anything. He gets his nutrients and everything else from his mommy at this point in his life.

you should avoid alcohol when you are breastfeeding the same way you should avoid it while pregnant - everything affects your baby through your milk - and alcohol is dangerous to your baby on an indirect level as well since if you become inebriated you can lose motor function and your emotions can overcome you and you could hurt the baby by accident or design - avoid alcohol

Hi! I breastfeed but don't really drink alchol. However, I've seen little test strips at the lactation supply stores, like Every Mother and Child on Ellsworth and Guadalupe. I've also heard people say that you can pump and dump until it comes out alchol free. Personally, I would be careful never to drink to the point of being drunk or even a little buzzed while you're responsible for a young life. Everything in moderation....but be careful to always be capable of using the clearest judgement possible so mistakes aren't made when taking care of your precious little one.

Drink a lemonade instead! Or a nice glass of drinking water! Is it really worth it...the risk of getting any alcohol in that little precious, perfect babies body? Nevermind your own?

Personally I would not drink or take any drugs...perscription, etc while breast feeding. The alcohol does go through to the milk. here is a link to an article on this very subject. It explains how long it stays in the milk, etc: http://babyparenting.about.com/cs/breastfeeding/f/bfalcoh...
Just cut and paste it ( the m on the second line is part of the address).
Good luck and I hope the article helps.

Hi C.,

Although some pediatricians will say it's okay to have a glass of wine, the fact is that your baby will definitely be consuming it, too. I guess it may not be that big deal to have a half a glass every now and again. However, I would definitely avoid beer and grain alcohol. At least with wine, there are some antioxidant effects.

Personally, I would avoid it altogether, along with coffee, and soda.

Best of luck!

Warm Regards,
G. Van Luven

Do not listen to the people that say to just wait for a few hours! Definitely pump and dump! Even if the alcohol leaves your blood, it will still be present in your milk if you don't dump!

My breastfeeding book, So That's What They're For by Janet Tamaro says it takes 2-3 hours to metabolize one drink (2 for 120lb woman and 3 for 160lb woman). One drink meaning 12 oz beer, 4 oz wine, or 1.5 oz liquor.

If your blood alcohol level is .1, then your baby's will be .1 . That is A LOT for a baby. Babies have really immature livers because their livers actually don't start functioning until they're born. It takes babies twice as long to metabolize the alcohol. Babies whose moms drink one glass per day show significantly less development at 12 months.

I've had one drink since my baby was born 2 months ago. Well, actually it was half a drink because I couldn't even get the whole thing down. It was so not worth it. I had a huge headache, had to pump a bunch before to have milk for the baby, and had to stay up late pumping and dumping. I pumped and dumped 6 hours after the drink just in case. My baby didn't act any different than usual. After getting to bed finally at 3AM, I was tired and missed the bond of breastfeeding. It may be different for you, but it wasn't worth it for me.

First off, good for you for breastfeeding!
Next, Wow! Your sweet son was born quite early! I would guess that his body has already had to work harder than a full term infant to keep up with the demands of life. What a blessing it is that he is alright!(Right?)
Not every adult is affected the same by alcohol. Not every baby would be affected the same after breastfeeding from their mother who has had a drink, either. Why not keep your sweet miracle, who you finally got to hold after 65 hours of contractions, as safe as possible and stay away from alcohol until you are no longer breastfeeding.
It's tough being a new mom, we don't get to be selfish and want things like sleep or time to go to the bathroom or time to do things that we want. But time goes by quickly and before you know it you'll be able to do those things again. If you wait and don't have a drink until you are done breastfeeding, you will be able to say that you did your best to give him the very best start in life that you could. (Also, I heard that a baby's immune system doesn't start to work, on it's own, until they are two years old. They get the majority of their antibodies from their mother's breast milk, which is a good reason to breastfeed for as long as you can.)

*Just a side note- you can get far better health results from drinking grape juice or eating grapes than from drinking wine. Some research has shown that, at LEGALLY DRUNK levels, wine prevents blood clotting and raises HDL Cholesterol levels. It also increases the breakdown rate of antioxidants and generates free radicals, which causes damage to your body. Grape juice lowers cholesterol and provides some protection for antioxidants.
I hope this helps. Good luck!

If you drink just one drink, it does not affect you as much as it would for your baby. If you decided to drink, you might want to consider pumping and dumping the breat milk for 12 to 24 hours. It probable would not be ideal for your baby.

Hi C.......As a Rn I would advise no alcohol during breast feeding. But if you want more info you can go to the American Academy of Pediatrics website. There is quite a bit there regarding this issue.
Hope this helps....Mary :)

I'm not for sure how long but I have seen alcohol test strips for breastfeeding moms. I saw them at a breastfeeding store and thought what a great idea it was. I am no longer nursing so I have never tried them but it might be worth a try!

Hi C.,

I do not drink myself but when my sister had trouble with breastfeeding the doctor told her to drink beer as it stimulates milk production. Other than that I would advise to stay off of alcohol completely if you can until you are done breastfeeding. It is a small price to pay for such a wonderful gift.

D.

I am a Registered Nurse who used to teach breastfeeding in the hospital. Simply put, whatever you consume, your baby consumes. If you would really like a drink, breastfeed your baby first, have your drink, then the alcohol has about three hours for your system to 'work it thru' (mainly your adult liver to filter it) before the next feeding. When I worked in Cleveland, OH, with a large Italian population ("Little Italy" was just around the corner!), the pediatricians there were telling them it was OK to still have their traditional glass of wine with their dinner! By the way, never drink caffeinated coffee before breastfeeding as it causes the 'vessels' to constrict so the baby gets less milk as the 'flow' has been reduced. The baby also gets the caffeine, and you don't want your baby artificially energized!
P.S.:I just read one of your responses that made it seem logical to consume THREE drinks and you'd be OK in the three hours before breastfeeding! Please don't buy into that! For one thing 'downing' THREE drinks as fast as you can so you'd still have time before the next feeding, is like binge drinking--too much,too fast is hard on a body/a brain, etc. Be careful. My prayers are with you during this time when you have to decipher through so much advice!

I would say none, but thats just me. I do know some moms that will pump and dump for I think 24-48 hours after drinking and just use formula during that time.

It is actually incorrect that any certain amount of time, or pumping and dumping, will rid the alchohal in your system. Honestly, as long as you can feel the effects, it is still in your bloodstream and will still go to your child. You can pump and dump, but if you still feel the effects, it's still there. You can wait 1, 2, or 3 hours, but if you still feel the effects, it's still there. If you are going to drink, I would pump milk FIRST to give him, or just not drink at all.

just a sip or two might be ok but i'd say none at all is better. it will go through you milk.

I think it depends on who you talk to. Even with doctors, one will say one thing and another doctor will say a different thing. Personally for me it would be none because I would be too scared of the "what if". :-)

C.,
When i was nursing my dr said I could pump and dump. Meaning i would have a supply to feed from the freezer when I drank I would then pump 2 feedings and dump it out then nurse on the 3rd feeding. Hope this helps you! E.

Hi C.,

I have not tried drinking while breastfeeding so I don't know the exact rules...but I did come across this add in a parenting magazine. http://www.breastpumpsdirect.com/Milkscreen_Breastmilk_Al...

"Milkscreen Breastmilk Alcohol Detection Strips provide moms with a simple 2-minute test to determine whether alcohol is present in their breastmilk."

C.,

I'm breastfeeding my 10mo old and looking back, I haven't had an alcoholic drink in almost 2 years! It just isn't worth it with all the "what if's" out there. Last thing I want is to hurt my precious baby in any way, shape or form. So, when I am offered a drink, I take pleasure in confidently saying "No, I breastfeed" and in knowing that one special day I will have little celebration of my first drink since before pregnancy!

One thing that I feel compelled to pass on to you is a professional study that I read a year ago about the long-term effects of alcohol when exposed to infants either in utero or through breastmilk. Unfortunately, I no longer have the resource, but I believe it was published in the Journal of Counseling and Development of the American Counseling Association... ANYWAYS, the longitudinal study followed babies exposed to alcohol as infants and babies not exposed to alcohol through to adulthood. The researchers published significant differences. It seems that the babies exposed to alcohol were predisposed to have several times more the risk of having problems with alcohol as early teens, even more times the risk in later teens and early twenties as compared to babies who were not exposed to alcohol.

That scared me enough to never drink while pregnant or breastfeeding. If one wants to increase milk supply, I recommend Traditional Medicinals Organic Mother's Milk Tea. Why drink a beer if there are healthier alternatives?

Also, everytime I want to have a drink I ask myself what my intention is... WHY do I really want to have a drink right now? Some say it's for the taste, but honestly, alcohol is not all that good-tasting if you really "taste" it. Often I find I just want to join in with others and I want the feeling of a buzz. That is enough warning for me to not go there. Personally speaking, when I chose to have this baby I chose to temporarily sacrifice drinking -- this was something I was willing and I am proud to do for his sake.

Good luck sorting through the material. I'm sorry I don't have the study to reference from, but I rememeber the punchline all too well and felt strongly to pass it on.

M.