rules for alcohol consumption?

cocopuff09120

My husband and I are planning our first date after baby. I haven't had wine in a long, long time and I was hoping to have a glass during our date. What are the rules for drinking while breastfeeding? I know that usually you need to pump and dump, do you need to after a single glass?

tisunge602

I go by the "ok to drive, ok to BF" rule.

cocopuff09120

Lol. I like that rule!

JilllyBean

You don't need to pump and dump.

CaitS07

I do the ok to drive ok to bf rule. But as I drink my glass of wine or beer, I also make sure I have a lot of water at the same time. 

Asivec

This was in a post before New Years. Not exactly a study, but gave me an ok feeling to have a glass.

Mobile bumping, not sure if it's clicky!

https://biologybrain-simonsays.blogspot.com/2008/12/alcohol-content-of-breast-milk.html?m=1

cocopuff09120

Thanks for the article! And yes, the link works.

PTmama199

I also follow the rule too drunk to drive too drunk to BF.

cocopuff09120

I never have and never plan on getting drunk. I'll take the "Zombieland" rule: One and done! So I don't think I need to be concerned.

SV917

The lactation consultant who taught the breastfeeding class I took said there was no need to pump and dump. A little bit of alcohol is not going to affect your breastmilk. If you are concerned you had too much, mix the pumped milk with other expressed milk from when you weren't drinking. The one time I've had 2 drinks since my twins were born, I did that. I pumped 8 oz when I got home that night, so I would have been sad to dump that much.

mysticl

There is some really good information here and some links to other resources. 

https://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/alcohol/

RDK24

theresat858 said:

If you drink enough that you are not safe to breastfeed baby, yes, you do need to pump and dump -- not because it helps remove the alcohol from your system, but because going 6-8 hours without nursing WILL hurt your supply. So if you can't breastfeed for a feeding, rather than doing nothing for that feeding, you should pump.

In my experience, going 6-8 hours without nursing or pumping does NOT hurt supply, as long as it's only ONCE in a while. And I go 9+ hours without nursing or pumping nightly and have an abundant supply. Everyone is different. But of course, going 6-8 hrs without nursing/pumping should be a rarity.

RDK24

somerandomchick said:

The amount of alcohol in your milk is the same as in your bloodstream. So if you're legally drunk, your milk is .08% alcohol. (Vodka is 40%, beer is around 5%). Apparently that's about the concentration of naturally occurring alcohols in orange juice. If you're drunk your BM is as alcoholic as fruit juice. The bigger danger really is being too drunk to hold a baby safely.

Very interested in this. What's your source? I had a couple drinks this weekend and felt OK to drive but was nervous about BFing my LO.

RDK24

theresat858 said:

RDK24 said:

theresat858 said:

If you drink enough that you are not safe to breastfeed baby, yes, you do need to pump and dump -- not because it helps remove the alcohol from your system, but because going 6-8 hours without nursing WILL hurt your supply. So if you can't breastfeed for a feeding, rather than doing nothing for that feeding, you should pump.

In my experience, going 6-8 hours without nursing or pumping does NOT hurt supply, as long as it's only ONCE in a while. And I go 9+ hours without nursing or pumping nightly and have an abundant supply. Everyone is different. But of course, going 6-8 hrs without nursing/pumping should be a rarity.

It certainly can, depending on age of the baby.

Of course. As I said above, this is in my experience. 

RDK24

somerandomchick said:

@RDK24 Here's the post making the comparison to OJ: https://evolutionaryparenting.com/guest-post-breastfeeding-and-alcohol-consumption/

Thank you! Very interesting.

ally2011

I would go by kellymom. I wait 2 hours after 1 drink. I could drive after one drink, but the info on kellymom says to wait, so I do.

Shoecrazysarah

somerandomchick said:

@RDK24 Here's the post making the comparison to OJ:

https://evolutionaryparenting.com/guest-post-breastfeeding-and-alcohol-consumption/

That article is very misleading. The author does specify that her juice v. alcohol comparison is referring to "fresh juice", meaning unpasteurized.

Since one should not be giving unpasteurized juice to an infant, the authors comparison is irrelevant.