Confused

lolasmit

Hello,

I am planning on breast feeding for as long as I possibly can. Now, regarding alcohol and breast feeding. I have been searching information and I keep finding conflicting information. Can anyone clarify things from me? I am asking here because I am assuming some or many of you have breastfed in the past or currently are. 

I keep finding that drinking is okay as long as I don't get drunk, and then there are the ones that say DONT drink at all and then I find the ones that say that I can drink as much as I want to as long as I pump and toss the milk afterwards. 

I am not intending on drinking every day, but I would like to have a glass or two of wine once in awhile. Sometimes I also would like to share a beer with my husband, or let's say just have a mixed drink or two. I am not intending on drinking more than 3 drinks or getting drunk.

Any input would be appreciated. 

vvvvvfee

i personally feel comfortable with moderate drinking and breastfeeding. if you are worried, have your drink immediately after nursing. once you stop feeling "buzzed," you are no longer passing any alcohol into your milk. Pumping and dumping does not speed up the rate in which alcohol leaves your milk. You would be pumping to keep your a supply up if you were skipping a feeding. But everything i've read indicates that so little alcohol is in the bm in the first place that it's not necessary to skip a feeding.

the lactation consultant who taught a breastfeeding class i attended said she did not feel it was harmful, and the real fear was not of alcohol passing into he milk, but of an intoxicated person taking care of a baby. 

 here is a quote from dr. jack newman, a breastfeeding researcher: 

Here is a way to think about it. In most jurisdictions, you are too drunk to drive if you have 0.05% to 0.1% alcohol in your blood. If you have even 0.1% alcohol in your blood, you will have 0.1% alcohol in your milk. Wine is 11% to 14% alcohol; whiskey 40%; even dealcoholized beer is about 0.6% alcohol. You could drink 0.1% alcohol all day and all night and you wouldn't feel it. And your baby won't feel 0.1% alcohol either.

 

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platypusbaby

Cheers!!

lolasmit

Thank you ladies!!!! I really appreciate it. This definitely makes me feel more at ease. As long as I know/knew that I am not giving my newborn alcohol by having a glass or two of wine I definitely would feel comfortable with doing so.