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Babies: 0 - 3 Months
lsmithk2
member
Who's been drinking while EBF???
lsmithk2
member
Has anyone else had a few drinks while EBF?? I have had a few beers here and there, but I only drink right after I feed LO, so that way I have about 2 hours for the alcohol to leave my system. I have heard from other people that you can have more than one drink in between feedings as long as you don't feel the effects of the alcohol. Im not sure I agree with that??? I have also heard about these BM alcohol test strips. Anyone use these or know where to get them??
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Re: Who's been drinking while EBF???
Good for you! You DO deserve it, and we shouldn't feel guilty. Yes, I've been having a glass of wine a few times a week (I keep it to 4-6 oz) after LO's 6-7 pm feeding. Our system for a few weeks now to get LO used to the bottle is for DH to give him the next feeding by bottle around 830-900 which works out well because it gives me more than enough time for the alcohol to get out of my system since LO generally sleeps till 2-3 a.m. I have also heard from a LC that if you "feel the effects" then you should use frozen or have DH give the next feeding, but I agree the jury is out on pumping and dumping unnecessarily.
I've been drinking since the first week home - I needed it with the inlaws here. I usually have a drink (glass of wine or beer) with dinner or while I'm feeding him. One night I tried to have 2 drinks and I really couldn't handle it. When he woke up for a feeding I was hungover with the worst headache and it happened to be the night he was up every 2 hours so the headache never went away. It was awful.
Alcohol metabolizes fairly quickly in your system - that's why you can typically have a glass of wine with dinner and drive an hour later - it's no longer in you by that time. In fact, alcohol reaches its maximum efficacy 45 minutes after you drink. It doesn't get stored in blood or breastmilk, which is why they say if you're sober enough to drive, you're sober enough to nurse.
I've heard several lactation counselors say not to waste money on the alcohol strips. They're a gimmick and sold to prey on the fears of nursing mothers. They're not accurate at all.
Yes, my LC said this also, the strips are a waste. Also meant to add earlier that she also said that alcohol gets into your system 15 minutes, especially if you are drinking on an empty stomach, so I would be careful with drinking while BF'ing It's safer to wait till after you've finished feeding LO.
H and I are beer geeks, so I have one almost every night, usually right after her 2nd to last feeding. I think pumping and dumping is only useful if you really need to protect your supply?
Although I LOL thinking about pumping in a bar bathroom after a few. Comedy!
I've had a glass of wine probably 4-5 nights a week before dinner every week since LO was born. As previous posters stated, so long as you don't feel drunk or buzzed it's okay. And there is no need to pump and dump as the alcohol metabolizes fairly quickly. I did buy the strips from Amazon, and tried them out after DH and I went out one night. I had four drinks over the course of an evening with a large dinner. I felt buzzed when I arrived home, and the strips tested positive. We fed LO with my stashed milk that night and by the time I woke up in the morning, I felt fine and fed LO as normal.
I've never heard anything negative about the strips, but I would assume they're highly sensitive. I would rather have an over-sensitive test than the opposite though.
I haven't tried them, but they are on amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Milkscreen-Home-Detect-Alcohol-Breast/dp/B000UEA96G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324066000&sr=8-2
I'm a beer girl- I've had a few since she was born, but no more than one at a time. mostly with dinner, but I had one after she went to sleep the other night since I knew she'd be out for a few hours. Her feeding schedule is too unpredictable before bedtime, unfortunately.
Oh, I did have 2 drinks at a holiday party last Friday though, while my parents watched DD
Honestly I drink 2 drinks most days of the week, but I drink them so slowly that I never feel anything and am certain that my blood wouldn't show it. I'm talking 2 hours per drink. I love to have alcohol with food and we also love trying seasonal beers. I'm about to go pour myself a hot cider with brandy
My impression is that it should be mostly out of your system by the time you nurse. No number will be appropriate for everyone since we all have different metabolisms. I am always sure to drink very slowly and have lots of food with it.
As a bartender, I can give you something more precise to go with rather than how you feel, if you're concerned about that.
If you weigh 150 lbs, each drink (a beer, single shot drink, or 4 oz glass of wine) consumed in an hour will increase your blood alcohol .025. So, three beers in an hour will put you at about .075, just below the legal limit for driving. If you weigh significantly less or more, adjust those percentages accordingly. Your body will eliminate approximately one drink's worth of alcohol per hour, so if you have one or two glasses of wine in the evening (let's say one while you're cooking dinner at 6 and another with dinner at 7), by 8pm your blood alchol level is back to zero. Takes the guesswork out of wondering if you should or shouldn't bf.