Breastfeeding & Alcohol

ByeByeSpotts · February 2016

ive seen vaious answers. What is your rule of thumb for breastfeeding and alcohol?

Is 1 beer or glass of wine ok to feed if you wait an hour? Or do you pump & dump?

Mommyduclos · February 2016

Pump and dump is unless. The alcohol content of your breastmilk will be the same as your BAC. So if you were at the legal limit of .08 that would mean your breastmilk is .08% alcohol which as you can imagine is laughable. Even fruit juice contains .1% alcohol. The bigger concern with drinking is your ability to care for baby than the alcohol content of your breast milk, so yeah a drink or two is completely fine.

mbud926 · February 2016

I go by the 1/2 cup of wine=2.5 hours rule but I may be on the paranoid side

mrsgetz4000 · February 2016

Pump and dump is so wasteful! I wouldn't have liqour, but a beer or a glass of wine your body will metabolize in about 2 hours. Drink plenty of water. In fact i had a beer in the hospital after i had my daughter. We're nursing at this very moment and a friend bought me a birthday beer a few hours ago. No martinis though. I love my baby more then any martini!

hannahduff3 · February 2016

You can have a drink while you nurse your baby. If youre sober enough to drive you're sober enough to nurse. Never pump and dump because alcohol comes out of your milk just like your blood. Even if you're wasted the amount of alcohol in your milk is less than orange juice.

LIly436 · February 2016

I would never drink while I nurse. Babies have no enzyme to metabolize alcohol, so any amount is poison

danasphillips · February 2016

If you can drive, you can breastfeed. These days I'm too tired to have more than two drinks anyway;)

bbrownlee1 · February 2016

I usually just don't drink overall and when I do I keep it to an amount that I feel would have no effect. For instance I had one pudding shot tonight which had barely any alcohol in it. If I was even a little concerned by the amount I would pump and dump. But I personally take the very cautious route.

katiedid0907 · February 2016

Babies are able to metabolize alcohol but newborns do so at a very slow rate, about half as quickly as mom. Once they get older they can metabolize more quickly. When you look at how much alcohol actually passes into breastmilk and could be ingested by baby it is such a small amount (I want to say something like 10%). That being said I wouldn't fret about a drink or two but I also wouldn't go out and get wasted.

LIly436 · February 2016

NO CHILD IS ABLE TO METABOLIZE ALCOHOL. Do you really need that drink so much to compromise your child's brain development?

Krisdee123 · February 2016

kgcnyc · February 2016

I just had a mimosa followed by a glass of plain champagne then tested my breastmilk with those alcohol testing strips - I'd say about 30-45 mins has passed since I had finished my drink and the strip showed no traces of alcohol in my breastmilk...who knows how accurate those things are, but it seems as though there is no reaction on the strip with 1-2 drinks.

failuretofly · February 2016

Oh god, this is the alcohol during pregnancy debate all over again isn't it?
How about let's assume every mom is out to do what is best for their baby. Do your research and do what feels best for you and for family. If having one glass of wine at the end of the day is what it takes to keep your sanity in these very stressful newborn times, do it. If you couldn't imagine drinking even a sip of wine and then feeding your baby, then don't. But how about let's not cry 'child abuse' at every mom who simply asks a question about what is safe.

LIly436 · February 2016

If you need a drink all the time to cope with stress and unable to say no to a drink even knowing it harms your baby, it means that you have a problem with addiction

kaym6 · February 2016

You guys I don't even have the time to pour a glass of wine if I wanted to lol

claireloSC · February 2016

Here is some actual information. "If a 150-pound nursing mom downs four alcoholic drinks—say, four 5-ounce glasses of table wine—and then breast-feeds her 13-pound baby 4 ounces of milk when she’s at her tipsiest, her baby will end up with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.0038 percent—the same blood alcohol concentration her mom would have after consuming a mere 1.5 ounces of Bud Light (one-eighth of a 12-ounce bottle). Babies break down alcohol more slowly than adults do, but since they consume so little alcohol from breast milk in the first place, this difference “should have no clinical significance,” researchers concluded in a recent research review on the topic." https://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/the_kids/2014/12/breast_feeding_and_alcohol_it_s_fine_to_drink_while_nursing.html

I would not not consider a mother who drinks an "addict" especially if 1) it improves her mental state and 2)she doesn't agree that it's harmful to the baby, as many sources indicate. I think it's so important for a mom to have good mental health to provide the best possible care for her baby. When I was struggling with anxiety the first few days postpartum, my Dr actually recommended I have a drink instead of taking anti-anxiety medications.

I'll just wait for this thread to get closed down now due to a shift in topic.

UptownPearl · February 2016

@claireloSC oh man, actual science! And actual facts! What a great way to answer a question accurately, but still acknowledge that the decision is best made by the individual and that not everyone will do the same thing and THAT'S OK!

RunnerMeg · February 2016

claireloSC said:

Here is some actual information. "If a 150-pound nursing mom downs four alcoholic drinks—say, four 5-ounce glasses of table wine—and then breast-feeds her 13-pound baby 4 ounces of milk when she’s at her tipsiest, her baby will end up with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.0038 percent—the same blood alcohol concentration her mom would have after consuming a mere 1.5 ounces of Bud Light (one-eighth of a 12-ounce bottle). Babies break down alcohol more slowly than adults do, but since they consume so little alcohol from breast milk in the first place, this difference “should have no clinical significance,” researchers concluded in a recent research review on the topic." https://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/the_kids/2014/12/breast_feeding_and_alcohol_it_s_fine_to_drink_while_nursing.html

I would not not consider a mother who drinks an "addict" especially if 1) it improves her mental state and 2)she doesn't agree that it's harmful to the baby, as many sources indicate. I think it's so important for a mom to have good mental health to provide the best possible care for her baby. When I was struggling with anxiety the first few days postpartum, my Dr actually recommended I have a drink instead of taking anti-anxiety medications.

I'll just wait for this thread to get closed down now due to a shift in topic.

Science, actual evidence-based data-controlled science, for the win!

jessielynn1 · February 2016

LIly436 said:

If you need a drink all the time to cope with stress and unable to say no to a drink even knowing it harms your baby, it means that you have a problem with addiction

So no one said they are needing to drink all the time to cope with anything. I think you have a problem with reading. Congrats to you for being the perfect mom, smh.

hannahduff3 · February 2016

@Llly436 sounds like you need a drink

SuperherosMom · February 2016

I don't even drink caffeine while BF so I stay away from drinking also.

KimC2010 · February 2016

I don't drink caffeine since it seems to make my babies colic worse, but one drink a week doesn't bother me. I'm pretty sure one Redd's or one Not Your Father's Root Beer isn't going to effect the baby.

anightintunisia · February 2016

Do quick Google searches of dark beer and increasing milk supply. I actually drink a beer or two a day and I've noticed a difference. I drink the Shock Top beer, online it says that Guniess (sp?) is best but I've heard it's disgusting. I'm not a beer drinker I am more of a wine drinker but if a glass or two makes your stress level go down then have it! Remember that less stress helps with milk production too

LIly436 · February 2016

Keep relying on Google for all your answers and not on information someone with medical degree and actual knowledge of biochemistry and addiction medicine. Yes, keep drinking, just don't blame anyone for your child shortcomings- after all you did not know any better

Achae · February 2016

LIly436 said:

Keep relying on Google for all your answers and not on information someone with medical degree and actual knowledge of biochemistry and addiction medicine. Yes, keep drinking, just don't blame anyone for your child shortcomings- after all you did not know any better

Enough with your scare tactics and mom shaming.

RunnerMeg · February 2016

LIly436 said:

Keep relying on Google for all your answers and not on information someone with medical degree and actual knowledge of biochemistry and addiction medicine. Yes, keep drinking, just don't blame anyone for your child shortcomings- after all you did not know any better

Do you have a medical degree and knowledge of biochemistry and addiction medicine? If you do, then you would know that the scientific data @claireloSC posted is from a review in a peer-reviewed medical journal, not just google. And you wold know that the studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals are the gold standard for determining "bench to bedside" evidence-based care recommdations.

You would also know, if you read the studies, that even 4 glasses of wine produces a clinically insignificant amount of alcohol in breastmilk. Fruit and bread also have alcohol in them, do you avoid those?

if a Mom chooses not to drink, that's fine. If a Mom agrees with the scientific evidence that a drink or 2 is not harmful to her baby, that's fine too. What's not fine is fear mongering and shaming, and no facts supported by actual scientific evidence.

katiedid0907 · February 2016

I have a chemistry degree! And am a Doctor of Pharmacy. So drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion is kind of my thing. So is reviewing scientific evidence and making clinical judgements from actual information. Just sayin. Do whatever you want to do but don't assume people don't know what they're talking about and don't judge people for making choices that are different from yours.

camusoh2011 · February 2016

Holy judgement @Lily436!! My OB and nutritionist both asked me at my last appointment if my twins were giving me any break yet to have a drink every so often. Literally the nutritionist asked "would you like to have a drink sometimes?" Why yes yes I would. Not because I NEED it. Not because I'm addicted, but because it's nice to relax with a beer or glass of wine in the evening. Also OP, like others have said if you're good to drive you're good to nurse. I often error on the side of caution and if I'm not sure I give from my freezer stash.

ByeByeSpotts · February 2016

...just wanted to know if a glass of wine is ok...

Holy hormones ladies. Enough with the aggressive comments. Everyone has their opinion & right to do what they think is best for their child and for themselves.

klbh · February 2016

I find I just can't cope with life unless I'm breastfeeding my baby daily while drinking in public without a nursing cover...

maddisonwallace · February 2016

I prefer to skip the breastfeeding and just put the wine into the baby bottle. It's good for heart health and makes them smarter. I would know, I was a CNA and I'm getting my degree in early childhood education.

scornwell717 · February 2016

@maddisonwallace good thinking! And ya know, according to one particular troll on this thread, formula is poison too! So why not just feed them straight alcohol? Same difference right??

maddisonwallace · February 2016

scornwell717 said:

@maddisonwallace good thinking! And ya know, according to one particular troll on this thread, formula is poison too! So why not just feed them straight alcohol? Same difference right??

She's not trolling that is a fact. Formula was created by the government to prime our minds for brain control. They want to compromise your immune system and brain function so they can have total control. #themoonlandingwasstaged #itsafact

scornwell717 · February 2016

maddisonwallace said:

scornwell717 said:

@maddisonwallace good thinking! And ya know, according to one particular troll on this thread, formula is poison too! So why not just feed them straight alcohol? Same difference right??

She's not trolling that is a fact. Formula was created by the government to prime our minds for brain control. They want to compromise your immune system and brain function so they can have total control. #themoonlandingwasstaged #itsafact

Well of course, everyone knows that!

LIly436 · February 2016

**Removed for TOU violation**

Krisdee123 · February 2016

maddisonwallace · February 2016

LIly436 said:

Achae said:

LIly436 said:

Keep relying on Google for all your answers and not on information someone with medical degree and actual knowledge of biochemistry and addiction medicine. Yes, keep drinking, just don't blame anyone for your child shortcomings- after all you did not know any better

Enough with your scare tactics and mom shaming.

**Removed for TOU violation**

I'm so over you. Honestly. It is not child abuse. Get off your over dramatic high horse and move on. You're nothing but an online bully and I'm sick of seeing you harass other moms. Shame on YOU. As if we all don't have enough going on raising a child. I'm more concerned about the wellbeing of YOUR child and their mental state after seeing how you treat others than I am concerned about these other moms who have one glass of wine and wait to breastfeed until it's safe. Your comments are so extreme they don't even seem real. It was funny at first but now it's just annoying.

scornwell717 · February 2016

*Removed for TOU violation**

Achae · February 2016

She must feel such guilt over having a c section that she takes it out on other moms.

maddisonwallace · February 2016

scornwell717 said:

*Removed for TOU violation**

RIP

Cricket99 · February 2016

Man, being in the UK I miss all the good stuff while I'm sleeping.... Darn...

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