what do you think about drinking while you are breastfeeding?

[CinderToriella]

Hi All

Just wondering what your views are on drinking Alcohol for the period you choose to breast feed for ?

[Pip82]

I think it is okas long as you are sensible about it. If you are looking for information the ABA has produced a brochure recently with a lot of information and also has a table to work out how long it takes to eliminate alcohol from your breastmilk. It is on their website. Pumping and dumping does not eliminate alcohol from your breastmilk btw, time is the only thing that works, howeveryou might still have to pump and dump to avoid mastitis and maintain supply.

Pip

eta I don't think that a woman should drink in the newborn phase though as the feeding pattern is variable and bf is still being established, for the first 6 weeks or so.

[alioops]

The percentage of alcohol in your blood is the same as the percentage in your milk. For milk to be defined as an alcoholic beverage you would have to be dead. The biggest issue is being coherent enough to care for your baby.

Orange juice has an alcohol content of 0.1% and is considered a non alcoholic beverage. A non alcoholic beverage is anything up to 0.5%. So for breast milk to be alcoholic your BAC would have to be 0.5, which is 10 times the legal limit for driving and is also lethal.

So have a few drinks, and make sure you are coherent and you should not have any problems. Go, Drink and be merry.

[~clover~]

I've done it. I preferred to wait til DS was asleep, or while he was with someone else, but I've had a few with him around too. I just do prefer not to feed if it can be helped. Or only have very few over time. I did the pump & dump when DS was younger, but the alcohol doesn't leave your BM til its left your blood stream, which could be 24 hours later anyway.
I think its your choice

[MantaRay]

Shell, new guidelines on drinking and bfing were released late last year. The basis of the guidelines is that abstaining from alcohol is always the "best" option, but that drinking in moderation and continuing to bf your baby is safer for your baby than formula. As someone else raised, the issue of being able to care for you baby safely when you drink is really a bigger issue.

[Floweryfields]

Not judging anyone - just a question if anyone can answer - if what you say about the amount of alcohol in the blood and the milk being the same and therefore not dangerous unless you are pretty well dead -
Why then is it considered dangerous to drink before baby is born - if the amount in the blood then would be the same as the amount in the milk after?
Seems a bit odd to me that it would be considered okay after birth.

[Jas]

I am bf'ing and I have an occasional drink. I just follow the aba guidelines.

I never touched a drop until ds's feeds were very consistent and I knew that I knew that it was ok to have one, I always have at least 1 feed of ebm in the freezer too so if something completely out of the ordinary happened and ds wanted a feed there would be one for him.

One huge huge thing I think is to remember it is about standard drinks, not 1 glass, so I would work it out and get out the measuring cup etc when ds's feeds were closer together so I knew I would be ok. Now if I have a wine at night, ds goes about 13hrs between feeds so if I'm drinking something I know out of a cup I have used before I will just pour from memory, knowing I will only have 1 or 2 and have a lot of time for it to leave my system.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I never saw the harm in a guinness or a glass of wine - I just don't get drunk. I don't want DS to see me like that. I'm also on drugs that affect how alcohol affects me - so even not BFing I don't drink much. That's about looking after DS too.

I still don't have caffeine. DS was hypersensitive to it as a baby, so did me no favours. It woke him up more than me, even filtered down in breastmilk! I gave it up at 6w pg and haven't taken it up again, but that's my choice. Well, I did take chocolate up again the moment DS weaned: 2 days of not wanting milk and that was it, he was weaned and I bought a bag of chocolate brazil nuts!

I also had a small glass of wine a month in pregnancy - nothing too alcoholic, but with weddings, holidays, 80th birthday parties, family gatherings... a small glass was all I would have and even then certain people told me I was being silly and should have more.

[sirenz]

I don't think ppl should be encouraging pg women to drink more just because they are attending a wedding etc. Personally I wouldn't have had any alcohol at all, but you did the right thing by only have one. Surely its not the be all and end all if a person can't have a drink of alcohol while pg or bf? I don't understand why its so important to drink when at these types of events.

IMO I feel it is much better to abstain from any and all alcohol while pg. After all it won't kill anyone for not drinking for 9 months, but drinking it could damage a baby's developing brain.

[Frangipani]

I don't have a problem with drinking while breastfeeding. I did it with my 1st son and will do it again this baby. Though I'll only have 1 or 2 and there not strong drinks either (like a westcoast coolers or shandy's have been favourites for the last few years). I also try do it immediately after a feed when I know I don't have to feed again for a few hours (like with my 1st son he slept through from 9weeks so I usually do it after his last night feed cause I knew that would be it til 7am).

My mum's paediatrician with me recommended it (I know this was over 29years ago and alot has changed since then) but he said to her to have one when the DH gets home, sit and relax with him, and talk and relax with it. And I think I've turned ok.

Also I had a friend recently who was actually given a glass of wine with her dinner in hospital when she had her baby. So it must not be that bad.

I would just say drink in moderation, maybe just enough to relax and enjoy it. Obviously not to be incoherent.

[CinderToriella]

Was just reading some info on the ABA website, very interesting and good to know.

I haven't touched a drop through put my pregnancy- my choice and each to there own, so not saying u are wrong if u have or do etc.

I agree on the ppl who said if u deny yourself something u will just want it more, so i think if i felt like while after bubs was born then i prob would have one or two , but not until bubs was in some form of routine and i knew that she wouldn't need another feed for a few hours.

I know that family want to get champers for after the birth for me as thats my drink of choice but i wont be drinking any as i would not feel comfortable doing it so soon, i hope they understand

i guess everyone is different and u have to do what ever u feel ok and comfortable with

[AliB]

Alioops and Kate, thank you for setting out the facts on this issue, that makes total sense.

On the basis of that information I can see how drinking while BF is many degrees "lower risk" than during pregnancy - and from someone who has enjoyed a glass of wine every few weeks during the preg, that's welcome news!

[sirenz]

I don't drink while pg so I wouldn't drink while bf.

Not judging those who have had a glass or two while bf each to their own, but I wouldn't even drink caffinated drinks let alone alcohol.

My sister drank during her pg and while bf and the developmental delays are showing up in her dd.

[CinderToriella]

I don't drink while pg so I wouldn't drink while bf.



My sister drank during her pg and while bf and the developmental delays are showing up in her dd.

Hey sirenz ,do u mind me asking how much your sister drank?

[briggsy's girl]

during pregnancy, the amount of alcohol consumed doesn't make much difference - you can be a regular drinker, or you can have one binge - and can still do the same amount of damage (google fetal alcohol syndrome - you should find lots of information)

the delays mentioned can more than likely be linked to FAS from the alcohol consumption during pregnancy, not BF (unless the mum is constantly pickled and the bub is constantly drinking very alcoholic milk). the child may have been slower to develop anyway (not all kids develop at the same rate) but may have signs of FAS

i know of someone with three children - she didn't drink through any of the pregnancies, and has only had small amounts of alcohol while BF the youngest. it is the middle child with developmental and learning delays - so you really can't guarantee that developmental delays are related to alcohol consumption


we all do what we feel comfortable with. when DD first arrived, i didn't have caffeinne, i didn't eat much spicy food, no alcohol. then i realised i was depriving myself of foods/drinks i wanted and was beginning to resent breast feeding my daughter. so i reintroduced them gradually. i don't drink a lot of caffeinated drinks, but if i have a headache, i'll have a coke instead of pain meds (this was recommended to me by my neurosurgeon as a way of preventing migraines developing - caffeine was the only difference between two preventative drugs - and the non-caffeinated ones didn't work). i started eating full flavoured food again - i had no intention of weaning DD early and i wasn't going to go without the food i enjoyed indefinitely.

it's up to you to make the call as to what to include or leave out of your diet - but you can't judge others for making a different call to you. if someone it putting their child at risk (copious alcohol etc) then there are ways to report this - but consuming caffeine and/or small amounts of alcohol - not a drama.