Breastfeeding and Alcohol?

Question

I plan on going out for my birthday and having a few drinks for the first time since my daughter was born...she is 7 months old now.
I am going to pump enough milk for 2 days.
My question is...how long does alcohol stay in your system..I know the more you drink the longer it stays in your system.
Just wanna make sure all is well before I nurse her.
Please no nasty or smart a$$ remarks.

Answer 1

I did alot of research on this. First, the american academy of pediatrics says that breastfeeding and alcohol are compatible. Meaning it is okay to drink alcohol in moderation while nursing. The academy says if you have one to two drinks you can nurse immediately. If you have more than that, then you probably want to wait before nursing. Second, alcohol leaves breastmilk once it leaves your bloodstream. It does not collect there, so there is NO reason to pump and dump. also, once you are sober enough to drive, you are sober enough to nurse, since the alcohol has left your bloodstream (and therefore your breastmilk). You don't need to pump for 2 days! If you want to be more scientific about it -The rule of thumb is that each drink takes about 2 hours to breakdown and leave your bloodstream (this is a rough estimate, as other variables such as your weight, whether you've eaten, etc...influence the numbers). Thus, to calculate when it is okay to nurse again, count 2 hours per drink from the moment that you BEGIN the drinking session. For example, if you have your first drink at 8pm and have 4 drinks, then you should be okay to nurse by 4am that next morning. Good luck! Have a great time! you've earned it!

Answer 2

The most recent research says that you can pump your milk after consuming alcohol, but DON'T throw it away. The alcohol will evaporate out of the milk within a few hours and then the milk is safe to feed your baby.

Also, alcohol will only stay in your breastmilk for as long as it stays in your bloodstream. So by the time you sober up, the milk will be safe for baby.

Have fun!

Answer 3

If you have 1-2 normal sized drinks, you can nurse immediately. Otherwise, you can nurse in 2-3 hours, or when you are no longer drunk. You do *not* need to "pump and dump". When the alcohol has left your body, it has *left your body*!! Unless you have removed your breasts, they *are* still part of your body! The above is per Dr. Thomas Hale, the world's foremost expert on drugs and breastfeeding, from his book _Medications and Mothers' Milk_, 2002 edition, and personal communication. See his Web site for more information (in sources section below). You may need to sign in as "guest" to use the site, but you don't have to give any personal information.

Answer 4

Listen you don't have to pump and dump! First of all when the alcohol is out of your blood it is out of your milk! So don't waste your time pumping and dumping, there is no reason at all too do this. If you don't believe me just go to www.kellymom.com It will tell you everything from cigarettes to alcohol..... and soon on. So all you really need to do is pump milk for about 24 hours not 48 hours. When you are sober to drive then your sober to breastfeed your child. Okay! you take care and have a fun night-out!!!



Breastfeeding and Alcohol

By Kelly Bonyata, IBCLC
Guidelines

* Current research says that occasional use of alcohol (1-2 drinks) is not harmful to the nursing baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs classifies alcohol (ethanol) as a “Maternal Medication Usually Compatible With Breastfeeding.”
* Many experts recommend against drinking more than 1-2 drinks per week.
* It is recommended that nursing moms avoid breastfeeding during and for 2-3 hours after drinking (Hale 2002).
* There is no need to pump & dump milk after drinking alcohol, other than for mom's comfort -- pumping & dumping does not speed the elimination of alcohol from the milk.
* Alcohol does not increase milk production, and has been shown to inhibit let-down and decrease milk production (see below).
* If you're away from your baby, try to pump as often as baby usually nurses (this is to maintain milk supply, not because of the alcohol). At the very least, pump or hand express whenever you feel uncomfortably full - this will help you to avoid plugged ducts and mastitis.

In general, if you are sober enough to drive, you are sober enough to breastfeed. Less than 2% of the alcohol consumed by the mother reaches her blood and milk. Alcohol peaks in mom's blood and milk approximately 1/2-1 hour after drinking (but there is considerable variation from person to person, depending upon how much food was eaten in the same time period, mom's body weight and percentage of body fat, etc.). Alcohol does not accumulate in breastmilk, but leaves the milk as it leaves the blood; so when your blood alcohol levels are back down, so are your milk alcohol levels.

Always keep in mind the baby's age when considering the effect of alcohol. A newborn has a very immature liver, so minute amounts of alcohol would be more of a burden. Up until around 3 months of age, infants detoxify alcohol at around half the rate of an adult. An older baby or toddler can metabolize the alcohol more quickly.


Effects of alcohol on breastfeeding and the breastfed baby

* Alcohol does not increase milk production. In fact, babies nurse more frequently but take in less milk in the 3-4 hours after mom has had a drink, and one study showed a 23% decrease in milk volume with one drink (Mennella & Beauchamp 1991, 1993; Mennella 1997, 1999).
* 2+ drinks may inhibit let-down (Coiro et al 1992; Cobo 1974).
* One study showed changes in the infant's sleep-wake patterning after short-term exposure to small amounts of alcohol in breastmilk -- infants whose mothers were light drinkers slept less (Mennella & Gerrish 1998).
* Daily consumption of alcohol has been shown in the research to increase the risk for slow weight gain in the infant.
* Daily consumption of alcohol (1+ drinks daily) has been associated with a decrease in gross motor development (Little et al 1989).

Page last modified: 12/05/2005
Written: 5/1998

Answer 5

Alcohol is excreted at the same rate irrespective of intake.24 hrs after u r 3rd drink u r blood is free of alcohol.Alcohol starts getting excreted 10 minutes after u consume.U know from breath.

Answer 6

You will be fine if you are gong to pump for 2 days the alcohol will be out or before one.

Answer 7

Two days' worth of expressed milk sounds properly cautious and prudent.. You can have your birthday drink, and it should be out of your system within 12 hours. Of course, you can always check with a nutritionist on a web site, by going on a search engine and typing in "alcohol" and ""breast milk"

Answer 8

I have wondered the same thing myself - so i lifted this off the la leche league's website:

"What about drinking alcohol and breastfeeding?

Women are often warned to not consume alcohol during pregnancy, as ample evidence has shown that it poses a severe and avoidable risk to her unborn baby. The risks of consuming alcohol while breastfeeding are not as well defined. Breastfeeding mothers receive conflicting advice about whether alcohol consumption can have an affect on their baby, which often leaves mothers feeling like they have more questions than answers. So, what information should a mother who is considering drinking while breastfeeding know?

La Leche League's THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING (p. 328) says:

The effects of alcohol on the breastfeeding baby are directly related to the amount the mother ingests. When the breastfeeding mother drinks occasionally or limits her consumption to one drink or less per day, the amount of alcohol her baby recieves has not been proven to be harmful.
La Leche League's THE BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK (pp. 597-598) says:

Alcohol passes freely into mother's milk and has been found to peak about 30 to 60 minutes after consumption, 60 to 90 minutes when taken with food. Alcohol also freely passes out of a mother's milk and her system. It takes a 120 pound woman about two to three hours to eliminate from her body the alcohol in one serving of beer or wine...the more alcohol that is consumed, the longer it takes for it to be eliminated. It takes up to 13 hours for a 120 pound woman to eliminate the alcohol from one high-alcohol drink. The effects of alcohol on the breastfeeding baby are directly related to the amount the mother consumes.
The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs considers alcohol compatible with breastfeeding. It lists possible side effects if consumed in large amounts, including: drowsiness, deep sleep, weakness, and abnormal weight gain in the infant, and the possiblity of decreased milk-ejection reflex in the mother. The drug transfer table is available at http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;108/3/776/T6 and the full text of The Transfer of Drugs and Other Chemicals Into Human Milk can be found at http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;108/3/776

Dr. Jack Newman, member of the LLLI Health Advisory Council, says this in his handout "More Breastfeeding Myths":

Reasonable alcohol intake should not be discouraged at all. As is the case with most drugs, very little alcohol comes out in the milk. The mother can take some alcohol and continue breastfeeding as she normally does. Prohibiting alcohol is another way we make life unnecessarily restrictive for nursing mothers.
Thomas W. Hale, R.Ph. Ph.D., member of the LLLI Health Advisory Council, says this in his book Medications and Mothers' Milk (11th ed.):

Adult metabolism of alcohol is approximately 1 oz in 3 hours, so that mothers who ingest alcohol in moderate amounts can generally return to breastfeeding as soon as they feel neurologically normal."

I actually may have a glass of wine now, too! Happy Birthday!

Answer 9

alcohol will stay in your body for 24 hours. but i prefer u drink juice or water or light soda "sprint or root beer" instead alcohol. that will be better healthy for baby to eat your breast milk.

Answer 10

Just pump the next day and throw all that milk out and you should be fine. Drink lots of water too. YAY for you....breastfeeding. I breastfed all my kids, and it's so rewarding. Good for you!! Have fun on your night out! Good luck.