Breast Feeding?

Question

i was wondering if it would be ok to drink alcohol while breast feeding. i am 37 weeks so i'm close to having my baby and i will be having my wedding shortly after where there will be some champagne. i am not an alcoholic or have never even touched alcohol. also is tanning in a tanning bed ok while breast feeding. i have become ghostly white during my pregnancy and i can't take it anymore, so when my baby comes i would like to start tanning, that way i can look decent for my wedding.

Answer 1

It's ok but you have to wait a couple of hours before you breast feed. I had a friend who would pump milk for the baby for the whole day and then she would drink and do everything again the next day, her baby is fine.

Answer 2

It is fine to drink while breastfeeding, but you should take care to wait a few hours after drinking to breastfeed your baby again because ethanol (alcohol) passes VERY easily into human milk. Once your body metabolizes the alcohol, you should be fine. Under no circumstances should you breastfeed while you are feeling tipsy. Not only is it slightly dangerous, but the times when you are feeling drunk would be the times that alcohol content in your blood (and thus your milk) would be highest.

You might also consider, if you are not a regular drinker, having sparkling white grape juice at your wedding instead of champagne, but only if you want to avoid alcohol. If you are fine with alcohol at your wedding, there is not a problem breastfeeding your child as long as you wait a little while after drinking to do so.

As for the tanning, I can't imagine that that would be a problem after you've had the baby, but you might want to check with your doctor to be on the safe side. But don't tan while you're pregnant, and don't take the baby in the tanning bed with you!

Congratulations on your upcoming baby and wedding!

Answer 3

Don't worry, a glass of champagne won't affect your breastmilk. Just make sure you wait awhile before breastfeeding after you have the champagne. It would be a good idea to pump whatever you have out before the wedding so that the baby has his breastmilk and you can wait until the next day to feed him again.

I don't know how tanning could affect your breastmilk, but better to be safe than sorry I guess. Maybe do the same thing when tanning and pump before you tan.

Answer 4

This question comes up here a lot.

Here are the facts about alcohol and breastfeeding.....

Alcohol is actually APPROVED BY THE AAP for use in breastfeeding women. The AAP classifies alcohol (ethanol) as a “Maternal Medication Usually Compatible With Breastfeeding.”

It is recommended that nursing moms avoid breastfeeding during and for 2-3 hours after drinking (Hale 2002 - author of "Medications & Mothers' Milk" and THE expert on this topic.). 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 is eliminated from the milk in the same way it is eliminated from your bloodstream. NO REASON to pump and dump unless you feel engorged.

The general rule is, if you feel sober enough to drive, then you are sober enough to nurse. Or "if your head is clear, your milk is too." Less than 2% of the alcohol consumed by the mother reaches her blood and milk.

It is FINE for you to have a drink, in moderation, if you choose to do so.

As for the tanning bed......

The BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK, 3rd revised edition, published by La Leche League International, states on page 449, "No evidence exists that the nursing mother's use of tanning beds has any effect on her breastfed baby."

Tanning is completely compatible with breastfeeding and will not alter the milk whatsoever. There is no record of any dangers to the breastfed baby in relation to tanning. Sometimes clients are given Carotene to enhance the tanning - that should be avoided while breastfeeding. Make sure to protect your nipples from burn (for your own comfort more than anything), and keep in mind that ultraviolet exposure ages skin prematurely and increases the risk of cancer.

Answer 5

Last week on one of the morning shows, I can't remember if it was Good Morning America, or the CBS Early Morning Show, but they said it was okay to drink one glass of alcohol while breast feeding. I wouldn't drink anymore than that. I'm not sure about tanning while breast feeding, it might start to dry up the milk, or make them even more sensitive than just breast feeding. Your best bet, is to talk to your OB doctor about these questions. Congratulations on the upcoming birth of your baby, and your upcoming wedding.

Answer 6

I am not a doctor but I did have four kids and my doctor always that an occasional glass of wine was alright. I am not an alcoholic, but was pregnant over New Years one year and wanted to drink a glass or two. Just remember whatever you eat or drink the baby is eating and drinking also. I would tan. As soon as I had my last child, I tanned right away and I breastfeed all my babies. Good luck to you and your baby!

Answer 7

I'm not sure about tanning. Here is my post on another question about alcohol and bf'ing, I'm lazy so I just c&p'ed:


You can have one drink and still bf. Hardly any of the alcohol goes into your milk (.2% or something) the rule is, you can bf as long as you aren't feeling the effects of alcohol. There's no need to wait any more than a few hours (unless of course you are really drunk) because it doesn't take alcohol that long to go through your system.


Go to the LLL website and look up about bf'ing and alcohol: http://www.lalecheleague.org/

From LLL:

"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."

"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."

"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."

"As alcohol leaves the bloodstream, it leaves the breastmilk. Since alcohol is not "trapped" in breastmilk (it returns to the bloodstream as mother's blood alcohol level declines), pumping and dumping will not remove it. Pumping and dumping, drinking a lot of water, resting, or drinking coffee will not speed up the rate of the elimination of alcohol from your body"

Answer 8

Tanning's fine, and if you only have a drink or two you can breastfeed a few hours after. However, if you're planning on celebrating, just pump extra breast milk and give that to the baby for the evening and the morning after.

Answer 9

The alcohol will go to your baby. If it's just one glass to toast your wedding, that's not a problem. But, a glass a night wouldn't be cool. It's going to upset your baby a little because their bodies have to deal with processing the alcohol.

As to the tanning bed, I wouldn't suggest going topless in it. Your breasts are going to be super sore the first 2-3 weeks. Definitely be careful.

Also, you may want to check with your doctor because some pain medications that you take during post-partum make you really susceptible to sun burn.

Answer 10

First, I would say a glass of champagne is okay if you are breastfeeding. In many cases, it will relax you and allow milk to flow better. Becareful with beer or other malt liquors, as they INCREASE your milk production. 1/2 can of beer with double your production. NO LIE.

Second, be proud of your skin. Tanning will age you terribly (I see women that are only 26 and look OLDER than me , 32, because of their tanning). Try a sunless tanner. There are salons that specialize in sunless tanning (airbrushes the WHOLE body) and look GREAT!

BTW--congrats.