Alcohol and breastfeeding?

Question

Is it okay to have a glass of wine while breat feeding? Not at the same time but within a couple of hours of each other?

Answer 1

If you are going to have one small glass of wine do it right after you feed your baby. If you want to have more. Work extra hard and pump extra milk so you don't have to worry about it. I pump and dump for however long. Yes, it's a lot of work and I know. I've been nursing for 5 months now. Just be careful! Start putting some milk in the freezer for times like that.

Answer 2

I'm an avid breastfeeding mom and have about 20 books on the topic. I'd say in most, if not all of the books, they say it's absolutely fine to have ONE glass of wine. The amount of alcohol, if any, that gets into the milk is so miniscule the baby would never be affected by it. However, this is as controversial as having a drink while pregnant. Most developed countries outside of ours have no problem with drinking while pregnant. These are also the countries that tend to look at nursing mothers as a normal part of society and don't shun them to some dirty family restroom to feed their children. Anyway, to answer your question, it's ok to drink one glass of wine and still feed your baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics has okayed 1-2 glasses a week. Here are some good links:
http://www.breast-feeding-information.com/breastfeeding-and-alcohol.php
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/growth/feeding/breastfeed_eating.html
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/postpartumnutrition/3547.html

Good luck!

Answer 3

I took a breastfeeding class maybe 8 months ago now and the way that drinking was explained to me is that if there is alcahol in your blood then you should not breastfeed. If you feel drunk or buzzed, don't breastfeed, or if you just had a glass of wine. But if you wait a couple of hours until the alcahol is out of your system, or a good while if you are drunk, you are good to go. It does not contaminate your milk, as your alcahol level resumes normalcy, your milk supply does as well. If you pump right after you have a drink then you must throw away the milk. If you wait until the wine is out of your system, your milk will not have any alcahol in it. The one thing the midwife did say is that sometimes it can cause gas in the baby. Depends on your babe. I have quite a few friends that enjoy a glass or two of wine on occasion. Enjoy the moment.

Answer 4

Dispite what a lot of Moms here say, it is okay to have wine (in moderation) while breastfeeding. Experts reccomend that you feed your baby before having your glass of wine or you wait a min. of 2 hours before feeding. The Pump and Dump is a waste of milk, sence wine is not stored in Breastmilk, but leaves the breastmilk, once gone from the bloodstream. I am going to have a glass of wine tomorrow night with my husband, my first glass in well over a year, but I am going to pump milk before, so that there is no chance of me giving my son ANY alcohol and I'll feed him before I drink anything. The health and safety of my son come first, so I'm taking precations to keep him safe. By the way they say if you have one 4 oz glass of wine with 5% alcohol, even if you breastfeed you baby will only be getting .01%. They also say to make sure you drink water or something other than wine to keep you hidraited. Sorry for all the spelling errors. The bottom line is: Drink in Moderation and plan supplimenting for one night if your going to have more than one...

Answer 5

You can have a glass of wine or a beer on occasion. It won't hurt your baby at all. Every book I've ever read says it's fine; so does my pediatrician and my lactation consultant. I don't know why people act like you must be a nun in order to breast feed. You don't. You can drink. You can eat pretty much whatever you want as long as you're getting a nutritious, healthy diet. You can take most medications (though you should check with your doctor or pharmacist first). Breast feeding is NOT like being pregnant; the baby is not sharing your blood supply.

Answer 6

Yes, it's perfectly fine to drink a glass of wine, even if you're breastfeeding. If you feel "tipsy," and it's time to nurse, then give Baby previously pumped breast milk. If you're not feeling tipsy, the alcohol has already been metabolized by your system.

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Answer 7

Not really, your baby will be drinking that glass of wine too. If you are really stressed and it is affecting your baby as well I have heard that a single glass of wine can help calm you which in turns calm the baby. If you need to, pump out a bottle or two to give her for the next couple of feedings until it's out of your system. Maybe if you had it right before bed, during the night most if not all should be gone before it's time to feed again.


**I'm not saying to pump it and dump it, I'm saying to pump food to feed your child afterwards done before you have the wine** It should be just fine to do as long as she will take a bottle.

Answer 8

you don't have to pump and dump...it enters and exits your milk just as it would your blood...but it much smaller quantities. 1-2 servings of alcohol are fine if you wait about 2 hours to breastfeed. Alcohol peaks in your blood, and therefore your milk, about 30 minutes after consumption depending on whether you have an empty stomach or not. Basically if you feel neurologically normal (not tipsy or drunk) then it is ok to breastfeed.

Answer 9

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.

Important Considerations

* Your baby's age
o A newborn has an immature liver, and will be more affected by alcohol
o Up until around 3 months of age, infants metabolize alcohol at about half the rate of adults
o An older baby can metabolize alcohol more quickly than a young infant
* Your weight
o A person's size has an impact on how quickly they metabolize alcohol
o A heavier person can metabolize alcohol more quickly than a lighter person
* Amount of alcohol
o The effect of alcohol on the baby is directly related to the amount of alcohol that is consumed
o The more alcohol consumed, the longer it takes to clear the mother's body
* Will you be eating
o An alcoholic drink consumed with food decreases absorbtion

Answer 10

actually all these people are wrong my babies doctor told me to drink a glass of wine or a beer a day to help with milk production i wasnt producing enough for the baby so she actually told me to try that to get it to come in as long as your not getting wasted your baby will be fine