I am breastfeeding and just wanted to know if fizzy drinks is harmful to the baby?

Question

i also wanted to know what alcohol actuallly does to the babies, is it harmful? i was told it makes them sleepy is that true???
i drink alcohol ie irih cream once a week like a half a glass and was wondering if it would have any effect on my baby

Answer 1

The *basic* rule of thumb is "sober enough to drive, sober enough to breastfeed". Fizzy drinks are fine, just not healthy. And caffeine is fine, some babies react badly but NOT all of them and if yours does react THEN you can limit it.

http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html
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


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Additional information
LLL FAQ on Alcohol & Breastfeeding

Alcohol and breastfeeding by Wendy Jones PhD, MRPharmS

Alcohol: How long does it remain in breastmilk? by Kathy Kuhn, IBCLC

Alcohol and Motherhood by Carol Huotari, from Leaven, Vol. 33 No. 2, April-May 1997, pp. 30-1

Breastfeeding & Drugs: Alcohol from Breastfeeding Basics, an academic, noncommercial, short course on the fundamentals of breastfeeding.

Social Drugs and Breastfeeding: Handling an issue that isn’t black and white by Denise Fisher, BN, RN, RM, IBCLC. Discusses nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, marijuana, heroin, and methadone. [PDF version]

Answer 2

Mystic_Eye was right. She used the same source I would use, so I won't repeat it.

It used to be that alcohol was completely forbidden in breastfeeding mothers, and still when you ask a doctor they will often tell you to avoid it altogether due to the risk they would be taking by telling you to be responsible. It would be a potential lawsuit if they told you that and then you went and had too much to drink. There isn't an exact amount they can tell you that would be safe, so they just tell you not to drink it at all to cover their butts.

But the truth is that it is safe in small amounts, according to the webiste listed above by Mystic_eye. I've been pregnant/breastfeeding for the last three years and honestly I've only had one drink during that time. Mostly, that's because I don't want to take any chances and I have a very low alcohol tolerance. I wouldn't know I was getting "drunk" until it was too late so I choose not to take the chance. But if you are able to have a small amount without it having that effect on you, you should be fine.

Oh, and if by "fizzy drinks" you mean carbonated, yes those are absolutely safe. You should keep caffeine in moderation, though, since high amounts will affect your baby. I put a link at the bottom for you.

Answer 3

fizzy drinks are not bad but caffeine isn;t good i drank half an ice capp once and my son was up all day when he was little and for drinking they say 1-2 drinks which my sister a nurse told me means 3 is okay but to be on the safe side they say 2 also be warned your milk maybe be sour and your baby may not want to eat if thats the case you just have to express some before feeding the baby i girl i used to know once her daughter was old enough to eat other food if she wanted to drink alot she just wouldn't let her daughter feed until the after noon and she would express in the morn that works alrite if you are going to extended brestfeed

Answer 4

YA ALCHOL IS BAD FOR THE BABY..........IT CAN CAUSE BRAIN PROBLEMS ............. AND YOU CAN'T DRINK FIZZY DRINKS WHEN YOU ARE BREASTFEEDING