Is it ok to continue breast feeding my baby boy if i drank a margarita?

Question

Im a new mommy to a 2 week old baby boy. I've been breast feeding him since he was born until recently. I drank a margarita with tequila in it and i didnt want to risk anything happening to him if i continued to breast feed him. Is that possible? Its been about one week since I drank it and i want to know if it is ok to continue with the breast feeding. Please help

Answer 1

The margarita is out of your system now so it is fine.

For future reference, you will only pass alcohol to your baby if it is still in your blood. Your body makes milk as the baby nurses.

I'm curious though why are you only now concerned if you drank it a week ago? Did you nurse him after the margarita then recently decide to stop? Breastmilk is best for your baby so I would encourage you to continue to do so and just schedule an alcoholic beverage after a feeding and limit it to one. That way it should be out of your system by the next feeding.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Alcohol leaves your blood stream quiet quickly, and leaves your milk at the same time.

Drinking when a baby is only 1 week old though isn't a good idea, as it only takes a SMALL amount of alcohol to effect him. You would wait until baby is more around 6 months + and pump milk BEFORE drinking for when he is hungry and let your body rid of the alcohol before feeding him off the breast again.

There is no need to pump and dump, as alcohol doesn't stay in the breast milk like drugs would, but if you feel more comfortable pumping and dumping then it is fine!

I would suggest you quickly put baby onto the breast, as your supply is still coming in, and needs regulating by baby. You also don't want baby to get nipple confusion (assuming he was drinking formula from a bottle during the last week).

So in short, YES you can still breastfeed, just don't drink and breastfeed.

Answer 3

Some will say don't do it, but others will tell you it's fine. Alcohol in small amounts is ok. One to two drinks per week is fine. You might want to feed your baby before you have a drink, and then wait 2 to 3 hours after drinking before feeding again.
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.

Answer 4

One WEEK! Relax.

For future reference: you _can_ have a margarita and breastfeed. It doesn't magically turn your milk into Bailey's; it's only going to be as alcoholic as your blood. Would you worry about a beverage with 0.08% alcohol? No? Can you drive? Yes? Then you can breastfeed. And once you've sobered up yourself, your milk is alcohol-free.

"More Breastfeeding Myths

A mother should not drink alcohol while breastfeeding. Not true! 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."

http://www.drjacknewman.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=52&Itemid=79

And, as for the "pump and dump":

"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."

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

Answer 5

Totally in agreement with Fairy Queen. Pumping and dumping is a waste of good breast milk. Depending on how much liquor you consumed you should wait it out.. once it's out of your system (typically a few hours) it's out of your milk as well. My son is seven weeks old and when I've gone out to dinner with the girls and had a cocktail (twice now), I pumped first so his dad could feed him while I was gone and then fed him hours after my buzz wore off when he was hungry again. I would be more concerned that your milk supply is drying up over that week you weren't feeding him (I assume you opted for formula or thawed milk you'd stored)... feed woman, feed!! :)

Answer 6

If the alcohol is out of your bloodstream it is out of your milk. (Defintely would be after a week.)

Here is some info on drinking and breastfeeding:
http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html

Personally I didnt' drink for the first few months and then occasionally enjoyed a drink here or there with no guilt. You just need to plan around it so that you are not nursing baby when the alcohol peaks in your blood stream.

Answer 7

My lactation consultant said if you drink more than two drinks, then you must pump and dump to avoid your baby ingesting the alcohol. There are sites available online which can tell you how many hours you should wait before breastfeeding and how many times to pump and dump. If you only drank one margarita, it's fine to breastfeed. At most, you only have to wait 8 hours after drinking a couple drinks. Waiting a week is a bit excessive.

Answer 8

There is nothing wrong with having alcohol while you're lactating. You don't even have to pump and dump. Just nurse before you have the alcohol, drink it in moderation and then when you feel like you're back to normal, you're safe to nurse again. The amount of alcohol that transfers to breastmilk is very minute unless you're getting smashed...and when you no longer feel tipsy, you can be reasonably assured that the alcohol is out of your milk.

Answer 9

It is definately ok. One drink is not going to harm your baby, especially a week ago. Don't stop breastfeeding as it can stuff your milk supply around and you may dry up quickly. Don't have more than one drink though.

Good on you for breastfeeding, keep it up and allow yourself one drink every now and then. One very wise midwife said to me, 'if you are able to have one drink and still drive then you can breastfeed too.'

Good luck and keep that feeding going!!

Answer 10

Alcohol passes thru your body within 24 hours. How much passes thru your milk is up to the scientist, But personally, I realized that if I drank A LITTLE alcohol, nursing baby sleeps much better. If you feel uncomfortable with the idea though, pump and pour it out.