breastfeeding and alcohol

[brightskye]

I never drank at all during my whole pregnancy, and not in the past 11 days since my baby was born, but I admit I'd love a drink. Preferably 2! But is it safe? I've looked it up and just get confused. One site says it's okay, many others advise caution. It reminds me of the "may contain peanuts" warnings that get slapped on everything just to cover bases and then you don't know where there is significant risk vs teensy risk. Y'know? Anyway, what do you all do in this area?

[kms7z]

I was in Babies R Us the other day and saw some test strips for detecting alcohol in breastmilk!

But, here is the rule of thumb I've heard-- if you feel buzzed, then it is likely in the milk. With alcohol and caffeine I usually drink right after I have nursed, and i keep it to one serving. I try to not do this when the baby is exclusively nursing though-- maybe once a week for alcohol is how it ends up.

[SamuraiMom]

I would not worry about a bottle or two of beer or a glass of wine over a couple of hours. As long as you are not more than a little bit buzzed, baby will be O.K., but even being a little bit buzzed you might want to wait a little while to nurse. A neighbor of mine dropped off a couple of beers on St. Patricks day, they were wonderful! But then I had a glass of wine at dinner the other night and I could only get through 1/3 of it because my tolerance has gotten so low! I would just use best judgment, sip a glass of whatever and see how you feel. Only you know the difference between being mildly buzzed and totally schlockered! And you don't want a schlockered baby ! You may find that you only need a few sips to satisfy that craving! I personally can't wait to have a martini! My eldest DD keeps asking me to pump so she can feed him and I am so reluctant to start w/ a bottle at all, but..... it would be nice to imbibe a little. W/ 5 kids, a mama needs a little somethin' somethin' once in awhile! Also, just try to time it right, I know it's hard when they are little little, but you might wait until after a really good feeding and then have a drink yourself!

[mama kk]

I have been drinking a little bit here and there, but never more than one drink. But then again, I did have a drink or so every week or two the last half of pregnancy... so... I don't know. I think no matter what you will get conflicting answers on this one, and you will probably have to use your intuition on it.

I would do a heavy nursing first and then enjoy a little of your favorite drink for fun. But that is just me.

[cocoanib]

I've read different "rules". Most things say 2 hrs per drink. I also saw those breast milk testers at BBRUS. You can try those if your really feeling concerned.
I had a glass of champagne day baby was born, but that's it so far.
When I do have a drink, I will probably make sure to nurse beforehand and then wait a couple of hours. I think I'll stay away from having more than 1 or 2 at a time though.

[Luv2bemommy]

One or two won't hurt. I'm DYING for a beer, I crave them while pregnant and have been good but want one so bad so it's one of the first things on my list. One beer won't hurt the baby, even two. I agree as long as you aren't drunk then it will be okay. I read some does pass but it's not a lot IMO to be worried. (just think about medications and such some people who breastfeed put in their bodies? Pain killers, etc.. )

Enjoy it, you deserve one.

[Juvysen]

the amount of alcohol in the breastmilk is the same as your blood alcohol level. So if your BAL is .08 - the legal limit in my state for driving, your child is drinking breastmilk that has less alcohol in it than an o'douls. You need to worry more about your ability to care for the baby under the influence than you do about how much is going into your baby.

[gcgirl]

kellymom has a great article about this. Yes, the rule of thumb is generally how YOU feel. If you're buzzed, don't bf.

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

[brightskye]

Originally Posted by Juvysen

the amount of alcohol in the breastmilk is the same as your blood alcohol level. So if your BAL is .08 - the legal limit in my state for driving, your child is drinking breastmilk that has less alcohol in it than an o'douls. You need to worry more about your ability to care for the baby under the influence than you do about how much is going into your baby.

The last time I drank enough to get drunk was 11 years ago! So I'm not so worried about being too wasted to take care of the baby. I just don't want to stress her little newborn liver etc. I guess I'll wait a bit longer because at this point I'd probably feel too worried about it to enjoy it. But in 3 weeks my sister is coming to visit me from America after 8 years, so I might reconsider then.

[staceychev]

Originally Posted by kms7z

With alcohol and caffeine I usually drink right after I have nursed, and i keep it to one serving.

This is my rule of thumb.

[MammaB21]

DDCC to say,

Originally Posted by Juvysen

the amount of alcohol in the breastmilk is the same as your blood alcohol level. So if your BAL is .08 - the legal limit in my state for driving, your child is drinking breastmilk that has less alcohol in it than an o'douls. You need to worry more about your ability to care for the baby under the influence than you do about how much is going into your baby.

A big yeah that! It takes about 2+ drinks for an average adult to get to a BAL of .08. Postpartum, I think most women would definitely feel tipsy by then. There is about 4-5% alcohol volume in a beer. So that kind of puts it into perspective for me. The baby is actually getting a very small amount which likely would have no effect.

With that said, baby's liver is more underdeveloped and has never before had to process anything of that nature. It's hard to say exactly what amount would be detrimental to a newborn. With DD I waited 3 months before I had any alcohol, and then was pretty careful about it for a while after. By the time she reached toddler hood it was pretty much a non concern for me as she was eating solids as well, and I could easily wait to nurse if I had to. (That's not to say I was drinking in excess. I think juvysen made a great point about the importance of being able to safely care for your child.) I've also heard that moms who are concerned about this (and other things like unavoidable medications, or even not being able to quit smoking) are told by their doctors that the benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh the negative impact of small amounts of substances in breast milk. In other words, if you're ready to quit breastfeeding because you think you have to go another year or more before having a beer, it's way better to have the beer anyway and continue breastfeeding for as long as possible.

[judybean]

I've had .. three? (I think) beers thus far... um... three different nights, of course Basically, I'm with Jenna on this one.

(too slow at 1ht while nak to write more )

[SilverFish]

have a drink, for goodness sake! i've been having a beer with dinner a few nights a week, and i usually don't even try to time it... the effects of one beer or a glass of wine, drunk at a nice relaxed pace, on a full stomach are pretty much completely negligible. i usually try to feed her before dinner because trying to eat while nursing a fussing newborn is no fun anyway, but i have fed her right after finishing a drink because she was hungry again.

i really don't get the point of concern for concern's sake. there's no way to harm a baby with one serving of alcohol unless you're pouring it directly down their throats. you'd be better off cutting out driving with them in the car if you're worried about preventing potential damages.

sorry to get so wound up, but i already survived 9 months of people informing me that "it's better to be safe" when it comes to all sorts of things that to me have a perfectly acceptable level of risk. why invent new rules when there's no need?