Alcohol/Caffeine...what IS the deal?

[curlyfry]

Is the occasional glass of wine/bottle of beer not good while bfing? I have to admit I had a beer the other night. Oh, and coffee...I cannot tolerate decaf and would really like some coffee today, esp. after my sleepless night last night!

What's the thinking on alcohol/caffeine while bfing?

[trijosie-mama]

my moto is everything in moderation! I had a cup of coffee almost everyday while prgenant, so I continue to do so, if I notice that it effects Josie somehow, then I'll stop. I havn't had more than a few drinks of dh's beer, but I don't think it hurts either. I know that its suggested to help bring in your milk. I also tend to think that it wasn't too many years ago that women didn't stop drinking while pregnant or nursing and I know over doing it isn't good, so I don't.

a little off topic, dh got us free tickets to see Les Claypool in 2 weeks, I really want to go, but I'm nervous about pumping enough to feed her for the concert and if I choose to drink while there I'll want to pump and dump, but how long would I have to do that for and how, much milk will I have to store? when ds was born I turned 21 4 weeks later, so I wanted to go to the bar, I can't remember how much milk I pumped or how long it took to pump enough and how long I pumped and dumped. So much to think about, maybe I'll just have a beer or two and then i won't have to dump anything. And being older makes it harder to leave an infant with someone else! When I was 21 I wasn't nearly as worried as I am at 26!

[hollyhobbie]

oh yeah, the first pregnancy/nursing i was a saint, i swear but this time with a toddler and a baby, i need a cup of coffee now and again. my midwife said it is fine in moderation. i never drink more than 1 cup or 1 latte etc a day. my big treat is to get out and get a latte ya know. i mean we dont have lots of money and i dont have lots of time but i manage to get out for my coffee and it makes me happy!! i dont think i want to know the effects on my bf'ing. i dont see any signs that is bothering baby but i wondered b/c of the gas thing.

i dunno about the alcohol and pump and dump etc. i am sure someone knows the answer if you check into the bf'ing brd. i would have a glass of wine but not very often b/c i am paranoid about alcohol after working as a social worker and seeing alcohol affected kids. i am NOT saying that having a drink while bf;ing will affect your babe just my own freak out. i was thinking yesterday about pumping some milk and seeing if avram would take it in a bottle. i never left my dtr for very long at all b/c she wouldnt take a bottle till she was like 6 months. and she nursed about every 45 minutes!! avram goes a lot longer between feedings. i would like to go to a book author reading thing with Vikram Seth on Nov 04 for his new book Two Lives. so i think i would need to pump for that. i think if you miss the window of opportunity introducing a bottle is tough.

boy, i am chatty cathy!!! glad we have each other to check in with!

[Full Heart]

http://kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/index.html

Sometimes babies are bothered by caffeine. My oldest vomitted when I drank caffeiene. Like projectile. But none of my other kids were in the least bit effected. Alcohol I haven't noticed any affect whatsoever. Not even sleepiness. But then how much alcohol is in a wine cooler? Michelle

[homemademomma]

if it doesnt seem to bother your babe, caffiene in moderation is FINE. alcohol in moderation is fine as well. only a miniscule amount is excreted in your breast milk. the amount of alcohol in your breastmilk is =to the amount in your blood. so say your blood level was 0.2 (or something. . . i dont know the numbers at all but i know the legal limit is way below 1%, right?). that means that your breast milk alcohol level is .2. that is less than what is in a non-alcoholic beer! not a problem AT ALL. and pump&dump is certainly not necessary bc the alcohol gets metabolized out of your bm at the same rate that it gets metabolized out of your blood- in other words, if you have one drink, in one hour ALL the alcoholis out of your bm as well as your blood.

[PrincessCass]

My Grandmother was orderd by her Dr. to go home and have a beer to help with milk supply. she had a beer every night and my Mom came out just fine chubby happy baby. I have a cup of coffee every morning and dd seems to be just fine.

[ZeldasMom]

I agree about everything in moderation. I have caffeine a few times a week and haven't noticed a problem.

Originally Posted by hollyhobby

i am paranoid about alcohol after working as a social worker and seeing alcohol affected kids.

I am a SW too and have a similar hang-up as a result. :LOL I do think it would be fine to have an occasional drink though, and if someone brought over a really wonderful bottle of wine or some beer I especially like (I have a thing for weiss beer with a lemon slice floating on top), I would probably have some. But in general I avoid alcohol when nursing. The times when I have had a drink I haven't bothered to pump and dump.

Originally Posted by trijosie-mama

dh got us free tickets to see Les Claypool in 2 weeks

Woo-hoo! Lucky you--I Les Claypool! Though I am not very familiar with the non-Primus stuff. Enjoy!

[wendy1221]

Originally Posted by homemademomma

if it doesnt seem to bother your babe, caffiene in moderation is FINE. alcohol in moderation is fine as well. only a miniscule amount is excreted in your breast milk. the amount of alcohol in your breastmilk is =to the amount in your blood. so say your blood level was 0.2 (or something. . . i dont know the numbers at all but i know the legal limit is way below 1%, right?). that means that your breast milk alcohol level is .2. that is less than what is in a non-alcoholic beer! not a problem AT ALL. and pump&dump is certainly not necessary bc the alcohol gets metabolized out of your bm at the same rate that it gets metabolized out of your blood- in other words, if you have one drink, in one hour ALL the alcoholis out of your bm as well as your blood.

Yep, that's right. It's impossible for you to drink so much your baby could be affected by the alcohol in the milk. BUT, alcohol can inhibit let-down, so if you drink a lot, it could affect the baby's intake. Having a drink or 2 every few days or so isn't going to hurt the baby, though.

[mom2threenurslings]

Alcohol - wendy and homemademama are right. The amount of alcohol in your blood equals the amount of alcohol in your breastmilk. If you're legally drunk (.08 in most states), then your breastmilk contains .08% alcohol - less than a "non-alcoholic" beer. The things you should worry about in regards to drinking while breastfeeding are that you must make sure you keep well hydrated and, of course, a drunk parent is not a responsible parent!!!

I actually had my first drink when Coren was a week old - a Guinness - yummy! When he was 8 days old I went out with a bunch of Mama friends to a local Mexican restaurant and very much enjoyed a couple margaritas (over the course of 4 hours).

Caffiene - I just avoid it as it makes me very ! :LOL

[curlyfry]

Thanks mamas! That's what I figured, everything in moderation. But, I've heard a couple of mamas talk about having a non-alcoholic beer and I was wondering if it was because of breastmilk, or another reason.

I'm having a Sam Adams tonight...too bad beer season is kind of over for me (I really like beer during the summer!) And, ugh...I was going to make myself coffee this morning and I'm out of filters!