Heard of this test for your milk?

[jeanine123]

It's supposed to detect the alcohol level in your milk.

http://www.milkscreen.com/index.php

[MaryJaneLouise]

Geez, what a waste. Just drink moderately and everything will be OK.

Just another anti-lactation money-grubbing device

[frontierpsych]

The level of alcohol in your breastmilk is the same as in your blood. One 12 oz beer, 5 oz glass of wine, or 1 oz shot of 80 proof liquor will stay in your sytem approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. Your BAC (and levels in BM as well) depend on your weight, but one drink will put most women between .08 and .14.

[paxye]

Originally Posted by MaryJaneLouise

Geez, what a waste. Just drink moderately and everything will be OK.

Just another anti-lactation money-grubbing device

:

[MaryJaneLouise]

Originally Posted by frontierpsych

The level of alcohol in your breastmilk is the same as in your blood. One 12 oz beer, 5 oz glass of wine, or 1 oz shot of 80 proof liquor will stay in your sytem approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. Your BAC (and levels in BM as well) depend on your weight, but one drink will put most women between .08 and .14.

Actually, the level of alcohol in your BM CORRESPONDS WITH the level in your blood. In other words, it goes up when your blood alcohol goes up, and down when it goes down. It is not THE SAME AS your blood alcohol, since your body filters out MOST of the alcohol.

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.

[Sarah]

Oh my... this is just silly... I mean- if you feel loopy- pretty good sign that there is alcohol in your breastmilk. I mean- it's not like we are testing for radon here- the only way the alcohol would be in your breastmilk is if you put it there... do you really need to have a specialty test to tell you the obvious?

On that note- I had a kind of frustrating run-in with a waitress in a restauant- mixed company- two couples and kids. My Dh was not going to drink anything because he was driving- I was going to have a beer. I was nursing the baby while reading the menu so he would be done by the time my beer arrived... so in my mind we were both being really responsible, which is how we always are! Anyway- she came back to clarify the beer order with him- on the assumption that the two men were drinking- and I had to kind of make a stink (while I was nursing) that it was my beer she was talking about as she seemed to be having a mental block that I had ordered a beer. I think she probably thought I was some sort of wild bad mom... but actually the whole timing was going to be prefect for baby and I and really no big deal... but I didn't feel that I needed to explain or justify my order to her any more than I already had.

[pdx.mothernurture]

A positive result with Milkscreen indicates alcohol exists in the milk and you may want to seek an alternate source of food for your baby. With a positive test result, options include waiting for an hour or so and then re-testing your milk, using formula, or using stored, pre-pumped milk. Note: Pumping your milk (the "pump and dump" method) does NOT eliminate alcohol from your breast milk. The only way to eliminate alcohol from your bloodstream is to wait a period of time.

Because every mom metabolizes milk differently, it is important to test your milk before feeding your baby if there is any question of the lingering presence of alcohol.

They make it sound like the slightest amount of alcohol in breastmilk is extremely detrimental/dangerous.

Jen

[Siana]

:

I think if a lactating woman is so uncomfortable about consuming alcohol that she feels the need to test her milk using this product, then she probably shouldn't be drinking alcohol. (Of course if one just read-up on transfer of alcohol in to BM, then Milkscreen wouldn't have many customers, would they)

On the one hand, I guess this product can help breastfeeding moms who would like to drink, but who don't, feel more relaxed about it (I know a friend of mine would probably buy this product). One could assume these women will feel less restricted by nursing, and continue nursing for longer perhaps?

On the flip side however, I think some lactating women might drink more than they usually would, because this test can tell them if their milk would be safe for their baby.

I think Milkscreen has done a diservice to mothers and children by selling a test that's not only unecessary, but potentially harmful.

[Tanibani]

WHO?!??! do they think is really going to actually bother purchasing this product?

A woman who does indeed drink "too much" won't bother.

How do they expect to make money?

What a waste of capital.

[firstkid4me]

I wonder which formula company is sponsoring this.