breastfeeding and alcohol

[Lovejoy]

would 1 glass of wine per night be dangerous for my dd if i drink it with meals, and wash it down with lots of water and going to the loo several times before feeding dd?

[erinsmum36]

Hi. Ive been told that it takes 2 -3 hours for the alcohol to be reabsorbed into your body from your breastmilk. I was also told that any alcohol still in it would have the same kind of effect on the baby as you, but to a lesser degree. So if its only a glass and you know you have a decent window before a feed I'd say no. I've had one (even one and a half!) and then fed 5 hours later and I dont see any ill effects. To be sure, ask your Health Visitor maybe?

[Petunia]

There is no safe amount of alcohol that an infant can consume.  You would have to be totally certain that the alcohol was completely out of your system before you breastfed again.  AND you would have to make sure it wasn't in your breast milk - which means you would need to pump and dump your milk because alcohol would enter the breastmilk almost as soon as you drank it.  You should be very worried that your baby would be getting alcohol and avoid it all together.  If not you would need to be fastidious about it all and therefore it would be quite a bit of trouble.

This is from http://www.mmsp.org/alcohol/body.htm

Alcohol enters the bloodstream very quickly.  Unlike most other foods and beverages, it does not have to be digested.  When it reaches the stomach, it passes directly into the intestines, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream.  Within minutes after being consumed, it reaches the brain.

Alcohol in the bloodstream eventually reaches the liver, where it is burned up and eliminated from the body.  The average liver can eliminate about one drink per hour.
When a person drinks alcohol at a rate greater than one drink an hour, the alcohol begins to accumulate in the body.  The amount of alcohol in the body is referred to as Blood Alcohol Concentration, or BAC.  BAC expresses the amount of alcohol in the body as a percent of the body's total fluids.

At a BAC of approximately .05%, most people become impaired, meaning their performance begins to suffer noticeably.  At a BAC of between .08% and .10%, they can no longer function normally and are by most state laws, intoxicated.

Accident Facts, National Safety Council BAC is a function of three factors:


   number of ounces of alcohol consumed;
   number of hours over which it has been consumed; and
   number of pounds the person weighs.

Number of Ounces

BAC depends in part upon the amount of alcohol a person has consumed.  The typical drink contains about six-tenths of an ounce of alcohol.  This is equally true for beer, wine, or liquor.  The alcohol in each of these is shown below:

Drink   Size  Percent Alcohol  Amount of Alcohol
can of beer   12 oz.  X   5%  =  .6 oz.
glass of wine     5 oz.  X 12%  =  .6 oz.
shot of liquor  1.5 oz.  X 40%  =  .6 oz.

Number of Hours

Since it takes about one hour to burn off each drink, the greater the number of hours during which drinking has occurred the less alcohol is still left in the body.  For example, if a healthy person takes no more than one drink an hour, alcohol will never accumulate in the body, no matter how long the person drinks.  However, if a person takes two drinks an hour, alcohol will build up in the bloodstream.  At the end of the first hour, one drink will have been burned off, but the other will still be in the bloodstream.  If two drinks are taken in the next hour, one of them will be burned off and one will remain, leaving two drinks in the bloodstream.

To figure out how many drinks there are in the bloodstream, just use the following formula:

  drinks consumed - hours = drinks left in the bloodstream.

For instance, if a person has consumed six drinks in three hours, there will be three drinks left in the bloodstream (6-3=3).

Body Weight

The number of drinks, minus the number of hours spent drinking, determines how much alcohol is in the bloodstream.  This amount, and a person's weight, determine the BAC.

The rule about weight in BAC is: the bigger the body, the lower the BAC for any given amount of alcohol.  The reason for this is that bigger people have more blood and other bodily fluids.  The greater the amount of fluid, the smaller will be the percent of alcohol in the system.

[Maddy's Mum]

Just thought I'd throw this into the equation!!

I read a breastfeeding myths article on Dr Jack Newman's website (Breastfeeding guru) and make of it what you will (admittedly, he doesn't go into much detail) It is myth no.5 on the list.

http://www.positivelybreastfeeding.ca/learn/Newman/More_Myths.htm

Dee
x

[gavinsmum]

The lactation consultant that I spoke with said that one drink wouldn't hurt, and she talked about having the drink right fter he nurses to be sure that we have a few hours before he nurses again.  What I eat and drink doesn't seem to have any effect on him at all.  I have had a drink and nursed him and he's totally fine.  If it makes you feel better, drink it and wait to nurse - but I'm an "anything in moderation" believer and it has been fine here. 

[tylersmommy]

According the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), moderate alcohol consumption while breastfeeding is acceptable. If you do plan to have a drink, they recommend doing so immediately after nursing, as it takes 2-3 hrs for the alcohol to completely leave your bloodstream and breastmilk. Drinking water or going to the restroom more often won't speed the process up. In general, if you're still feeling the effects of the alcohol, then it's still in your body and it's probably not a good idea to nurse. Here's the reference...they list it with other drugs.
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;108/3/776/T6
FWIW, I occasionally had a drink immediately after nursing. Wasn't a problem.

[evelyn]

The bf book i have (mind you, quite an old one) actually recommended hving a daily drink in the early days to aid relaxation and letdown.

[SylvieA]

Hi,
I was told that it is OK to have a glass of wine, especially with a meal. And I did enjoy a glass every once in a while. And he never acted differently. If you don't feel the affect, then your body is metabolizing the alcohol as your drinking. I'm not saying have a whole bottle but enjoy your glass of wine and don't worry  
I usually fed baby first and then I knew I was safe for a few hours.

[KellyC]

Here's another link;

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

I have a glass of wine most nights, though Zander doesn't feed again until the morning now.  I drank alot less than a glass a night when he was younger but I still enjoyed the odd glass.

[daisymelan]

Joy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, my old friend!

 

So does this mean things are going well or aren't?  LOL

When I went to the bfing classes at my hospital, they handed me a sheet to let you knwo how long it takes to expel alcohol from your system.  It is similar to a chart used for driving safely under the influence.  It takes into account your weight.  I am about 130lbs and I had to wait about 2 hours and 45 minutes to bf after one drink. 

And I did have a my fair share of drinks. 

Too bad I'm back to abstaining now that I'm awaiting #2.

[fleadle]

I have the occasional drink with a meal but wait until just after I have fed DD her last feed of the night before drinking.

I have read that when you drink alcohol it goes into the breast milk but then is reabsorbed & removed from the body (just like it is from the bloodstream) at the same rate of 1 unit per hour (depending on your size).

[yaya]

I used to have an occasional drink with meanls with BF...Over here in italy they say its ok! Moderation is the key

[mena]

I do have the odd glass of wine (or 1.5  ) with dinner maybe 2 or 3 times a week... and that's usually after the 7pm feed and before the dreamfeed... And I haven't seen any strange reaction at all on DS, but I do feel a tiny bit guilty sometimes... But usually another sip of wine makes me forget it 
I also believe in moderation, though.
HTH

[Nee]

So if I am planing to drink at a wedding,  would I be ok to nurse at her 7 am feed.  I am planning to pump and dump when I get home around 2 Am.

Nee

[daisymelan]

It completely depends on how many you drink, what time you have the drinks and how much you weigh.  Pumping and dumping doesn't really do much of anything.  If there is alcohol still in your system, it will just be in the "new" milk.