Breast feeding and alcohol.

[LucyB1]

I have just read it takes two hours for a unit to leave the mums system. So if I share a bottle if wine with my dh I have to wait 10 hours before I can feed again. Is this right. Seems like a long time to me!

[McBaby]

Check out the breast feeding network guidance on alcohol and breastfeeding. It is fine to drink in moderation while feeding (she says while feeding and trying to work out how to reach the beer).

[weebairn]

The amount of alcohol in breast milk is the same as in your blood. So if you were really pretty drunk, your blood/milk would be the equivalent of 0.08% alcoholic (this is the drink/drive limit). You can get lemonade that is as alcoholic as that.

In summary: a few drinks is absolutely fine, as long as you don't get drunk and drop the baby!

[Victoria2002]

I agree with weebairn recent research shows less passes to the baby than previously thought. Just beware of sleeping (or nodding off accidentally) with your baby if you have had a drink, as stats show it's much more dangerous than sober co-sleeping.

[hollie84]

So long as you're not getting blind drunk, you're fine to feed your baby whenever the baby wants. If you're sober enough to hold the baby you're sober enough to feed it.

[LucyB1]

Thanks for your feedback, with this in mind, if You drank a bottle of whine last night and finished this at 9pm what time would you feed your baby?

[Superworm]

I've found DS gets an upset tummy if I drink too much. How old us your baby?

[Haggisfish]

About an hour later! Honestly I worried about this but wish I hadn't.

[rumtumtugger]

A bottle of whine is what my 3 year old drinks most nights!

Drink away - if you wouldn't drive then don't bf.

[hollie84]

"if you wouldn't drive then don't bf"

Why not?

[LucyB1]

Sorry typo. I did mean wine and I can spell (honest) my dd is 7 weeks. Does that make a difference? How can u tell if she has a dodgy tummy. All her poos are runny anyway!!

[LucyB1]

I think your right tumtugger. It feels reasonable to breasfeed if under drunk drive limit. So the morning feed at 8am ish is fine. Do you think it mashes a difference how many times a week you do this? (Going on my hollybobs next week)

[Superworm]

Age makes a difference as newborns livers are immature and so are less able to breakdown alcohol. This is less of an issue with an older baby.

A bottle of wine is too much for a newborn. It's 10-12 units of alcohol in one go almost a average recommended weekly allowance. Your liver will struggle to process that, especially if you're not used to it!

[Superworm]

As for signs of an upset tummy - they will go more frequently, be in pain and may wake more. Poo might be looser or a different colour.

I'be upset DS's tummy a few times over the years thinking it would be fine

Always make you feel rubbish.

[MinesAPintOfTea]

Well now ds is two years old I generally don't drink wine whilst bfing in case he tries to steal my glass.

But unless you drank the while bottle I'd feed straight away and even I'd you did it'll be fine by now.

Make sure you drink plenty of water to ward off a hangover.

[ilovepowerhoop]

I thought it was 1 hour per unit.

[ilovepowerhoop]

kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/alcohol/

[hollie84]

It leaves your system at around a unit an hour, but you don't have to wait for the alcohol to leave your system to be able to breastfeed.

[hollie84]

For comparison, if you had a blood alcohol content of 0.2% you'd be unconscious, having black outs, memory loss etc. Beer can be referred to as "alcohol free" at up to 0.5% alcohol. There is basically no chance you could drink enough to get your milk that alcoholic without killing yourself.

If you're together enough to look after the baby (e.g.. tipsy but not staggering around with slurred speech) your milk is going to be less than 0.2% alcohol. A breastfeed of say 100ml milk is going contain less than a drop of alcohol.

[museumum]

I drank throughout bfing but not a whole bottle of wine! That would have me pissed and hungover the next day. I night fed till 10.5 mo so only drank a couple of glasses at a time. Mainly due to wanting to know I'd wake when ds cried in the night and not wanting a hangover or to get dehydrated.

If you want to drink to the point of being drunk or a whole bottle of wine I'd stick to the unit per hour thing and also drink loads and loads of fluids as you'll get dehydrated.

[ilovepowerhoop]

alcohol can affect milk production though so that is something else to consider.

[LucyB1]

Good advise thank you. A bottle if wine does not get me drunk as it is generally over a long period and with a big dinner and lots if water. I certainly don't get a hangover. I will stick to the one hour per unit advise (and add an hour or 2 for good measure).