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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To drink more than one damn glass of wine whilst BFing? Perhaps several?

62 replies

wellamI1981 · 10/08/2011 18:08

Have had a bit of a shitter to be fair. All the normal trials and tribulations of being a new mum, PND, mastitis yada yada. Am going out tonight with DH for a meal. DS is four months old and EBF. I do have a glass of wine on a night but never more than that and tonight just really fancy, ooh, say 3 glasses. Is that too much to ask? Please God all say I should. I'm a woman on the edge. P.s. DS will not take a bottle and so there is a distinct possibility I will be BFing whilst tipsy/drunk.

OP posts:
Original poster
wellamI1981 · 10/08/2011 18:40

Oh and we don't co-sleep.

OP posts:
Original poster
wellamI1981 · 10/08/2011 18:43

One more thing at the risk of emphasising how neurotic I am...DH isn't drinking.

OP posts:
Yama · 10/08/2011 18:45

Go for it.

ZonkedOut · 10/08/2011 18:45

I know how you feel, I'm breast feeding atm too. I wouldn't have more than 2 glasses myself, but if you're happy with it, and it'll make you feel better, go for it. A depressed mother is not good for the baby either!

Don't do it if you'll feel guilty afterwards, it'll cancel out the benefits.

octopusinabox · 10/08/2011 18:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FootprintsOnTheMoon · 10/08/2011 19:10

The only thing I'd say is make sure not to co-sleep afterwards. Otherwise, I'd say 3*250ml is likely to give you a headache the next day, but I wouldn't get too worried about the baby as a one off.

I had someone complement me in a pub for bf with one hand and drinking a pint with the other. It was only months later that I cottoned on that the woman probably came up to me to give me some support because the judgy old farts locals were probably talking about me behind my back Grin.

theidsalright · 10/08/2011 19:26

go for it and get DH to get up with the baby in the morning to give you a bit of a rest. The drinking never bothered me, I did it when I felt like it (very seldom!) but the next day always killed me (tiredness not killer hangover or anything)

DialsMavis · 10/08/2011 19:30

I drank plenty when BF as I am under the impression its fine to do so, but I did find my beloved white wine seemed to give DD a funny tummy when she was tiny so I knocked that on the head for a while.

porcamiseria · 10/08/2011 19:35

ah for one night....one night i went on lash and expressed bottle for when i got back, baby refised it ended up BF him, he was fine.....

Melly20MummyToPoppy · 10/08/2011 19:47

My sister knows a lot about BFing, and she told me that when you drink, your milk is only as drunk as you feel, so for example :
If you feel fine, your milk will be fine.
If you feel tipsy, your milk will be tipsy.
And if you're completely out of it, so is your milk!

KaySirah · 10/08/2011 19:48

i thought you had ot be over drink drive limit for it to affect boobs

DialsMavis · 10/08/2011 19:55

I thought that for your milk to have the same alcohol level as Gripe water (had in it when we were all small) you had to keep a fatal level of booze in your body all evening? I can't back that up but someone very clever sounding on here explained it! Smile

starkadder · 10/08/2011 19:57

You know, I posted this exact same message about 3 yrs ago (when BFing DS) and when I was very new to MN and was DELIGHTED with all the responses that told me to stop worrying and have a second glass of wine. Or 3rd. Especially if your DH is in charge of DS and will be responsible - of course you should be able to let go a bit. Have fun :) Cheers Wine

BertieBotts · 10/08/2011 20:17

Dials I remember that too! Though just looked up what gripe water was and it was about 3.6% - higher than I thought! Still, if you have to be in a coma to have milk that alcoholic it's probably fine.

Ormirian · 10/08/2011 20:19

The baby will be fine. You'll be more than fine.

yummytummy · 10/08/2011 20:22

i wouldnt personally. why cant u just have one glass if u really must drink?

verylittlecarrot · 10/08/2011 20:22

For an average size woman drinking 3 large glasses of wine at say 12% vol, over the course of 3 or 4 hours, her blood alcohol volume (and therefore milk alcohol volume) would be 0.041%.

So about the same alcohol concentration as in a glass of orange juice from your fridge.

An entire bottle consumed in a couple of hours would give you a blood alcohol volume of 0.133%. You'd feel blotto, but your baby would be consuming significantly less than if he had old fashioned gripe water (3.6%).

So I certainly wouldn't worry about the baby's alcohol consumption based on those numbers! Enjoy.

verylittlecarrot · 10/08/2011 20:24

Oh, and of course the milk alcohol decreases over time just like it does your blood, so no need to pump and dump (common myth).

LotteryWinnersOnAcid · 10/08/2011 20:45

I like this thread. Grin

Goldrill · 10/08/2011 20:53

me too! Grin

Whatmeworry · 10/08/2011 20:59

In some countries Gripe Wayer still has alcohol in it (I recall a make you can get in the UK is also sold in S Africa, but it has alcohol - boy did it work :o )

Saski · 10/08/2011 21:00

I don't think there's any problem with having 2-3 glasses of wine while BF'ing, particularly after baby is a bit older and nightime sleep has consolidated. I don't think it's great to get completely drunk when exclusively responsible for a baby but that's not the case here so please do have fun!

Oblomov · 10/08/2011 21:29

People are refering to , if you have a headache when uou wake up. But not everyone gets headaches, you know. I've only ever had about 4 hangovers in my whole life,. And that includes 5 University years where we drank and drank and drank, and a year in Russia where they down shots of vodka like they are going out of fashion !!. But I get no headache. No hangover, I just get up and get on with my day.

Annpan88 · 10/08/2011 21:32

I was discussing this same thing at my breast feeding group today and they were of the same opinion of the majority of ladies here! I go by if I fEel confident looking after DS my milk should be fine.have fun x

realslimshady · 10/08/2011 21:40

This thread makes me feel better about myself.