to think the current NHS guidelines for alcohol and breastfeeding are batshit and not conducive to long term breastfeeding

[lemonadey]

I was at a wedding on Saturday, I took 6m old dd but me and dh decided he would be the one "on shift" and I would have a few drinks as its been a while (dd is a bottle refuser) over the course of the day I drank quite a few glasses of prosecco (I didn't count but by the end of the day it probably amounted to about a bottle) but obviously still bf dd at points and I got pretty fed up of the amount of people quite openly shocked at me breastfeeding and drinking. I do get it, the nhs guidelines are basically the same as if you're pregnant even though the way alcohol transfers to the baby is completely different and the amount of alcohol that enters your breastmilk is negligible.

I just feel it is another way for women to feel like their life is "on hold" while breastfeeding, my mum breastfed me and said she never gave a second thought to what she ate or drank and it was a really enjoyable experience for her, it was part of her life, she never expressed or "pumped and dumped".

I wish more women realised you can still have a social life that includes drinking whilst breastfeeding, the current guidelines are so ridiculously strict and just result in judging from other people and unnecessary guilt for mum.

So tell me, AIBU??

I could not agree with your more OP, I think breastfeeding rates would be higher if women could drink as usual. I did but constantly felt watched/ guilty

I've been continuously breastfeeding or pg or both for close to a decade now over three children, I wouldn't have carried on if I couldn't have a drink. Luckily I did my own research and discovered that it was fine.
You're righ op, the not drinking thing is just one more way that bfing is made to seem like this special thing that you have to obey all sorts of rules to do, it's not, it's part of normal life and normal life can run along beside it.

Btw I class not being able to drink regularly as life on hold. My whole social life is booze related and that is not unusual

I had a few weddings to go to when bf and just expressed milk and enjoyed a few drinks. Generally when bf I drank a good deal less than I did before I was pregnant but a bit more than when I was pregnant which was hardly anything.

I was told to reduce salt in pregnancy. Now it is perfectly possible that I could have got away with eating normal levels and done no harm to anyone. But why would it matter that much?

If alcohol matters that much, then I think your use of alcohol is potentially problematic.

Glad you enjoyed the wedding!

OP says women can have a social life that includes alcohol- that's patently not the same as presuming everyone's social life must include huge amounts of drinking, nor does it make her a raging alki.

I probably wouldn't be breastfeeding now at 14 months if it meant I could never have a glass of wine. Women give up a massive amount of bodily autonomy during pregnancy and that carries through into breastfeeding. As well as putting up with the 'opinions' of seemingly every man and his dog.

I think the guidelines cater to the lowest common denominator and assume that you're daft enough to get steaming drunk before every feed, drop baby on its head and dip your nipples in chablis if they don't try to completely deter you.

If alcohol matters that much, then I think your use of alcohol is potentially problematic.

That wasn't the OPs point. If it mattered that much she would have stopped breastfeeding, obviously.

Her point is that she is being judged for doing something as if it is harmful to her baby when it isn't.

It really annoys me that people think it is not ok to have a drink whilst breastfeeding. Some of the earlier comments above exactly illustrate why it is frustrating, of course it is ok to have some wine if you want!

I don't even drink, so no vested interest here. But I did breastfeed for a long time and it is hard enough without limiting yourself to coke at a wedding.

my mum breastfed me and said she never gave a second thought to what she ate or drank

The thing is, this is totally irrelevant really. Research happens, things change... my mum was told to eat liver when pregnant with my siblings and I. Now it is considered far too high in vitamin A. You can't go with what was OK in the past really.

Which isn't to say that small amounts of alcohol aren't OK. I never found it a problem not to drink when breastfeeding though. (beyond a single glass occasionally at celebrations)

I'm convinced no link can be found between alcohol and breastfeeding and effect on baby. Think of all the alcoholic mothers who breastfeed- the cultures with extremely high alcohol abuse rates- and think of all the money to be made by formula companies of a link could be found. Yet as far as I am aware none has

Totally understand OP.
I read a lot into drinking alcohol during PG and BFing so I made decisions which I believe are fully informed and balancing baby's best interests with a little enjoyment for me.

I had an NHS pregnancy pamphlet which I actually took a picture of to show any naysayers as it said pregnant women could safely drink 1-2 units of alcohol once or twice a week during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters.
I enjoyed a small glass of wine once (or twice!) a week and by the last two weeks I was hoping that a few glasses would evict baby sharpish. Didn't work

During BFing (17 months and going) I have had fun BFing in public with a glass of wine in hand.

(Having said that perhaps a whole bottle is a tad more than I would drink whilst still feeding.)

Fuck em. I'm not giving her crack. I made her home made purees ffs.

Are you referring to research you're familiar with soup? I'd be interested to read any. Despite my reading around it I found none and don't even understand what the threat is supposed to be (some kind of post birth fsa?)

My consultant neonatologist told me to go a have a glass or two of wine when ds was in nicu, where I also was a milk donor, quite possibly with the same milk. There view was always if you are legal to drive you are safe to feed....

I bf and have the occasional jar with friends over dinner, it's no big deal and is what most of my friends do. I agree the guidance is lowest common denominator and is there to stop you thinking one - no three - no five is fine, etc.

However I simply don't believe that medical science can't settle this debate for us. We don't need to unethically test the alcohol content of breast milk on live babies fgs. The research hasn't been done because it's not something the drug companies can make money from are interested in. Mumsnet should sponsor the research and then we can all have a in peace

Nowhere in that article does it say it's fine to binge drink and BF on a regular basis.

I like a drink as much as the next pisshead, and I'm sure there were times when I was feeding that I drank more than I should have- but I don't really think it's something we should be holding up as responsible or aspirational behaviour.

A whole bottle of wine is actually quite a lot by safe drinking limits. I'm sure no lasting damage was done as a one-off at a wedding, but it isn't something to make a habit of IMO.

If alcohol matters that little, then surely it wouldn't make any difference to men to give up alcohol while their partners are breastfeeding, to show solidarity/avoid having alcohol in the house?

It'd only be a few years. Maybe as much as 5-6 depending on how many DC and timing.

It'd have about as much effect on DC.

Yanbu op, thankfully my friends and family are rather more enlighened and know drinking is Ok whilst bfeeding, I took ds5 with me too book club age three weeks and enjoyed a glass of cider as he fed. We are going out for lunch for dh bday tomorrow and also to register ds5, we will have a toast to dh and our fabulous new baby being made official and I will likely be bfeeding whilst I do so!

Tweeter - the lemsip thing is because decongestants can really damage your supply!

I've been bfing for nearly 18 months now. But never been a big drinker so not really affected. I'd heard the if you're safe to look after baby you're safe to feed rule as well so have always gone with that.

I am actually salivating at the thought of a nice cold glass of prosecco! Currently pg and once baby is here and we are sorted out then one afternoon that's exactly what I'm having. If that happens at a social event any person that has a go about me or tuts or something similar then they are getting both barrels about the facts that it will not significantly pass into breast milk and affect the baby. (Note like the op I will not be getting paralytic - just the odd glass of wine or if more than one then nicely spaced out)

I don't think life is 'on hold' because you can't have a drink. Drinking/not drinking really shouldn't be that big a deal. YY

I had the odd glass of wine when I was pregnant and when I BF, I think I was quite relaxed really. I don't think there's any harm in that as such, but honestly I think you drank quite a lot for one day when you're BF OP.

I'm not sure I understand why you decided DH would be 'on duty' when your DD is only 6m, is a bottle refuser and is BF - assuming she is on solids but she will surely be still heavily reliant on milk. There wouldn't be much he could do with regards to feeding?

Tweeter - the lemsip thing is because decongestants can really damage your supply!

I've been bfing for nearly 18 months now. But never been a big drinker so not really affected. I'd heard the if you're safe to look after baby you're safe to feed rule as well so have always gone with that.

Surely the point the OP (and myself earlier in the thread) was trying to make was that as it is better for the baby to be breastfed , the NHS alcohol guidelines are ridiculous as they are putting people off the whole thing. We DO drink a lot in this country - better a breastfed baby with a slightly pissed mum, than a formula fed baby with a slightly pissed mum.

Totally agree op. I had my children in the 80's and as far as I know there were no guidelines or certainly known that anyone told me about. Obviously this was before the internet. I didn't drink much wine then, but I certainly didn't agonise over a couple of glasses at the weekend. There were definitely no guidelines on what to eat either and all that we were told was to eat and drink enough to sustain ourselves and our babies.

YABU. You drank the equivalent of a whole bottle if prosecco whilst breastfeeding your baby, that is definitely unreasonable behaviour.