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??

"Appropriate"????

What on earth has "appropriate" go to do with it??

It's whether or not it's harmful is the issue, not some pseudo-moral, superior twaddle!

Totally agree with you OP, yanbu.

I am ebf an almost 7 month old and I have chosen to restrict my alcohol consumption. Whilst pregnant i didn't drink alcohol at all and since baby was born I have drunk 3 glasses of wine in total. I do miss drinking a couple of glasses of wine each week. I understand the science behind alcohol and breastfeeding but research also says that drinking can reduce your milk supply, make baby more sleepy and make the milk taste different so baby might not drink as much as normal. For these reasons I chose not to drink for the first five months of breastfeeding but since baby has started sleeping better I have had one glass of wine each week for the past three weeks. Baby sleeps for about 6 hours when he first goes down at night so I have a drink then.
I wouldn't judge somebody else for drinking and breastfeeding- their baby, their choice.

If the nhs guidelines say not to breastfeed and drink alcohol then I would say it's innaoropriate to do so. Generally speaking most people follow safety guidelines like wearing seatbelts. Most people see the sense of not giving what is actually a poison even in tiny quantities to a new and developing brain.

I wouldn't judge anyone for drinking and breastfeeding. I would judge people for being nasty and ignorant though.

Look what damage something as tiny as the Zika virus does.

It's still unknown and probably safe to drink small amounts of alcohol ad if you want to take a tiny risk then feel free. Do what you want. Smoke, drink whatever, but don't expect everyone to approve.

Look what damage something as tiny as the Zika virus does.

Hahaha. Excellent comparison

Just pointing out what a ridiculous comparison it is to say tiny about a poison.

If the nhs guidelines say not to breastfeed and drink alcohol then I would say it's innaoropriate to do so.

But the NHS guidelines don't tell people not to drink if they are breastfeeding. The NHS guidance is that small amounts of alcohol does pass into the breastmilk so it is best to drink only one or two units and to leave a couple of hours between drinking alcohol and baby's next feed. Alcohol clears from breastmilk at the same rate as it clears from the mothers blood (2 hours for the first unit and one hour for subsequent units). Pumping and dumping doesn't alter anything.
On the three occasions I have had a glass of wine I have fed baby, put him down for his main six hour sleep and then had my glass of wine. By the time my baby wakes up six hours later both my blood and milk are alcohol free.
I personally wouldn't drink a whole bottle and feed intermittently though even though I am well aware that there will only be tiny amounts of alcohol in the milk.

If the nhs guidelines say not to breastfeed and drink alcohol then I would say it's innaoropriate to do so.

And there you have it.

NHS worship is the new religion, and you are a moral reprobate if you blaspheme ignore or question the catechism guidelines.

The Zika virus? Really??? Zika is a virus. It is not a poison.

This is mad.

I have a social life as well as being a mum but since I had ds last year ( now 8 months) I have had 1 glass of champagne (@ new year) as I am breast feeding ds. Drinking and breastfeeding just makes me feel uneasy.

I wouldn't judge a breast feeding mum that was having a drink unless she was clearly drunk, there is a diffrence between 2 glasses of wine and a bottle or two of wine.

Which the op didn't do! Follow the guidelines that! She drank a bottle and fed her baby throughout the day.

Alcohol IS a poison. That's obviously a difficult concept but go google it!

Just pointing out what a ridiculous comparison it is to say tiny about a poison.

It's not ridiculous. Diesel exhaust is also a poison - in tiny quantities - do you also put an industrial respirator on your baby if you are going anywhere that might expose you both to diesel emissions?

If you don't, and have assessed as safe one risk and not the other, you might consider why. I would suggest that it has less to do with actual risk levels and more with a moral stance, however disguised under the 'health' banner, about women daring to be less than totally pleasure or indulgence-free martyrs forever preferably for the duration of their children's infancy.

Anything can be a poison - if you consume enough of it in the right way. You can actually do yourself some serious damage if you eat too many bananas. Would you eat bananas while breastfeeding?

How about nutmeg? Have you given up nutmeg? Lettuce?

Nobody can experience pleasure or indulgence without a bottle of Prosecco?

Damn, I've been doing it wrong.

Apples too - best watch out for those Mr Kipling pies..... So tempting...

OT what a load of feminist twaddle.

I respect everyone's right (male or female) do do as they feel fit, but they can't expect everyone to share their opinion.

If the op asks if she right to expect everyone to approve of her choices then she is deluded. That was the point of the Aibu....other people's shocked looks. Not, incidentally comments or remarks.

If they are shocked they are shocked. How dare anyone here tell other people how they should look or feel, taking into account a shocked look is involuntary.

Nobody can experience pleasure or indulgence without a bottle of Prosecco?

I don't think anyone's arguing that - just that it's ok to have a few glasses throughout the day at a wedding. It's obviously not compulsory, just ok.

Oh dear, feminism...

That's as bad as bananas, that is...

(You're actually the first to mention feminism, btw)

Those saying it's sad if your life is on hold due to being unable to drink, I think it's just another thing which makes you feel like life is on hold when breastfeeding-

I can't wear what I want because I need to be able to breastfeed.

I can't go out of an evening because DS is a bottle refuser and unpredictable with feeding times.

I can't go out during the day by myself for the same reason.

I can't get a decent night sleep.

I'm missing out on friends birthdays.

A glass of wine now and then or a pint of beer makes me feel like I'm not just a mum and a milk machine.

You could say the above is 'just being a parent' and yet my husband doesn't seem to have to make quite the same sacrifices

I would say OTs comment about women being required to be martyrs throughout their child's infancy a pretty feminist statement. Or do you disagree?

Presumably it's the male dominated society she is talking about as other women wouldn't agree they all need to be martyrs

YADNBU
I have a full on hangover (my first in 18 months!) and am BF. I am 100% certain that I did not harm my baby in any way by feeding him when I was tipsy last night. My head on the other hand feels like it might fall off

Have you given up bananas while breastfeeding though?

Do you have an issue with feminism?