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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To drink when breastfeeding?

43 replies

Dutch212 · 09/07/2016 18:51

Ok, I keep reading conflicting advice. Please tell me, can I drink alcohol? If so how often and how much? Thanks

OP posts:
Fomalhaut · 09/07/2016 19:00

yes you can. It gets into breast milk at the same concentration as serum. One or two units once or twice a week is the NHS recommended limit, which seems sensible to me.
Don't be in sole charge of the baby if you're tipsy. Don't co sleep if youve had a drink.
I co sleep so haven't had a drink since before he was a twinkle in our eyes (sigh)

apatheticfallacy · 09/07/2016 19:01

You'd have to drink a lot more than to still be safe to look after your baby before its in your breast milk in any significant quantity. So the issue is being drunk in charge of s child as opposed to feeding your little one a DIY White Russian.

Enjoy a glass of wine or two Smile

PotteringAlong · 09/07/2016 19:05

by the time their was enough alcohol in your breadtmilk to affect the baby you would be unconscious.

You are fine to drink and feed!

BertieBotts · 09/07/2016 19:08

Yanbu.

This will kick off. But you're absolutely fine. It causes problems if you're drinking at an alcoholic level. Normal sensible safe alcohol consumption is not an issue.

Worth noting, never Co sleep after drimaking alcohol.

Original poster
Dutch212 · 09/07/2016 19:08

See there is the conflicting advice. 1 or 2 units, which is basically one drink - or as much as you like!!!

OP posts:
welshweasel · 09/07/2016 19:11

As others said, the issue is with being sober enough to look after your baby. So you can drink as much as a mum who is feeding her baby formula! Agree with the no cosleeping though, very important.

Toofondofcake · 09/07/2016 19:11

I would say it's not sensible to "drink as much as you like" however a glass of wine or two is not going to affect your baby.
Depending on how you handle your drink you probably wouldn't want to be the one in sole charge of the baby and keep them in the cot that night. Don't worry over it though it's not going to harm your baby.

Original poster
Dutch212 · 09/07/2016 19:12

Also, I'm not trying to be selfish by drinking. I fed 2 sons for 2 years. My baby is now 3 months... that's 6 and a half years soba altogether!!

OP posts:
Toofondofcake · 09/07/2016 19:13

Also NHS guidelines always err on the side of being extra cautious rather than what it actually "acceptably safe levels" they also have a vested interest in not encouraging the nation to drink due to how much alcohol costs the NHS.

Karoleann · 09/07/2016 19:16

I just drank normally when breastfeeding, as another poster said you'd have to be on the floor for a some to pass onto your baby.

DontFuckingSayIt · 09/07/2016 19:16

I am not usually one to tell anyone not to drink but from my own experience - when my DD was about 10 weeks old I went on a night out, I was only out for a few hours and didn't get shitfaced by any means but I had a good time, a few drinks and shots etc. The next day I expressed as I was worried about it and my milk smelled distinctly alcoholic! I wouldn't have given it to her.

milpool · 09/07/2016 19:17

You're absolutely fine.

Read this: themilkmeg.com/can-i-drink-alcohol-while-breastfeeding/

And this: m.facebook.com/DrJackNewman/posts/422431411241244

hummusigotthehummus · 09/07/2016 19:19

It's fine, it pisses me off that it's a taboo tbh, all the pumping and dumping and the waiting 2 hours or whatever, it's pointless.
It's not like drinking when you're pregnant.
I've just carried on drinking as normal including getting tipsy quite a few times.

allowlsthinkalot · 09/07/2016 19:21

No need to worry at all about drinking. The infant feeding coordinator said to me, "if you can remember you've got a baby you're ok to feed" and that's the advice I followed with my four.

Don't cosleep after a drink though.

PinguForPresident · 09/07/2016 19:21

It's fine to drink alcohol while breastfeeding. You need to be almost 4 times the drink drive limit before "mild sedation" is reached in the baby.

Getting absolutely hammered is not wise, but having a couple of glasses of wine is fine - you probably won't want much more if you have a small baby and your tolerance has been lowered by not drinking in pregnancy!

This link takes you to the Breastfeeding Network's factsheet on alcohol and breastfeeding. Wendy Jones who writes their factsheets is the most expert of all experts on these matters. You can trust her work

(I'm a breastfeeding counsellor, BTW)

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/wp-content/dibm/alcohol.pdf

allowlsthinkalot · 09/07/2016 19:22

And pumping and dumping is unnecessary, alcohol moves in and out of breastmilk (in tiny quantities).

Artandco · 09/07/2016 19:35

Don't - that's sounds like a good few drinks though

I drank throughout, but by drink I mean a glass of wine with a meal, or a beer in a beer garden. I wouldn't be drinking multiple drinks anyway then be in charge of children

VestalVirgin · 09/07/2016 19:36

As others said, it doesn't really go into breastmilk in significant quantitites. You'd be too drunk to look after your baby before there'd be a problem with the milk.

Sonders · 09/07/2016 19:37

I used to work in infant nutrition, the amount you have to drink for your baby to be affected is massive, I'd be impressed if you could make it that far without passing out!

Alcohol levels in the breastmilk is basically the same as blood, so at the drink drive level we're talking 0.8% alcohol, or 1/18th the content of wine.

That, plus the fact that the amount of breastmilk your baby could consume in the feeds before the alcohol wears off, means the total amount of alcohol consumed is negligible, and too little to have any effect of your child.

-- Pregnancy is different as the 0.8% goes straight to the baby, which is far too much for their little livers!

stopfuckingshoutingatme · 09/07/2016 19:38

Of course you can 🍷

Altough a night on the tequila slammers is best avoided

T0ddlerSlave · 09/07/2016 19:39

My HV told me to enjoy a glass whilst breastfeeding because it wouldn't be in your milk already and then you went the longest before feeding again lol

MrsJoeyMaynard · 09/07/2016 19:39

As long as you're sober enough to care for a baby, you're fine.
The concentration of alcohol in breastmilk is the same as the alcohol concentration in your blood, so v.v. low.

But definitely avoid co-sleeping if you've been drinking any alcohol at all.

jamdonut · 09/07/2016 19:42

My midwife told me to drink a small Mackesons every day to help with milk production ! (This was 16 years ago) My youngest son has shown no signs of any problems ,quite the opposite!

NerrSnerr · 09/07/2016 19:45

I will be enjoying a drink tonight!

NerrSnerr · 09/07/2016 19:46

Posted too soon- and I'm still breastfeeding. When she was tiny I was too knackered to drink but now she's a toddler I'm enjoying my wine until I get pregnant again!!