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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you drank alcohol while breastfeeding

52 replies

Beebeezed · 23/05/2019 18:26

Sorry if this has been done a million times before. I’m currently exclusively breastfeeding and haven’t touched a drop of alcohol in nearly two years. (Stopped while trying to conceive). Since the sun has been out the last couple of weeks I’ve been craving a nice glass of wine, but abstained due to assuming the rules were the same with regards to alcohol and pregnancy as they are to alcohol and breastfeeding. But since speaking to a few friends who have said that they drank (but never got drunk) while breastfeeding, it’s made me think... is it ok?!

I have googled it, of course, but received hugely different answers depending on where I look. Some are also very vague and anyway, I prefer real peoples opinion and experiences Smile

OP posts:
yourestandingonmyneck · 23/05/2019 18:45

I didn't drink when they were newborns, but once they were a big bigger and on solids / not bf constantly I would have a few G+T's. I discussed it with a doctor friend of mine and I felt comfortable doing it. I never got drunk, but as previous posters have said, the risk then is not being able to look after your baby as opposed to the milk.

Sexnotgender · 23/05/2019 18:56

Agree totally fine.

I’m EBF and enjoying drinking wine again. Plus a gin in the sun is glorious.

Itsnotmesothere · 23/05/2019 19:14

I breastfed until 2.5 years of age and drank regularly. Half a bottle of wine on Friday and Saturday nights was pretty much a guarantee. Pumping and dumping is meant to be pointless.

RoseGoldEagle · 23/05/2019 19:14

At my 6 week post natal check the other day the GP said ‘I assume you aren’t drinking alcohol?’ As it happens I’m not, but afterwards it made me question it, because I had always thought the odd drink was fine when breastfeeding. Maybe she just meant while my baby was still very young, I don’t know. I am co-sleeping with DS, so that’s what stops me drinking, but otherwise I would, have your glass of wine in the sun OP!

Omzlas · 23/05/2019 19:21

I read that the best time to have a drink is actually whilst BFing, in the sense that it obviously takes a while for anything to pass through hour stomach lining anyway, and therefore the longest you can possibly leave it before feeding again (if that makes sense)
E.g. if you make your second cheese toastie whilst eating your first, the second one will cook while you're eating the first

PinkHeartLovesCake · 23/05/2019 19:22

Yes I did 🍷🍷

I never dumped my milk after drinking either, all 3 dc are perfectly fine and healthy

ZippyBungleandGeorge · 23/05/2019 19:24

DH used to run a drink driving course so can work out sociobiology levels in seconds, very handy. I've only had one drink three times but mainly due to it making me feel tired and DS only being 5 months. Does your DC sleep through? After he's in bed is when I have the odd glass as I figure I ruby be feeding him for another nine to ten hours and it'll be well out of my system by then

Ragh · 23/05/2019 19:30

Enjoy your wine! The amount of alcohol that comes through is roughly the same as a shot of vodka in a bathtub, ie hardly enough to notice. Practice safe sleeping and be prepared to feel hammered after just one glass!

KittensinaBlender · 23/05/2019 19:36

Yes I had the odd drink now and again. Not much of a drinker anyway but the occasional one was nice and has everybody else has said, perfectly harmless to the baby.

userabcname · 23/05/2019 19:45

Yes absolutely. Not when DS was newborn (mainly because I was shattered) but after that a glass or two here and there was fine. Don't pump and dump it's a waste!

smellsofelderberries · 23/05/2019 19:51

Erm...I have a glass of wine most nights and DS is 15 weeks 🥴

milkshak3 · 23/05/2019 19:52

no. you don't breastfeed forever and I font consider alcohol important enough as that I couldn't give it a miss for a few years.

jollyohh · 23/05/2019 19:54

I wouldn't get hammered but a glass or two will be fine.

I actually did get quiet pissed when ds was 9 months. Only fed him the following morning when sober and he got diarrhoea.

MaryPopppins · 23/05/2019 19:55

Yes there was a very in-depth study.

It's a very small % of the alcohol that makes it to your milk so don't worry at all.

If you can still walk/talk/remember then you're fine to feed. No need to pump and dump. Don't waste that precious milk!

Enjoy your drink!

As an aside. The study I wanted done more than alcohol in breast milk was caffeine. That's the really important stuff!

whereonearth · 23/05/2019 19:58

It’s fine! Wait a couple hours. All good.

Aquamarine1029 · 23/05/2019 19:58

I loved my evening glass of wine (or two!) when mine were babies and breastfeeding. They are now young adults and healthy as horses. No damage done. Smile

Celebelly · 23/05/2019 20:00

Yep, totally different to pregnancy. You would need to be almost comatose for your milk to contain the same alcohol content as orange juice. And pretty much dead for it to contain the same as apple juice!

Tinyteatime · 23/05/2019 20:02

Yes. It’s fine.

IDontDrinkTea · 23/05/2019 20:03

The amount of alcohol that actually makes it into breastmilk is really tiny. So as long as you’re not blind drunk you’re fine.

My rule is if you can find the baby, you can feed the baby Grin

AgileLass · 23/05/2019 20:07

This idea that you can’t drink alcohol while breastfeeding is another one of the breastfeeding myths that contributes to the low U.K. breastfeeding rate.

It’s perfexrly fine - I’ve drink before feeding and even while feeding. Smile Enjoy yourself OP.

AmIRightOrAMeringue · 23/05/2019 20:17

The level in alcohol in your breastmilk is the same as in your blood. So youd have to be very very pissed to the point of death for someone to be able to get pissed on your blood! And youd have to be very pissrd for your breastmilk to harm your baby

If you are very worried you can buy breastmilk alcohol test strips from Amazon, just put a drop of milk on the end and see if it changes colour. I did this as I went out on a massive session and wanted to know when it was safe to feed my young baby again but just for a couple of drinks I really wouldn't bother.

Sexnotgender · 23/05/2019 20:19

My rule is if you can find the baby, you can feed the baby

Grin
DieSchottin93 · 23/05/2019 20:21

DM was advised by the doctor to have some Guinness when she was breastfeeding me and DB to help with her anaemia Shock this was 25 years ago though

buckeejit · 23/05/2019 20:31

I did it & think it's fine to have a couple of glasses. Pumped & dumped at a wedding. Buy yourself a really good bottle. I'd be rich if I hadn't drunk in 2 years!

DrWhy · 23/05/2019 20:48

I had a beer with dinner on holiday and am currently attempting to feed the baby to sleep (not being assisted by her toddler brother singing the alphabet song next to us!).
As I understand it the alcohol level in your milk is the same as in your blood, so if you were a at the English drink drive limit it would be 0.09%. If the baby has a 5oz (150ml) feed at 0.09% that’s equivalent to less than 1/100th of a pint of 3% beer - even considering that I weigh 70ish kg and she weighs 7ish kg that’s less than the equivalent of me drinking 1/10th of a pint or about a shot glass of weak beer. I limit myself to one drink so I’m pretty confident she’s getting less than this - it’s not enough for me to get too worked up about. I did the same with DS and if his rendition of the alphabet song at 2.5 is anything to go by it hasn’t done any harm!