"Alcohol free" beer & breastfeeding

[Mummasdiary2021]

I was going to have an alcohol free beer.. They are 0.5% alcohol... So really low but still some in there nonetheless. Previously I had been waiting 2 hours before nursing again.. Is it necessary to wait this long? I can't find any guidance on such a small amount of alcohol so was unsure how long to wait etc but it has really helped my milk supply so I'm having one now and again.

Please help :)

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There’s an argument for having it while feeding, as it can’t go into the milk that quickly but tbh, at 0.5% it’s a total non issue. Enjoy your beer!

I honestly do not think it will be adverse in any way! It's so low.
But hopefully someone who knows a bit more can come along and confirm

If you're sober enough to hold the baby your sober enough to feed the baby. The amount of alcohol transferred to breastmilk is unbelievably small, you don't need to wait to feed, pump and dump or anything else, there's no need to regulate your drinking more than you would if you were formula feeding and in charge of a baby.

There’s a photo of me drinking a glass of wine while feeding DC2.

Unless you’re drinking massive quantities it won’t affect your milk.

You can drink "real" full strength beer while breastfeeding if you like. The amount of alcohol that passes to the milk is tiny, I think you'd need to be falling down drunk before it would be enough to harm the baby (and then obviously you wouldn't be safe to be in charge of a baby...)

Don't do it if you co-sleep though x

When I had mine we were told a glass of wine or pint of beer was fine. I'm not recommending that but an alcohol free beer is absolutely fine (as is a few sips of champagne at a wedding)

You can have an ordinary beer/wine/any kind of drink while feeding. The amount that goes into milk is so miniscule it bearly registers. If you're worried drink it at the same time as feeding, then by the time it enters youf blood you will have a few hours before you need to feed agsin.

The 0.5% alcohol will be in your blood, processed by your kidneys. I doubt much if any will make it to your breast milk. I had a drink probably fortnightly (a single H&M not a bender) and didn’t wait between that and feeding. Research all points to a v small amount passing across x

You're fine to have a normal beer, if you want to

You can drink a real beer whilst breastfeeding. Enjoy

Have a proper beer and don't worry about it. It's perfectly safe to feed your baby immediately.

@EverdeRose

If you're sober enough to hold the baby your sober enough to feed the baby. The amount of alcohol transferred to breastmilk is unbelievably small, you don't need to wait to feed, pump and dump or anything else, there's no need to regulate your drinking more than you would if you were formula feeding and in charge of a baby.

This was exactly the advice I was given at our NHS breastfeeding session.

You are being really silly and paranoid for absolutely no reason. Have a real beer and relax.

Breast milk is made from your blood, so to have an effect on your baby, there would need to be a high enough alcohol content in your blood stream for the baby to get ‘drunk’.

You are far more likely to be incapacitated and unable to breastfeed your baby before your breast milk would contain enough alcohol to have an effect on your baby.

I drank it while breastfeeding. DS2 is now nearly 10 and absolutely fine.

@TooMinty

You can drink "real" full strength beer while breastfeeding if you like. The amount of alcohol that passes to the milk is tiny, I think you'd need to be falling down drunk before it would be enough to harm the baby (and then obviously you wouldn't be safe to be in charge of a baby...)

Don't do it if you co-sleep though x

This.

The issue is with being sober enough to look after a baby as so little is present in breast milk but it's funny because I've never seen a thread from someone formula feeding asking if they can have alcohol.

It’s ok to have an actual beer OP but I get where you are coming from. With my PFB I refused a champagne truffle just in case… DC2 seems fine after I’ve had a glass of wine. Though he is nearly two to be fair!

I drank as normal while breastfeeding. Like @EverdeRose said, if you’re sober enough to hold the baby then you’re good. The amount that passes through is incredibly incredibly small and won’t cause problems.

Ah cross posted with a few people 🙈 I'm pleased it has been acknowledged though.

You don’t need to wait any time at all. An amount that small simply won’t register in your milk.

@apintofwine

I drank as normal while breastfeeding. Like *@EverdeRose* said, if you’re sober enough to hold the baby then you’re good. The amount that passes through is incredibly incredibly small and won’t cause problems.

Me too (love your username!). I hate the fact that so many people think you can't drink when breastfeeding and that there is so much misinformation about it. I hate it as this kind of misinformation is the kind that would put some people off breastfeeding.

@TooMinty

You can drink "real" full strength beer while breastfeeding if you like. The amount of alcohol that passes to the milk is tiny, I think you'd need to be falling down drunk before it would be enough to harm the baby (and then obviously you wouldn't be safe to be in charge of a baby...)

Don't do it if you co-sleep though x

This is what I was told at NCT class. I had a two glasses of wine over the course of day on Sunday. After no alcohol for 9 months one drink is the limit!

Apparently if your drunk enough kill yourself ie completely paralytic drunk on litres of hard stuff, your breastmilk will then contain the same amount of alcohol as found naturally in orange juice.

Your fine to have a normal drink.

For your breast milk to contain as much alcohol as orange juice, you would have to be paralytically drunk.

Lol jinx @Caspianberg