"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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Ah thank you all 😁❤️ hope everyone is having a great summer

And as above, after a year of no drinking at all whilst pregnant, my limit now a year on is still just one small drink otherwise I start feeling tipsy already!

The comparison I was given with a glass of wine or beer is it would be like dropping a shot glass into an Olympic size swimming pool. Don't stress. Like others have said as long as you're safe to look after your baby, then enjoy a drink :)

Nah, you'll be fine!

I used to have a glass of wine or two whilst feeding - each to the their own, but it's like a shot in a swimming pool.

If I was going OUT OUT then I would pump and dump, but otherwise feed as normal.

It was either HV or midwife that said to me 'if you can hold the baby, you can feed the baby' - i.e. don't feed when totally leathered, but a bit of alcohol isn't going to do any harm x

I had a lovely pina colada last summer whilst breastfeeding my newborn. It was bliss! Don't worry about an alcohol free beer, honestly.

I had alcohol free beer in pregnancy but normal alcohol when breastfeeding it's absolutely fine

@Caspianberg

And as above, after a year of no drinking at all whilst pregnant, my limit now a year on is still just one small drink otherwise I start feeling tipsy already!

Yes! One of the perks of not drinking while pregnant is it turns you into a lightweight who is tipsy after 1 drink

0.5% beer is a non issue as PPs have said - the limiting factor is being too drunk to hold, look after baby safely or risk of falling asleep while feeding. The amount of alcohol in breast milk is negligible thankfully (still feeding DD 2 years and I drink a reasonable amount, capped by being parent in charge, not by breastfeeding).

This thread is really interesting. In my antenatal classes (I've got a 7-w-old) here in Spain, we were told absolutely no drinking while breastfeeding, and that the alcohol levels in breast milk would be the same as in blood. Still v low, obviously, but they said it would be passed to the baby.

I'm not saying this to argue against previous posts, I just find the different information a bit surprising! I'll be doing more research, because I'm absolutely desperate for a beer!

And obviously a 0.5% beer is going to be completely harmless, so OP definitely don't worry about it.

Also, we were told that, if you do have a drink, alcohol levels will peak 2 hours later, so no point waiting 2 hours then feeding, you're best feeding immediately or waiting longer. Again, just surprised at the different approaches.

There's more alcohol in a banana

Totally not an issue ! Enjoy it! I’ve had a glass or two of wine while nursing !

Just drink it!

Haha thanks @ParadiseLaundry, although realise it may not make me look too credible on this thread…

Really don’t like it all of the references in popular culture of “oh I’m not drinking as I’m breastfeeding”. It’s completely without foundation and spreads misinformation like you said. I definitely wouldn’t have breastfed for as long as I did if I thought I couldn’t have a drink!

Our NCT lady said we would need to drink at least 9 pints to register a very small effect on the baby - so I think a small beer is completely fine

There are plenty of 0.0% beers out there

What about during pregnancy? I bought an alcohol free cider the other week and it was amazing. Then saw it said alcohol content under 0.5. As it said alcohol free I hadn't even considered it till I read that

If you're worried about 0.5% ABV then you should also avoid ripe fruit
www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170222-our-ancestors-were-drinking-alcohol-before-they-were-human

(no, I'm not suggesting you avoid either!)

Gosh I drank quite a bit and thought nothing of it. Baby and milk supply all fine. Obviously I'm a terribly selfish person but the doctor said a few drinks is fine so I took him at his word. Both kids doing brilliantly. Relax, enjoy it!!

I think mis information is a good point with breastfeeding rates. Ds is now 1 year and I’m still feeding, having a small drink every so often hasn’t been key to this, but is is nice to not had to abstain completely for years. Pregnancy was 1 year, so if someone breastfeeds for 2-3 years, plus has a second/third child it’s potentially years and years of teetotal.

My midwife told me to have two pints of Guinness every day while I was bf Granted this was 20 years ago but still!

Enjoy your beer OP 🍻

It’s absolutely fine. You can drink those 0.5% things perfectly safely in pregnancy too, I love the gin and tonic cans.

Although I had to swerve the 0.0% beers in pubs because they made me psychosomatically half cut

Are the 0.0% beers/lagers any good though? I found it worth the 0.5% when I was pregnant.

Is the amount in your blood (milk) not enough to get someone drunk because it’s diluted in effect, by the rest of the blood in your body?