Pints & breastfeeding

[Bashinthecattick]

Was in the pub and this mum walks in. Really cute tiny baby. Got chatting and she told she me had baby 4 days earlier.
Frankly I was astonished she was in the pub and not comatose but good for her if she's happy and can manage. It wasn't a mad rave, but middle of the day, family pub and she clearly felt able.
Sat down, mum on next table. She then went onto order about a pint (at this point I was just in earshot).
But over the next two hours she ordered three more (all alcohol - I was earwigging) and drank them all while breastfeeding.
Ok, yes, I judged. I said nothing, of course. She seemed pretty steady, not slurring etc. Was I an arsehole? Do people do this?

That’s just to avoid having packs of little kids in the pub though, not because they care about Mama 4 pints

She drank four pints of beer?? That’s a lot for anyone in one go! Maybe she’s celebrating post pregnancy, but that’s a LOT.

I’d be least worried from a BF perspective, as it’s not the same as drinking while the baby’s in utero - but still…

I’ve no idea how you know it was ‘pints’ though?
I sat with my heavily pregnant friend recently and she put away 4 pints of beer. Except they were all non alcoholic.

It won't get into her breast milk so don't judge her about that.

Most women would still be in shock/ in bed/hospital etc so if anything I'd be impressed.

Obviously different if she was actually drunk with a 4 day old.

I was at my church young adults group with a three day old newborn, so I wouldn't be surprised about a mother being out and about.

I could literally hear her order, it was a small place. She ordered booze. I ordered booze. Everyone was ordering booze. There were no booze-free orders, believe me.

If you can imagine throwing one shot of vodka in a swimming pool. That's the amount! Bore of judgey mc judge face

I can’t believe how people are deliberately missing the point on this thread - four pints in, how are you safe to take care of a newborn?!

This is sort of it, right. Because I think 4 pints is a lot.

People that get upset about this just don’t understand biology. As others have said you need to drink essentially enough to be unconscious to have alcoholic breast milk

the alcohol level in breast milk is the same as the blood alcohol level not the alcohol level of what you drink. This is very different from drinking when pregnant when you and baby have the same blood alcohol level

So roughly four pints will get you you a blood alcohol of 0.8% and therefore a breast milk with an alcohol percentage of 0.8% - so the amount of alcohol in an orange juice (not that you should feed newborns orange juice)

so to have breast milk of a percentage we would actual consider an alcoholic drink say 5% you would need a BAC of 5% - but humans pass out at a BAC of around 3% so to get alcoholic breast milk you need to drink more than is possible with staying awake

what is a much bigger danger is dropping the baby or passing out on the sofa with a baby - this can be easily mitigated by having another adult (say the child’s father ensure the baby is put to bed safe)

Yes, I don’t dispute this. But you didn’t mention judging him in your OP, only the mum.

Another adult? At 4 days old, a baby will want mum, so in my opinion shouldn’t be drinking enough that she’s not capable/safe to look after the baby. And my partner would also have wanted to be able to look after his new baby too so I don’t think dads should be drinking either. What sort of parent doesn’t want to be available to their new baby and would choose to have 4 pints instead.

The infant feeding specialist midwife at the hospital where I had DS cited a study where women drank 3 glasses of wine and their breastmilk was tested immediately after drinking, and then at (IIRC) hourly intervals for a couple hours afterwards. The highest concentration of alcohol in the milk was the equivalent of 1 shot of vodka mixed with 70 litres of milk, i.e. negligible amounts. I think she said that amount of alcohol is less than you would find in a very ripe banana (not that anyone is giving their 4 day old bananas I hope, but if they were, I assume your primary concern wouldn't be the alcohol content!)
Based on that, I went to the pub with my parents and 5 day old DS and had a couple glasses of wine. Judge away 🤷🏼‍♀️

Well I’d judge too and I think if you’re drinking that many pints when bf and your baby is a few days old then you have a problem. That’s not like 1 glass of wine with dinner when bf which I think is fine. I personally didn’t drink at all when bf but I don’t have any issues with anyone having an odd one but this is more than that

@Bashinthecattick do you have children? Have you breastfed?

What's wrong with taking a newborn out?! I took my first out to Costa the day after he was born - is that ok? I felt pretty amazing four days postpartum with both mine, it was a few weeks later that I felt most crappy, as the self deprivation really started to bite.

I don't think anyone should really be drinking four pints and looking after a baby, but I don't think it would have been any better if she'd been giving the baby a bottle. People insisting, with no evidence, that you have to be really careful what you eat and drink is one of the things that puts women off breastfeeding entirely unnecessarily.

I honestly just find it impossible for you to know exactly what she was drinking or apparently to have heard her order at the bar each and every time when you also say it was a rowdy/ lively bunch.

Yes, I can't and I didn't get drunk in the pub when they were four days old - not because of breastfeeding (which people are becoming fixated on) but because they are newborn babies and I think it's unwise to be pissed in care of a child.

@Bashinthecattick
Would you have started a thread 'Formula Feeding and Pints'?

I think not.

You've conflated two issues - drinking whilst breastfeeding vs. drinking and taking care of a newborn.

You aren't gonna smash through four pints at Costa though.

That's fair.

People are focusing on the breastfeeding, which is neither here nor there.

If you are capable of looking after a baby, you haven;t had nearly enough to get into your milk. There's no issue at all drinking 4 pints and using the milk, the only real issue is if you are capable of looking after the baby and not forgetting it/dropping it/ rolling over on it in your sleep.

I could have done it fine on three pints, four might have pushed me over the edge....

Who notices these details about a stranger in the pub? I take it that it was a slow evening for you OP??

As for your question, I echo what others have said; the breastfeeding/drinking thing isn't a problem. Educate yourself before you judge. However, 4 pints is quite a lot! I couldn't take it, but we're all different. I'm in awe that she was able to drink so much shortly after childbirth, and presumably on severe lack of sleep etc. Wow! Must be made of strong stuff!

I was replying to the person saying that the issue was the baby being out at all, which I found really strange.

@Bashinthecattick inthink there are two issues here . Getting tipsy while breastfeeding - fine, as a minimal amount gets into the milk. Being so drunk you can’t look after a newborn - not ok…the latter all depends on your reaction to drink etc.