Alcohol and breastfeeding ... lots of conflicting advice

[sheeplikessleep]

Am off on holiday on Saturday for 10 days (whoop!). DS2 is 6 months old.

If I drink 1 beer or small glass of wine after DS2 is asleep each evening (he tends then to not wake until 11-12, so should be out of my system in terms of the next feed).

But, the alcohol would obviously add up to quite a lot across the 10 days, even just one bottle of beer a night. If it has worked it's way out of my system, are there any effects on DS?

I'm happy to abstain and have only had the odd beer, probably no more than 5 or so since DS2 has been born. Naturally, as Im off on holiday, I would like to drink more if I know it's not going to harm DS in any way or my supply.

Any information very much appreciated - thanks

Try this BfN leaflet or the http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/pdfs/Alcohol_and_Breastfeeding_March_2009.pdf. Have a good holiday .

Ooops, that was supposed to say factsheet

Thanks Brollyflower - that factsheet is good! Seems that total weekly consumption is more influential on my health than the baby's. From reading that, it seems more influential how much is drunk at once and how long after drinking the baby is fed. Interesting that non-alcoholic beer is quite good! I might alternate each night.

Loopumumsy - that's interesting. Mind you, DS2 is still up between 2 and 4 times after midnight for a feed, tiredness is pretty much a given at the moment

Thanks for posting

Interesting thread - DD is one month old and EBF, she goes down around 9 and doesn't wake until 3 so I am thinking it's time for a small drink then :-)

at one month old sleeping for longer than my 6 month old

There was a thread on this lately where the all knowing tictok worked out how much alcohol would get in to your bm if you drank a litre of wine...which is a lot by anyones standards. The answer seems not much. Certainly not compared to old school gripe water

My ds is seven months and i regularly have a glass or even two . I deliberatly choose really low volume wine (eleven percent as opposed to crazy new world fourteens) but on the odd occasion have found myself getting slightly tipsy, and then stopped!

Obviously no one would advocate getting drunk with a baby, bf or not, but the odd glass isn't what i'd consider a risk. Also it never put ds off or made him any more unsettled than normal! Do have a look for previous threads on this as it comes up quite often and that in itself may help you feel better! I remember wondering about posting about this when i first joined mn but worried i'd be judged, but luckily someone got there before me.

My babys 10 weeks and on two occasions i've had 2 drinks. Both times it was once baby was asleep so she didn't wake for a feed til 5. It didn't seem to make any difference to her behaviour/sleep pattern but the next day I've had a less milk. I don't think having the odd drink will do any harm, but you just need to do what you feel comfortable with!
I know what you mean about conflicting advice though, nobody really seems to know

Have a good holiday!

I regularly have a glass of wine with dinner and I cant say it makes the slightest bit of difference to DS's behaviour.

Breast milk is produced and fills your breasts continuously over time and then stored so I dont understand how drinking a set amount of time before feeding would help.... surely it would still be in there from whenever you drank the alcohol???

As I understand it you would have to get totally bladdered for enough milk to make any significant difference got through to the child. Then the risk from you feeding and holding the child your incapacitated state would be higher than any risk from alcohcol in your breast milk IMO!!

Everything in moderation I'd say!

Ooh just read on that leaflet that the alcohol level in your stored milk goes up and down with your blood level.... the human body never fails to amaze me!

Op, throughout my pregnancy I tried different alcohol free beers so that I could have an odd shandy. I found the best to be becks blue. The others I tried were pretty rotten. I still drink becks blue now that i'm breastfeeding when I feel like a shandy! I'm on my hols this week and I have had the odd glass of cava with my dinner after my dd went to bed. It took me three nights to drink one bottle and that included pouring a glass down the sink! Oh how things change when you have a dc!

My breasfeeding counsellor actually recommended a small glass of beer to boost my milk production! Who am I to argue with a professional...?

loopymumsy I didn't like it at all. Agree that its better cold though.