Christmas, alcohol and breastfeeding

[BabaTaz]

Can anyone give me a straight answer about alcohol and breastfeeding as everything I read/hear seems to contradict itself.

DD will be around 20 weeks and is still a little unpredicable about when she will want to feed so I can never be sure how long I have.

I've never been a big drinker and hate being drunk [boring old fart emotion!] but like to have a bucks fizz with breakfast, a glass of wine with the meal and a baileys in the evening.

Can I get away with this and should I try and wait a certain period of time before feeding - this could be difficult as DD is a stubborn little thing and doesn't do waiting

I realise there probably isn't a hard and fast rule but would love to hear what other more experienced breastfeeders do at Christmas.

I'm sure that statistically so very little alcohol gets into your milk that it's not worth worrying about, especially with the amounts you mention drinking. I happily feed DS who's coming up for nine months, after a couple of glasses of wine!

There's a nother thread on this at the moment - Xmas, alcohol and expressing is the title.

A couple of drinks are fine though - the amounts in your breastmilk are tiny and won't harm your baby.

Thanks Scootergrrrl, I was so careful during the pregnancy that's over a year since I last had alcohol so feel a little odd planning to drink again!

Whoops Moon, didn;t spot that one. Will go have a look now

Here is what Kellymom says about alcohol

What you suggest sounds fine to me (it will be my first bfing Christmas too!). Key thing to remember is - if you'd be ok to drive then you're ok to bf.

As for timing, Kellymom says alcohol peaks in blood (and breastmilk) 0.5 - 1 hours after you've had the drink, but even this is a bit hit and miss as you sound more like a sipper than a downer to me! I would just drink as you plan to, feed on demand and enjoy the day!

Ooops, xposted with everyone else - what a popular thread!

My DS is the same so I can't predict when he will want a feed, I am just going to have a glass of wine with dinner and maybe a drink in the evening.

The way I see it I had the odd glass of wine when I was pregnant, well within guidelines, and that is surely much worse than feeding after a glass of wine!

oh just read that you didn't drink at all when pregnant, so that doesn't help you.

I do like the suggestion on the other thread though that you could have a drink after every feed if they're a couple of hours apart and STILL no alcohol would go through to the baby
Enjoy Christmas with your baby.

Thanks all, will look forward to a glass or 2 to celebrate.

Congrats to everyone else looking forward to their first Christmas with their babies

OP - i think what you are planning sounds fine. the alcohol level in your blood is never going to get very high with drinks spaced out like that.

you can't get drunk anyway, someone needs to be looking after the baby (and a bouncing baby/child at 6am with a sore head is no fun!)

i always think if i'd be happy to be driving then it's ok, usually 1 small glass of wine.