Breastfeeding and drinking question

[McKayz]

I was wondering if I can have a glass of wine or 2 while breastfeeding?

I'm planning a nice meal with DH as he's been away working for 8 weeks.

DD will only be about 2 weeks old if that makes any difference to things.

I don't want to cause her any harm but would like a glass if possible. Would I need to try to express before she fed?

Thanks

I think the official "advice" is to avoid alcohol...

Bizarrely, I was more relaxed about drinking when pregnant than I am when breastfeeding (I think because I felt my liver would do a good job of processing the alcohol whereas with b/feeding it goes straight into the milk). When I say "relaxed" I mean I'd have a couple of small glasses of wine a week, with meals. I don't really drink when breastfeeding - also as I don't seem to want to whereas I craved it during pregnancy (odd i know :) )

I think they don't advise pump n dump anymore. if you really want a glass then if it was me, I would have a small glass of wine just after I've fed DD and make sure I didn't feed her for another couple of hours. That might be tricky with a 2 week old so might be easier to wait till she's a bit older and feeds are more spaced out.

I had flu a few months ago and had whisky at night but I didn't feed for a few hours after.....

HTH

i know the official guidance is to avoid it, but one or two here and there doesn't hurt.

Apparently alcohol goes out of your breast milk at the same rate it leaves your blood (which is why pump and dump isn't needed - the alcohol isn't stored there, it cycles out on its own) - so if you fed her, then had a small glass of wine, then she went for a couple of hours before her next feed (I don't know if that's feasible with your little one) then you'd be absolutely free and clear. -

That's what I used to do if I fancied a drink (and still do, although he's much bigger now so I worry less about waiting, and he feeds less anyhow).

Personally I never noticed any effects even if I didn't wait - and it seems to me that a couple of glasses of wine diluted in my 8 or 9 pints of blood is still a lot less than was in gripe water which people my mother's age routinely gave to babies

Actually, I think NHS guidance is that one or two units once or twice a week is fine. I think you're even allowed the occasional drink when donating to a milkbank though am less certain about that one.

here's the official answer

The breastfeeding coordinator told me it was fine to have one or two glasses. If you felt you could drive a car you were fine to breast feed .

Thank you.

I might see how I feel when the time comes.

I looked this up just the other day. Like janmk says, if you're sober enough to drive you're sober enough to breastfeed. Also it's recommended you wait two hours from the last drop of alcohol to the next breast feed - the two hours is the time it takes to leave your milk. No need to pump and dump as a PP has already said. I think I found the info on kellymom but can't find to link atm

Further info here

Hi. Its up to you but I often have a couple of white wine spritzers at the weekend and feel comfortable about doing so.

Why do they say that if vomiting occurs as a result of drinking breastfeeding should be avoided till the next morning?

I presume that if your vomiting due to alcohol then you've probs had way way too much!

Fair point.

I guess I go from experience- after my first pregnancy and no drinking for 9 months plus 5 of little baby breastfeeding, I finally had a glass of wine and was so unused to booze that I promptly threw it up.

I do drink and breastfeed despite avoiding alcohol all through pregnancy. IMO a few glasses here and there is fine and I'm comfortable with it.

The only time I haven't fed her was after a night out with my NCT group where I'd been on sambuca at one point..... Not recommended at any point BF or no BF!

Enjoy your meal.

Just realised I typed my reply with in my hand... Hic.

I don't know whether I should say this or not, but I'm sat here with DS on my booby, and a half pint of magners pear cider!!

I'm not worrying

DD has just left my boob babylon. She'd only try and steal my now she is a complete piglet with a case of food envy. I draw the line at sharing with her

I drank last time I bfed and will at some point this time. It's a bit like drinking and driving, 1 unit takes about 1hr to clear from your milk. Your milk is constantly refreshed so this is how this happens. You should be fine

I have added wine to the asda shopping. So at least DH can have it if I don't.

Check out blood alcohol levels on wiki. Bm is about the same. So if I recall, after 1 drink bm would contain less alcohol than old style gripe water, and after a couple about the same as alcohol free beer.

I often have a glass or two

Actually you would be close to death/in a coma to have BM as alcoholic as alcohol free beer (which is generally 0.5%) - see first chart here. It would involve drinking a heck of a lot to get to that point and quite frankly if you can actually bf at that blood alcohol level is my only response!

Currently sipping my not-so Innocent smoothie with vodka over here!

Sorry TruthSweet. My mistake. Just wanted to point out that it was low.

BM after a couple of drinks is equivalent to orange juice IIRC but I can understand where/why you got the alcohol free beer from.

The cultural idea that bfing after drinking is dangerous is very entrenched - it can be dangerous though not usually from the actual alcohol in the breast milk (unless the mother is a habitual drinker and drinks daily then there are risks) but from the effects on the mother directly due to falling asleep/dropping the baby/overlaying the baby.

I remember a mother asking me how many DAYS she needed to express to make her milk safe for her baby if she was to go on a night out - she didn't know the danger was from her being drunk while feeding her baby not from the minute traces in her milk.