Can i use last nights expressed milk after drink?

[YouMaySayImADreamer]

Hi everyone

I am having a bit of trouble understanding this alcohol in breastmilk thing...

I went out for a meal last night with my dp for the first time leaving my ds with bottles of previously expressed milk (its taken me weeks just to get a store of 9oz!!).

I had consulted my local breastfeeding support cllrs about how much i could drink. They had advised that i could have 2 units (which for me would allow me 2 small glasses of wine) without stopping bf and anything over 2 units i would need to wait 12hrs. After responding to a thread on here last week with this advice though i was told this was a bit extreme/overcautious. Based on this i had a medium glass of wine before i left at 8pm, a probably medium-large glass with my meal (a pretty large mexican) and then another small glass. I had a pint of water when i returned hom and had enough expressed milk that i knew i wouldnt need to give a feed until around 5am. My last glass had been at 10.45pm. At around 2.30am the pain in my boobs from engorgement was so bad that i got up and pumped and to my amazement 8oz flew out. As someone who can never pump much, the thought of throwing this away kills me! So my question is, can i use this or would there be too much alcohol in it?

I have been told that alchol leaves the breastmilk at the same rate it leaves the blood so does this mean that this milk which had accumulated in my breasts could have contained alcohol at some point in the night but that with time it would have left the milk and therefore the same milk would have returned to being completely alcohol free? Because i have been told that there is no need to pump and dump as long as you have left enough time between drinking and feeding.

Or does this milk completely become replaced? Because as one of my local bf support cllrs told me, our breasts are factories, not warehouses apparently. I cant see how this is true though because wouldnt they maintain the same level of milk that is always needed at that time rather thanaccumulating all of the milk from missed feeds and becoming engorged?

My breastfeeding days are long behind me, but my feeling is that it should be ok. As far as I know, it is the case that alcohol leaves the milk at the same rate as it leaves the blood. Also, I do believe alcohol is metabolised at a rate of 1 unit per hour (may need to check that), so assuming you had 5 units starting at 8 pm, your body will have had 6.5 hours to metabolise those so any trace of alcohol should be minimal or nil.

Have you looked on the Kellymom website? They have info on alcohol and breastmilk [http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/alcohol/ here]

Link fail, here

Sorry for the delay in replying but thats great thank you! I worked out that i had approx 4.5 units starting at 8pm and finishing at 10.45pm before expressing the milk at 2.30am. Is it an hour per unit from the first or last drink do you know?

Thanks very much for your advice

From the first drink, because you start metabolising the alcohol straight away.
I just double checked my "1 unit per hour" on the drinkaware website, and yes, they agree :)

Thats brilliant thanks so much! Im pretty happy that i can use that precious 8oz i pumped!!

Ooh, also meant to tell you that when I used to pump, I found that the most productive time was first thing in the morning when my boobs were full. I'd put DD to feed on one boob, and harvest the other and it would just literally pour out. It was really slow and difficult at any other time.

Ahh thanks I have heard this, but the problem with me is that DS feeds from both boobs at every feed and feeds at around 2-2.5 hourly intervals during the night so there is never much left in the morning! Might be an option when he starts to go longer between feeds during the night though!