Having the odd glass of wine when breast feeding?

[YellowCanary1]

What are the recommendations if you want to have the odd glass of wine when breast feeding. Is it ok to have after a feed and then feed again a couple of hours later or are you recommended to pump and dump the next feed?

After a year and a half of abstaining completely (while trying and pregnant, and through miscarriages - dc now 6 weeks) and with a couple of big celebrations coming up I'd like to be able to have the odd glass - does that make me a bad mother?!

[goodbyeyellowbrickroad]

Here's some good info to have a read through:

kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/alcohol/

For what it's worth I breastfeed and have a glass or 2 of wine a few nights a week. The lactation consultant and breastfeeding counsellor I met with several times assured me that there was no harm in it as long as you didn't get absolutely plastered.

[sleepyhead]

frogletpoglet - where did you get your advice? I'd be really interested to hear about the scientific research that you read, or the health professional that you spoke to who equated a breastfeeding mother drinking alcohol with feeding it directly to the baby on a spoon.

Because oddly, all the advice I've ever read or been given by health professionals is the same as the majority of the advice on this thread.

[MrsMannie]

I asked our consultant paed about this when DS in hospital with reflux. She said "whatever it takes to keep you sane"

[smileyhappymummy]

And from the nhs....
Research shows that it is not harmful to Drink 1-2 units a week whilst breastfeeding.
www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/958.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=135#close
So go ahead and enjoy your glass of wine!

[phantomhairpuller]

Wahey! my first deleted post

[leedy]

I'm happy to read opinions, but I'm also happy to read people pointing out that those opinions are total nonsense.

The LLL link above, for instance, gives some actual scientific facts from actual doctors rather than mad scaremongering. The greatest danger from drinking and BF is dropping the baby, not giving them alcohol poisoning.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

froglet I was actually told by an obstetric consultant that a glass of red an hour or so before a feed could be helpful for a colicky baby.

My family are medics and have always kept my glass topped up. Plenty of excellently qualified advice here thanks. Love to know where you got yours from?

And actually, the BF specialist midwife who helped me get feeding established with DS1 said that the dangers of formula were far greater than the dangers of a mother having a glass or two of wine every evening as she sat feeding.

[Stripedmum]

I drink between one and one and a half glasses of wine (sometimes two!) a night. I did this with DS too. For me it's time to unwind after a hard day with a toddler and baby. Flame me but it's essential for me and my sanity. It's as much as what it represents as it is about the content in all probability.

I do worry about the impact. It hasn't had any discernable imapact on DS (maybe cheekiness!!).

I figure though that it's still probably better to breastfeed than use formula. She's getting 'clean' milk all day and she usually sleeps through the night (about 10-6.30) so I guess my milk will have had chance to clear in that time.

It works for me and hopefully won't be of any detriment to my children. I also figure women breastfeed through medication (ADs for example) and it's a bit of a calculated risk as the exact effects aren't known. I suppose I'm taking a calculated risk.

[NoTeaForMe]

My 7 week old is really cluster feeding in the evenings at the moment. Actually she's kind I doing that all the time in this heat. Am
I still ok to have some wine? Sorry for the hijack op!

[poorbuthappy]

Ummmm the dangers of formula?
That didn't take long did it?

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

NoTea - yes :)

poor those were her words. What she meant was the fact that FF babies have increased risk of things like gastro problems, ear infections and so on.

I'm not being fighty about it, just saying what is true.

[supergreenuk]

Adding my comment for solidarity. I drank on occasions while feeding but just a glass or 2. As others have said try to time it well. You sound very sensible and thinking of your baby. X

[lurcherlover]

Alcohol on a spoon would be bad for my baby. However, my baby is three months old, so cow's milk, porridge, soup, orange juice and dirt coke would all be pretty bad for her too. I've had all those things today, what if I've damaged her in some way? Perhaps I should live on breastmilk alone as clearly anything I eat passes directly to my baby, unfiltered.

How ridiculous. Froglet, no-one would crush 2 paracetamol tablets and give them to a baby. Clearly that would be an overdose for a young child. But it's fine for a mother to swallow those two tablets (and to do that up to 4 times in 24 hours) and breastfeed her baby. Because, amazingly, not everything we eat and drink transfers straight to the milk undiluted. The amount of alcohol in breastmilk after one glass of wine is tiny. You simply cannot compare it to giving the baby wine from a spoon.

Op, I am bfing and enjoy a glass of wine a couple of times a week. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Well done for bfing and enjoy a drink.

[lurcherlover]

Diet coke not dirt coke!

[StuckOnARollercoaster]

I finally had my first (and second!) glass of prosecco last night. Following advice from here and other bf sites I actually had it whilst doing the last bf of the evening and it was bloody lovely!
Now things are calming down (we're at 4 week's) I think it will be my weekend treat :-)

[Slippysnow]

Hi, just wondering what the guidance is about spirits, I'm not looking to binge drink, but my fave drink is gin and tonic, is that a real no no, I've abstained throughout pregnancy just wondered how it fitted with bf

Thanks

[SpooMoo]

Slippy - all the guidance above still applies. Look into units of alcohol if you want a direct comparison.