how long does it take for alcohol to pass through your system?

[duckcentral]

Had a big work-do last night and I'm wondering whether I should b/f 5 week old this morning. She has bottle top-ups anyway after each feed so I just gave her the formula bottle first thing this morning given my concern about lots of alcohol still in my system. Can I b/f her later? how long does it take alcohol to clear out of your system?

Also, having not had any caffeine during pregnancy, I'm now enjoying large cafetieres of coffee each day. I know this isn't very good for me but is it ok to b/f while doing this?

how much to drink?

I would think you'd be fine tbh.

I restrict myself to one real coffee a day (fully bfed 7 week old) but not sure why or whether it is contraindicated, sorry

ahh poor you...bigwork do and up at 6.56!

no knowledge im afraid...but it would of course depend on when you stopped drinking

ds wouldnt tolerate any trace of boozing...i think it made the milk taste different?...and as a result i didnt drink anything for yonks.

i wouldnt want my baby to get any caffeine,you know in principle...wakey wakey and all that.gawd knows if it passes into you r breast milk...ill watch this thread!

ive taken yonks writing this you and baby are prob back in bed!

Well the caffeine will pass through to the baby, that's why it isn't always advised. It could make your baby more jumpy and harder to settle. If you aren't noticing any side-effects I would not worry.

The alcohol takes roughly 1 hour per unit to leave your body, and apparently it leaves the milk at the same rate. So if you had, say, 10 units, finishing at 2 am, the alcohol will be gone from your bloodstream at about midday.

Googling comes up with \link{http://www.cfpc.ca/cfp/2002/Jan/vol48-jan-clinical-1.asp\this} which looks terribly complicated. I have often seen people on here advised that it's fine to drink and breastfeed - however it's not clear cut. I'm of the opinion that it isn't worth the risk so I think you're wise. Hope this is some help.

Found this on caffeine:

"Your baby may be more irritable and feed more frequently if you ingest a lot of caffeine. Babies can't get rid of caffeine efficiently, so it can build up in their systems. Remember, caffeine can be found in chocolate, soft drinks, and some herbal teas and medications, in addition to coffee and tea. Too much caffeine can also cause sleep problems and nervousness."

from babycenter.com

Who knows what their definition of 'a lot' is :)

I never worry about bf after one or two drinks, but never drank lots before baby was about 6 mths (partly because was too tired to stay awake and hold a glass at the same time!!)
Agree with franny, you should try and wait til lunchtime - ish if you had lots last night.

Don't know about coffee, I am a tea drinker!

Tea has caffeine in it too. Whilst DS was under 6m, I always drank decaff tea and coffee, just as I did when pg. I can't really say I notice much difference in taste, but when I have a normal tea or coffee when out, my heart starts racing, and I feel very agitated. Wouldn't want to pass this on to the baby!

Re drinking, I'd go with the unit an hour theory. I've heard of people expressing a few feeds after a heavy drinking session to get rid of the 'tainted' milk. Don't know if this works though.

I think the 'pump and dump' method is pointless for alcohol, because alcohol doesn't stay in the milk, it enters the milk and then leaves it slowly, as it does with your bloodstream.

ooooh really f&z...learn something new everyday.

could you expand a little more on that?...no pressure ...nor high brow expalnatios required,im just interested...

From the earlier link:

"Because alcohol elimination follows zero-order kinetics, drinking water, resting, or “pumping and dumping” breast milk will not accelerate elimination.12 Unlike urine, which stores substances in the bladder, alcohol is not trapped in breast milk, but is constantly removed as it diffuses back into the bloodstream"

and from Kellymom:

"Alcohol peaks in mom's blood and milk approximately 1/2-1 hour after drinking (but there is considerable variation from person to person, depending upon how much food was eaten in the same time period, mom's body weight and percentage of body fat, etc.). Alcohol does not accumulate in breastmilk, but leaves the milk as it leaves the blood; so when your blood alcohol levels are back down, so are your milk alcohol levels."

I am sorry I can't explain better myself, as I don't truly understand how it does it, just that it does :)

cheers ...i didnt go to the link

makes so much sense whenyou think about it...mother nature eh?

Hummm, difficult to compute how much when people are pressing drinks on you in a pub (been off work on maternity leave so first time back to see everyone). Say it mounted up to the equivalent of a bottle of wine . How many units is that? Think I will err on the side of caution. I don't think I would be that worried b/f after a glass of wine but given the amount last night and the fact that I still don't feel as fresh as a daisy right now :), perhaps I'd better postpone b/f for a bit.

Oh dear on your views on coffee. Had better cut down but I dooo enjoy it after having cut it out for so long. Bother.

PS from a baby effect/breast feeding point of view, do you think it is better/worse to have loads in one go and then nothing for the rest of the week or a regular, but smaller, dose (re coffee, mainly)?

I would think little and regular better then binging, partly because alcohol and caffeine are both addictive and so both you and the baby will be having withdrawal symptoms every time you binge then stop. Drinking large quantities will also encourage you to drink a larger quantity, more often.

\link{http://www.wrecked.co.uk/noframes/units.html\Here's} an online calculator for alcohol units.

(I think a bottle of wine is about 8 units)

I would consider pumping not to get rid of the alcohol but at only 5 weeks you are still building up your supply and not feeding/expressing for a long time period at this stage could effect your supply. Hope your night out was worth it!

I'm pretty sure the official rate it takes 1 hour to get rid of 1 unit out of your bloodstream and if your within the legal limit to drive then its ok to feed your baby.
debs

I have been wondering about alcohol and breast feeding also. Having been dry for 9 months the idea of 9+ more like this is jolly depressing!

There have been threads on this in the past. My own opinion is that it is absolutely fine to have a drink and breastfeed. We are not talking being blind drunk every day. Very little alcohol passes through to milk anyway. Tiktok has good info on it. Breastmilk after mum drinking is still superior to formula

Thanks v. much mears! I just want 2 glasses now and then. What is tiktok? A person? A website?

tiktok is a B/F counsellor. Try a search for her

mears - what about coffee? Is a couple of mugs of instant a day acceptable?

ok thanks!

Hi Duck

I regularly drunk (not loads,maybe three glasses over an evening) while breastfeeding with no ill effects.

To be honest,would be more concerned about the formula top ups. The less you b/feed her,the less your boobs are primed to produce milk so you may find that very soon your supply dwindles and you are completely on bottles,which may not be what you want.

Just a thought.

thread here

I would drink coffee too if I wanted.