(Small) glass of vino most nights - how bad is it really when bf?

[coveredinflour]

Hello!

So, here's the thing. I am rather fond of the occasional glass of (good quality) wine. While I was pg and for the first few months of bf I almost completely abstained (we're talking a half glass of champagne on our wedding anniversary and at Christmas / a wedding). However, as time has gone on I find myself fancying a little glass in the evening when DD has gone to bed, especially after a tough day - which is most days!

DD is now 8 months and I feel guilty when I have a glass and then have to feed her when she wakes up later in the evening. Normally she will sleep until about 10 / 11ish which is a couple of hours after I have had the wine and even then I feel bad, but its worse if she wakes up earlier.

Of course, I probably shouldn't have any at all, and it certainly doesn't seem worth it when I am feeling rotten for feeding my baby alcoholic milk, but is it really all that bad? My life has changed so much since having a baby, don't go out to dinner or anything - have been out with DH alone once since DD was born - having a little glass of wine with dinner is such a nice treat. Should I give it up?

Think nhs guidelines when breastfeeding are no more than 2 units per day? So what you're describing would be within that?

I could have written that post!

Thanks princess yes that's true but it also says abstinence is better... I guess perhaps I should limit myself to no more than one small glass twice a week...

It only says abstinence is better because no-one can prove alcohol does no harm - there's no evidence to show that it's harmful. What you're describing is exactly what I did and DS is absolutely fine.

PS You're not feeding your baby "alcoholic milk" - if you have one small glass of wine the concentration of alcohol in your milk is the same as in your blood, i.e absolutely minute.

You might be interested in reading this:

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

I'm still breastfeeding my DS who is now 15 months and have drunk alcohol throughout. I've never fed him drunk and before he started sleeping through the night I wouldn't have more than 1 glass of wine in the evening. So I say enjoy your glass of wine!

The amount of alcohol in your milk will be absolutely minimal. The average person processes alcohol at one unit an hour, so a small glass of wine will be out of your system (and your milk) in 2 hours.

I have read the research linked to on kellymom and feel absolutely comfortable enjoying a glass of wine every so often. There's no evidence it causes harm if you wait for it to clear before feeding again. The only time I don't drink is if I'm co-sleeping because it raises the risk of SIDS.

What Petcat said. You process alcohol in your body at roughly the same rate as it would take to pass into your milk - i.e. by the time it takes for the alcohol in one glass to reach your milk, it will largely have been processed away IYSWIM.

The fact that you can't prove it does harm means you can't prove it doesn't so why take the risk - is it really worth it just for a glass of wine? Isn't there any other treat that you could have?

I breastfeed 1 year old DD and most evenings have one or two small glasses of wine. It is relaxing. I didn't really for the first few months because we co-sleep. Now she goes to bed at 7 and I go to bed at 11ish so it has worked out of my system.

During my antenatal classes we had a talk from a doctor who said it was fine to a have a small drink. Being drunk was not, although presumably you wouldn't be drunk in charge of a baby anyway. He recommended red wine rather than fizz which he said (anecdotally) can cause colic!

There are lots of things we with our DC every day which are inherently risky and do anyway, but IIRC the proven benefits for your DC of continuing to breastfeed outweigh the possible risks associated with the tiny amount of alcohol passed to them in your milk.

Thanks guys! I think I'll just try to limit to a couple of times a week (to be honest it isn't really more than that, just the last couple of weeks it has been a bit more frequent)

Gretagrape yes of course I could abstain completely but, and I promise I am not a complete alcoholic, it is one of the few things that I really enjoy and look forward to after a stressful day with a v active DD. I don't get drunk, just a little glass while cooking and with dinner, but then ruin it by feeling so damn guilty afterwards...

Sometimes I have non-alcoholic beer but I am not really a beer-drinking gal. Fizzy water with lime is my other go-to alternative. But sometimes you just really, really want a glass of pinot grigio! ;-)

There's tons of evidence that small amounts of alcohol do no harm and in any case alcohol is quickly process out of breastmilk, at a rate of 1 to 1.5 hrs per unit.

The doctor who said fizzy stuff could cause colic is talking rubbish - anecdotal stuff or not. How does the fizz get into the milk????!

What tiktok said, plus keep the glass of wine for as many nights as you need within the limits we all know, raising children is bloody hard work and looking forward to a break helps going through the day. Leave the guilt behind you, you need to keep your sanity.

I had a small glass of champagne on my wedding anniversary, fed DD over an hour later, and she went on to have the worst night's sleep in her life. Truly awful. Put me off doing it again! No idea whether it was the alcohol, I normally drink appletiser in the evenings so it wasn't the fizz.

Sorry was implying champagne by saying fizz, rather than fizzy drinks in general. Agree seems a tenuous link though

I think you can drink if you like. Anyone who drinks lots when they have to get up to a baby in the night is crazy, but if you can bear to get up then you haven't drunk too much imo! Don't feel guilty, or you might as well not bother.

Totally safe, it's misogynist crap to say otherwise. Science says it's fine, paternalistic prays who think women can't make sensible decisions say otherwise.

Prats not prays!