Breastfeeding and Alcohol....your experiences

[Cate737]

Does anyone really know how much alcohol gets in to the baby's milk? Do you completely give up or drink as you normally would as your not pregnant anymore?

The majority of websites/books/hcp I spoke to suggest it's ok to have a moderate amount (a glass or 2 of wine or beer) paced sensibly with food or on a full stomach.
I've done this. I have some wine or cider with dinner about twice a week.

Thanks. Just find it interesting . I do like a glass of wine with dinner but I just wonder why its not talked about more often. Of if there had been any studies on it. Maybe they get affected more by windy foods such as cauliflower!!

I have half a glass a couple of times a week

There have been a lot of threads in here - look in breast and bottle feeding. The amount of alcohol in your breast milk is the same level as in your blood so you will be physically incapable of looking after your baby before the alcohol affects it at all.

Hi Cate, I was wondering this myself recently! I have half a glass of wine every night with a meal. I never have any more than this. I had the same during pregnancy. I read somewhere that it won't affect the baby unless it affects you. Can't remember where I read this. So if you feel drunk, they're saying it is likely the baby will be affected. Apart from when I drunk nearly a whole bottle of wine when I was pregnant by about 10 weeks (I didn't know I was preg!) I have drunk hardly any alcohol. B/F for me has been a positive experience and has actually made me alot healthier.

As people have said it works like in your blood they won't be any studies as they can't test it really but it takes about 3 hours for a large glass of normal % wine to leave your system a little less for a pint of 4% cider\beer etc xx

I know...you hear so many stories about drinking whilst breast feeding ...as every one has their own opinion...especially as they haven't done studies on it so there is no hard evidence on how much actually gets into the milk. I feel guilty eating and drinking anything that I think may affect her...but as she is my 5th child..my eldest being 20... I've always wondered how it affect them. Oh well...I suppose as long as your sensible like u said Booseymum then I can't see a problem....

Cate they have done studies! As obviously you don't have to feed a boozy milk you can just pump it there are no ethical issues to doing that. LLL have a page about it, which suggests drinking after a feed and not more than 2 I believe.
www.laleche.org.uk/news/alcohol-and-breastfeeding there is an odd bit where they talk of one un named high alcohol drink which takes 15 hours to wear off ... I wonder if they mean a whole glass of spirits (as wine and beer take an hour or 2 per glass). Who just drinks a huge glass of gin?!

Safe up to 300 mg blood alcohol they say (thats REELING drunk) ... but they recommend under 80 mg (drink drive limit ).

The issue is more that you would be incapable of safely caring for your baby, should you drink too much.

Especially if co-sleeping.

That's the danger rather than amount of alcohol passed through to BM.

I'm BF a toddler, i have drank a bottle of wine in the evening. I made sure i didn't sleep in the same bed with him and didn't nurse for 12 hours after my last drink.

This was a one off, unexpected and I don't plan to repeat.

A glass or 2 after last feed is harmless in relation to alcohol passing through BM, from the studies I've read. Just co-sleeping very careful if co-sleeping.