Breastfeeding and alcohol??

[spearo21]

Hello :)

I'm sure this has been asked a million times but I'm looking fir some advice when it comes to consuming alcohol whilst breastfeeding..

So I have a 6 month old baby boy and I'm going to a festival on Sunday and was planning on having a few drinks. I've been expressing for weeks to get enough milk for when I'm not there (very hungry baby and I never get the chance to express much as he is always eating it feels like) so I have that covered but I'm wondering how long it will be before I can feed him again. Most things I read are for every 1 unit - 3 hours not feeding but then people I know have said to just wait 12 hours after your last drink and you'll be fine??? I don't drink alcohol very often so I'm just a bit unsure.

TYIA :)

You'll be absolutely fine the next morning. Negative effects of alcohol and breastfeeding are almost entirely based on long term drinking above the recommended units- I've had a few drinks and still done my night feeds.. I read some good research, I'll have a look for it!

www.laleche.org.uk/alcohol-drink/

If you’re in a fit state to look after your baby then you’re safe to feed. Advice to pump and dump or to only feed stone cold sober is nonsense. Very little alcohol gets through to breast milk. There’s more alcohol in fresh orange juice than there is in the milk of a mother who’s had one drink

Yeah i suppose I'm just wondering as it's an all day thing and whilst I won't be reckless I'll be having a good few drinks I'd imagine. Just don't want to risk anything. :)

You'll be metabolising it anyway and if you take it fairly steady, will be fine, after all, the idea of being hungover and having to deal with night wakings or the next day................

I haven't ever had more than two since DS born and he was one at the weekend, any more would be torture!

It basically leaves your breast milk at the same rate it leaves your body so 1 unit per hour so unless you are binge drinking it will be fine the next day.

I wish the nhs would stop making womne worry about drinking and b/feeding, it’s in milk at roughly the same concentration as your blood. The danger would come from being too drunk to look after a baby, not breastmilk.

The legal driving limit in the UK is 0.08 per cent. If your alcohol level is higher than 0.15 per cent you are unmistakably drunk. If it goes above 0.55 per cent you simply drop dead. Therefore, it’s absolutely impossible for breastmilk to contain more than 0.55 per cent alcohol.”

However, as Gonzalez points out: “Alcohol-free beer can legally contain nearly double this level - up to 1 per cent alcohol. Consequently, even the breastmilk of a completely inebriated mother could be bottled and labelled ‘alcohol free’.”

Considering doctors will prescribe drugs like ranitidine for babies that contain a lot more alcohol than 0.55%, the occasional tipsy breastfeed clearly wont harm.

Just pace yourself and drink lots of water and you’ll be fine. I drink every weekend, a couple glasses on Friday evening or Saturday, a few if we’re having Sunday lunch, etc. I’ve never been drunk obviously but I’ve never bothered with expressed milk (mine wouldn’t take it anyway). As long as you aren’t binge drinking and being sick, you’ll be fine. Just stay hydrated and try to space them out over the day.