Breastfeeding and drinking wine in a panic!

[Anxiousmummy22]

Hello,

I am in a massive panic and feel incredibly anxious as I thought it was okay to have a glass or 2 of wine and breastfeed and I didn’t know about the wait 2 hours rule.

I have been having 1 to 2 standardish glasses of red wine with dinner most nights for a while after I put my baby down. He does wake up before we go to bed and I feed him back to sleep. (When he was much younger I was having 1 a few times a week). I don’t get drunk, binge drink and didn’t drink in pregnancy.

I have now read that regular drinking can be detrimental to their development etc and I am in an anxious state and there have been lots of tears by me. I have stopped drinking.

He has met all of his milestones and is a very happy and outgoing chap.

I now also realise we’re above the recommended weekly amount but we were doing it whilst winding down over dinner and talking about the day.

I am so upset and disappointed in myself as I have researched everything and do everything by the book in terms of nutrition etc and I put him at the forefront of everything I do!

In the articles I’ve read it’s the term ‘frequent’ that has worried me.

Does anyone else have any examples similar?

Please no nasty comments, I feel horrendous as it is.

thanks so much from a very worried mum.

It’s absolutely fine. Just another breastfeeding rule based on misinformation. Obviously it’s not great to be drunk in charge of a baby but you could be drunk to the point of dying from alcohol poisoning and your breastmilk would be 0.5 % which is about as alcoholic as a banana

I think that advice is really outdated. It's more risky about cosleeping if you've been drinking. You can have alcohol and breastfeed.

this is old advice - tiny amounts of alcohol reach the milk so it's not harming your baby!

The risk is more that you might not be capable of looking after the baby properly if you are drunk / unsafe sleep etc

Your baba will be fine. You literally have to have alcohol poisoning for it to reach your baby x

Someone once described drinking whilst breastfeeding as:

Shot glass in a swimming pool

Baby will be fine

If it makes you feel better I'm bf too and have had a stressful week and drunk a literal pint of gin and tonic tonight. The amount that passes into milk is absolutely miniscule. Fruit contains more naturally occurring alcohol.

Baby will be fine. You have to get smashed for it to effect baby

You’ll be fine. I’d be looking at ways to help your stress and anxiety as that will have a worse impact on baby. You’d have to get properly drunk in order for your milk to be ruined

You're fine. Baby is fine. Not being able to drink, the 2 hour rule, pumping and dumping are all myths

Basically, if you can't look after baby cos you're drunk, you definitely shouldn't breastfeed it. Also, don't pump and dump and waste it!

What on earth have you been reading?🙄
Please don’t worry.

Having a couple of glass of wine is absolutely fine. Like a PP said it's described as one glass being similar to a shot of alcohol poured into a swimming pool.

Please don't co-sleep. But a couple of glasses is totally fine. And probably better for your mental health. Relax.

The NHS does advise waiting, it's pretty mainstream advice I thought.

Thank you for replying! I read on le leche league and nhs that frequent drinking can cause issues.

I’ve got so worked up by it.

Thank you everyone for replying you have made me feel more at ease and less of a bad mum! I have got so worried about it as I put him at the centre of everything I do.

What worried me were the words ‘regular’ and more than 1 glass as I often have 2.

My mum said it’s important to be able to relax and that he’s fine so not to worry but those words just ring in my head.

thanks for being kind too, I was nervous about posting!