alcohol and breastfeeding...

[mum2b09]

I was wondering how much milk i would have to express if i ever wanted to go out for a drink whilst i was bfing...

How many hours after drinking can you nurse again?

How many units can i have?

Is it true that you dot have to pump & dump?

x

diny - no, I didn't say that Alcohol passes freely into the milk, and freely out of it...how does that mean 'it is bad to drink'???

Cherry, I'll find a link. You're not wrong because milk is also made on demand...but it is stored as well.

OK - would be interested. I have just realised I have no idea how it works! I just remember antenatal friends and having a discussion when our babies were a couple of months old about when to express as they all felt that if they expressed when they were "full", that there wouldn't be enough milk left for the baby to have, and they'd have to have that bottle straight away. In theory I knew this was nonsense and you always had milk but it didn't stop me worrying about it myself, until I just did it anyway and found that, yes, he could get milk out even if it felt empty.

www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction.html#storagecapacity here is Kellymom on how milk is stored, Cherry, and www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction-faq.html#betweenfeeds this is a bit more about it, plus an explanation of why your friends did not need to be concerned about 'pinching' milk by expressing it.

Interesting - thanks I think it's one of the biggest myths there is actually, regarding bf - the idea that the breasts need time to refill or that it is possible for them to be completely empty.

Oh and the diet affecting quality of milk one, I believed that one .

Well, I've done the reading on this one, and 2% of the alcohol that you drink reaches the baby through your breastmilk. There are two studies into whether this amount of alcohol affects the baby (we know that alcohol in pregnancy is bad, but there's very little research on breastfeeding). One study found that babies of mothers who had a drink every day, or who occasionally drunk more than the recommended amount had delayed motor development at a year, but they were fine by 18 months. Mental development was unaffected. The other study found no ill effects.
Alcohol does interfere with your let-down reflex, so you produce less milk, and your baby is likely to sleep worse if you feed him when you've drunk alcohol. Which is weird.
You should never ever fall asleep with, or indeed be responsible for a baby when you are drunk.
Pumping and discarding milk doesn't make any difference to how quick the alcohol clears from your milk.
What I'd recommend is don't drink when you are trying to build up a good milk supply. Don't drink if your baby is ill or very new. Otherwise, don't get drunk, but don't stress yourself either. You're way better off breastfeeding and drinking in moderation than feeling so stressed by abstinence that you end up weaning.
Btw, CherryChoc is kind-of right in that 2/3 of the feed is produced as you go along, only about 1/3 gets stored in the breasts.
I've written a cartoon book about breastfeeding, and the references are in it. That's how I know all this. Check out www.thefoodoflove.org

i am going to admit to bfing whilst being a bit tipsy.
i love bfing (dd: 11 months) and i enjoy a drink. I have around 8-10 units spread though the week.
imo the proof or lack of will be in the developmental pudding.