Drinking and Breastfeeding

Go ahead and have the beer! It's relaxing and, especially in the summer, you need as many fluids as you can get. (It's 100 degrees here in Minnesota today!)

"Alcohol is considered compatible with breastfeeding by the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs and Chemicals and Human Milk".

My doctor and the pediatrician both agreed that a glass of wine or a beer once-in-a-while wasn't a huge deal, just not on a regular basis.

In fact, there are some who suggest that a beer increases milk production!

I drank beer while nursing, never dumped any milk.
If your baby starts cussing and wearing a lampshade, you know you've had too much :)
Seriously tho, a beer isnt going to hurt anything... it's summer, enjoy a cold beer now and then.

I am from Holland and there we are told it is good for the mom to relax, especially with a dark beer which has more sugar and less alcohol (at least in general, there are some dark beers that are very high in alcohol). It helps the let down of milk. I had a pint in the evening when we would watch tv and my youngest would nurse. She is in honors math and an artist and does very well academically and socially, so I don't think my pint a few nights a week hurt her. I also did with her younger sister, but for some reason I did not have as much time to sit and nurse or have a pint, probably because a toddler was wandering around at the same time! Neither of my kids likes the taste of beer now at age 11 and 14. Another common thing in Holland, I had beer (mixed with 7-up, yuk!) with holiday dinners or watered wine starting at age 7. I know it is against the law here. So yes, have a beer, relax and nurse away.

You can drink up to TWO and still not need to pump and dump. If 3 beers get you buzzed, that is when I'd wait 2 hours before nursing, but still not pump and dump. If you are completely drunk - then you pump and dump.

The Mother's body is an amazing thing... it will filter things very well to ensure the baby gets the best your body can offer, which is better than what it gives itself!

I've been researching breastfeeding/lactation in humans for over 5 years, which is a lot more than the paragraph in the medical textbook a Pediatrician, OB/GYN or any other medical Dr would have studied.

I have several friends who would have a drink because it actually helped their milk supply. In other countries (from what my pediatrician says) drinking while nursing doesn't carry the same "stigmas" that it does here.

There is so much lore surrounding breast feeding and alcohol consumption and very little actual research to back it up. I actually work for the woman who has done most of the research that is out there on the issue. A few things we do know for sure:
1-The alcohol content in the milk peaks around 1 hour after you drink-interestingly because breast feeding is so metabolically demanding you metabolize alcohol completely differently when you are lactating compared to when you aren't.
2-It take 3-4 hours to completely clear your milk.
3-The baby can actually tell the difference in your milk, in fact most babies won't eat much if the mom has just had a lot to drink.
4-Making a habit of drinking while nursing causes your baby to get used to the taste and eventually they learn to like it, most experts think this makes them more likely to become alcoholics as adults.
5-The test strips can tell you how much alcohol is in your milk, but they can't tell you about the breakdown products, which are the part that is actually toxic and we don't know anything about how much of those compounds are in your milk and how quickly they are cleared.
6-Drinking does NOT increase your milk supply. In fact the opposite is true.

All that being said, I did drink on occasion when I was breastfeeding. I'm not sure how old your child is, but I waited until my son slept for a solid 5-6 hours and then I knew I had a window in which to have a glass of wine and not feel bad about it.

Most of what I listed above is discussed in more detail here: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh25-3/230-234.htm

Just wanted to say I'm not trying to judge anyone on their decision, I just think everyone has a right to be informed as much as possible about the decision they are making.

Updated-I didn't realize that the question of supply wasn't discussed in the link I originally posted, but you can find it here: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/22437.php

@Tori, everyone can list exceptions to the rule, I'm just providing the evidence that for most people it isn't true that alcohol will increase your supply. I also was not saying that a drink would turn your child into an alcoholic, clearly that is ridiculous.

My Ob always told me to either drink a beer/glass or wine while i was nursing or just after. That way, by the time the next nursing session comes, its through your system and safe for baby.

I think it's a bad idea.

I have heard this also, but to be safe, maybe have your beer right after you feed baby, this way it won't be in your system anymore when you feed baby again. Congrats on the new baby!

Alcohol passes into breastmilk in miniscule amounts and for very short duration. It doesn't build up in your system, so if you get drunk (for instance) the alcohol is no longer in your system once you no longer feel the effects of the alcohol and therefore no longer in your breastmilk. There is no reason to ever pump and dump. Ever.

The general rule of thumb is to not get drunk and to wait about an hour after you finish your drink to breastfeed (because it takes an hour for a woman to metabolize one technically measured drink). If you're sober, then you can breastfeed. The only thing is that it can inhibit letdown and slow production a bit.

Do it. I did it with both my kids and it noticeably increased my milk supply. I only had one, but two is okay (and yes I think I did stick to darker beers) and it was great! It made me feel "normal" when everything else was so hectic and I could get that one tiny part of pre-pregnancy back. Even if you're not trying to increase your milk it's still totally fine. I also bought those test strips someone else suggested and I really liked them. It really gave me an idea of how much was too much and I used them a few times.

**After reading some of these responses I would like to add that it did in fact increase my supply. I was exclusively pumping so I knew how much milk I was producing each time. The study mentioned does not address this scenario and I can tell you it worked for me every time. Secondly, when I was a kid (as many of us on here) women drank all the time; while they were pregnant, while nursing, etc...and they smoked, but that's a whole other issue! I do not believe that our generation has more alcoholics because of this, however. Additionally, although the study mentioned was interesting, it seemed that the 'taste for alcohol' was only in children who had mothers who were "heavy drinkers". One beer a day does not constitue a heavy drinker. I do appreciate Sarah sharing this article, but in my opinion it does not completely address this question and I feel like some of the scenarios are lacking.

One drink is fine, its when you start having more than one that is a problem and requires pumping and dumping.

After you have a drink, wait two hours until its out of your system and you will be just fine.

I had a drink occasionally while nursing, and my doctor told me it was just fine, but to limit how much I would be drinking, but one and your good to go.

Dont feel guilty, its normal to want a drink once in awhile :) Go for it! and Congrats on the little love.

Your mom is right. And you don't have to feel guilty. When I had my first, I also felt exactly the same way you do, so I called the La Leche League and asked them if they thought it was ok to have 1 beer since I was nursing. They said yes, absolutely. I have read that it takes 3 hours per drink to leave your bloodstream. I would always wait until right after nursing and then have 1, knowing it would be at least 2-3 hours before I would nurse again. In the first 6 months, I never had more than 1 per day. Though I think it's probably ok to have 2...I just waited until I was done nursing to do that.

I drink, I breastfeed, and I do NOT waste my milk.

You do not need to pump unless you are not comfortable and need the relief, and if you only have one drink or so your baby should not have to wait to nurse. I'm nursing my third now and will nurse while having a drink and have never had any issues. If you're really worried just wait an extra hour or two (I think two is recommended) before nursing. I'm storing milk to donate to a bank and have to wait 12 hours to pump for the milk bank, but that is going to medically fragile babies.

The amount of alcohol in your milk is related to the amount of alcohol in your body (and in your blood stream). The alcohol is either in your system or it isn't. Pumping and dumping does not change this. The only thing that will change the percentage of alcohol in your system is time.

So, if you are going to have a drink, it's probably best to not nurse until you are pretty sure the alcohol has left your system.

It's not a bad idea to pump just before having a drink, just in case your little one gets hungry before the alcohol leaves your system. That way you have something to give him/her/

Best of luck! And enjoy those occasional drinks. :-)

If you have one right after you nurse, it should be ok. If you're worried, you can buy little strips to test your breastmilk for alcohol content.

Maybe pump a little in the days beforehand to have on hand if you dont feel comfortable breastfeeding after you've had your 1 beer?

I've always heard it's ok - however I never quite trusted that theory and felt it was a waste to pump and dump! Since I'm trying to wean her (very unsuccessfully!) and she's only nursing maybe once in the evening and once during the night I sometimes have a half glass of wine or a half margarita.

I read somewhere once that if you feel tipsy then you have alcohol in your bloodstream and therefore a trace amount in your milk. Once you are feeling sober the milk with the trace amount of alcohol has already been replenished with fresh milk with no alcohol. Given that I did drink alcohol with my first and she's a pistol... I have a 6 month old and I still continue with one glass of wine or drink and it hasn't effected my girls...the Pedi even stated that I have extremely healthy girls. However, I do try to drink right after I breastfeed so that the chances of her getting any alcohol is nil since she drinks about every 3 - 6 hours (from newborn until now) thus giving time for the alcohol to be eliminated.

The day we were leaving the hospital with our third child my husband asked the nurse if I could have a beer. She said "you can have one. You'll need it". I never saw any side effects in the baby. She didn't sleep more. She didn't get tired. I would not have more than one. My ob told me that alcohol has an affinity for breast milk so it concentrates in the milk.

Pump and dump is genrally unecessary, but I'm too lazy to explain why, so hopefully someone else covered that. Order the breast milk test strips on- line (really hard to find in stores) and figure out what a safe amount is to drink while BF for you (we all metablolize different). For me its a maximum of two drinks if I drink them right after a feeding and have a full two hours to get the alcohol out of my system before the next feeding. So yes, enjoy a drink, and no need to pump. Just time it well. 2% of the alchohol you drink makes it into your breast milk. Breast milk is a blood product, so if the alcohol is out of your system its out of your milk. If you aren't buzzed when you feed, then you should be good to go. If in doubt you can bottle feed for that one feeding, and only pump and dump if you are concerned about it affecting your supply.

My Dr told me not to waste breastmilk by dumping after one drink. She said if two drinks, make sure to wait two hours before BF. I didn't ask her about three drinks, I figured one or two would do me!

So to answer your question, if you want one drink - go for it!