So I was thinking of having a sip or two this evening and was wondering what some of you ladies do when you drink while nursing. I have read that pumping and dumping is not necessary. My baby is down for the evening so I won't need to feed him for about 11 hrs or so. I am a tall good sized gall but I'd like to have a couple drinks though, should I pump and dump to be on the safe side? Thanks:)
My thought is always best to be safe than sorry later. One drink may be ok for one but not for another because every person and baby are different. If damage was caused, you couldn't undue it!
Be careful.
I always did because I always like to have several drinks (4-6 depending on how long and the occasion)! I probably threw away some milk that was fine, but better safe than sorry.
BM doesn't store alcohol, so there is no point in pumping and dumping. The alcohol will stay in the milk as long as it's in your blood... If you pump and dump while there is alcohol in your system, the new milk will still have alcohol in it... If you wait until the alcohol is out of your system, your body will "clean" them milk...so a couple drinks shouldn't be too bad. You might pump BEFORE you drink, so if you over-indulge, or your baby happens to get hungry while it's in your system, you have something to give him. (or her...) :)
I was under the impression that is was okay to have one 5 oz glass of wine between feedings. This is what my lactation nurse told me with baby number two. But recently during a check up with my family doctor alcohol and breastfeeding came into the conversation. I was very surprised to learn that even a 5 oz glass is not good for baby. She said the only safe amount to drink would be anything under 1 oz. That no matter what alcohol does cross over to breastmilk. And given the small size of babies, even a little will affect them. She is a member of the breastfeeding coalition and I truly do value her advice. I know everyone has a different take on this. Hope this helps. And I am right there with you, I would love to have a glass of wine. But, I'm waiting until I'm no longer breastfeeding dd. Whether that is a couple months or one more year. I figure I can sacrifice having a drink and know that dd is okay.
Good luck!
I drink after I put my son to bed. I never, touched any booze while I nursed my daughter, but she was a terrible sleeper. It takes the body one hour to process one drink. I rarely have more than 2 beers or glasses of wine, so I don't worry about it.
Check this out: http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html
I too, liked an occasional drink when I was nursing and LOVED Milk Screen's breast milk test strips. They measure the amount of alcohol in your breast milk, reacting at levels that are way below dangerous to your child, but still might lead to an upset stomach, feeding disturbances or sleep disturbances. You just express a little milk onto the strip or dip the strip into your pump bottle. That way you know if you can keep your milk, nurse your baby or need to dump. They're wonderful! They sell them at Target and at BRU.
In general, you can have one drink and nurse, as long as you wait at least one hour after finishing your drink before nursing. If you have more than two drinks in a night, you definitely want to pump and dump before bed. If you have many more than two drinks, just pumping and dumping before bed might not be enough and you might need to pump and dump again in the morning and use stored milk for the first feeding. I discovered that with the help of the Milk Screen strips, when one turned black after a very wine-y night, even though I pumped and dumped before bed. After that, I used them to double check anytime I had more than 2 drinks the night before.
Enjoy your 1-2 adult beverages right after you put your son to bed! No pump and dump needed
not worth the risk. I would not drink until the baby is done nursing. You did it 40 weeks so it is possible.
None is always safe. Not the fun answer you wanted but it's true. :-)
Why chance it? Wait till you've weaned him or wean him now.
You don't need to worry about having a drink or two, especially if you won't need to nurse your baby until the morning. If you are worried about an unexpected feeding, pump before you drink so you have some milk to give the baby. Alcohol does get into the breastmilk, but it doesn't stay there, and will eventually metabolize out of the milk and out of the body. Time is the biggest factor here, but also individual alcohol metabolism. Pumping and dumping doesn't speed up the removal process, so doing so is just a waste of your time and energy.
How much alcohol is safe - preferably none, but if you do, then you have to discard that milk supply and wait a while before nursing again.
I wouldn't drink while nursing period. I don't think it is worth the risk. If you do anyways, I would definitely pump and dump and not nurse for at least 3hrs in between.
Molly
breast milk is a blood product. If its in your blood stream, its in the milk. If its out of your blood stream its out of your milk.
i remember being told to wait at least 2 hours per drink. i didnt drink anything at all until the kids were at least a year old, that was my own thing, i just felt they were way too small. after that, i did the 2 hour rule for the very occasional drink.
I'd wait until I wasn't nursing anymore before having a sip or two. I'd play it safe. There will be plenty of time for that once baby is older.
Enjoy your beverages--you deserve to unwind a little! Just keep it to one or two at a time and you will be fine. I love my wine and even drank a glass about once every week or so while I was pregnant with my son and during this pregnancy (i'm due in 5 days) and there have been no adverse affects. My pediatrician is actually Italian and quietly told me that she enjoyed a glass of wine occassionally while pregnant and nursing too--and all 3 of her kids are in Ivy League colleges now! My 21 month old is actually very advanced for his age, he speaks like a 4 year old and is starting read already and has only had one cold in his life. I really think its just this protestant society that puts such a bad rep on alcohol in every form---I personally think our jobs as moms is so hard and stressful that we deserve to unwind a little! Go for it, Mama...they also have the strips you can find at the pharmacy or target and babies r us that will test the amount of alcohol in your BM and those really helped a lot with easing my mind. Best of luck!
No need to pump and dump- if your baby isn't nursing again for 11 hours, you are very safe if you only have a drink or two!
As long as you are sober in the morning when you plan to nurse you shouldn't have a problem.
