Pump and Dump

JB:

YOU DO NOT NEED TO PUMP AND DUMP!> Yes, I am screaming. YOU DO NOT NEED THOSE STIPS THAT TELL YOU IF THERE IS ALCOLHOL IN YOUR SYSTEM- waste of money and STUPID>

Sorry.. go have a good time have a couple of glasses of whatever you want.

Please do not get stumbling drunk... your milk will probably still be ok but I worry about parenting

P., RLC, IBCLC
Parenting Coach and Board Certified Lactation Consultant
www.lactationsupportgroup.com

from what I remember learning in my childbirth classes... you can have 1-2 drinks without worrying about throwing the milk away. a friend of mine took a breastfeeding class at northwestern before the birth of her child and learned the same thing... if you have more than that, I think that you just need to pump & dump the milk once or twice... basically if you still feel drunk then throw the milk away...

Seriously I would not sweat 1-2 glasses. I had someone recommend to me drink a glass of wine then nurse so the baby and I would both get some sleep! It works wonders!!

Approximately 1/400 of the amount of alcohol you ingest makes it into your breastmilk. It starts entering the milk around 30 minutes after you drink it, the levels peak around 90 minutes after, and it's diluted to the point where you wouldn't care around 3 hours afterwards. (The reference for this is "What's Going on in There? : How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life" by Lise Eliot, PhD - great book, btw).

Knowing this, I never worried about drinking while breastfeeding my son. Have a glass of wine - or even two - and don't worry about it. Nurse her right before you go out. If you really "live it up" and have more than about 2 drinks I might consider pumping and dumping around 2 hours after you drink, but otherwise I wouldn't bother.

I agree with the below. Have fun. Drunk will make parenting an issue more than breastfeeding.

20/90 minute rule (or thereabouts) makes the best time to have a cocktail while breastfeeding. Cheers! Makes for some interesting photos as well. LOL

Your body continues to make breastmilk so you do not need to pump and dump unless you will be feeding your daughter within a couple of hours of your return. It takes longer for your body to get rid of the alcohol if you are eating while you are drinking so keep that in mind as well. Since your tolerance is probably pretty low after the pregnancy you may not need to worry about drinking too much :-)

Enjoy your night out.

You really don't need to pump and dump at all if you have two glasses of wine. The key is to be reasonable- i.e. if you chug two glasses of wine and breastfeed 30 minutes later that is a problem;) But having two glasses of wine over the course of an evening and not immediately preceding a feeding is fine. I am a nurse-midwifery student and we tell people 2 glasses of wine is fine. Here is a link to kellymom's info on alcohol and breastmilk:
http://kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html

Enjoy your anniversary.

One glass is okay to pump and keep. If you have 2, then it is one hour per glass so I would pump once, dump and then good to go.

As long as you aren't going to be nursing her within a couple hours of having the wine, one to two glasses would be no problem. As long as your body has metabolized it (i.e. the wine is no longer effecting you) then you don't need to worry about anything being in your milk.

It has been stated that woman can drink when breastfeeding (moderation of course) and that it may actually help. I was always nervous. So the one time I knew I would be out and wanting to imbibe a little, I pumped and dumped. I would say as long as a couple/few hours have passed and you no longer feel affects, it should be good to go. You can always consult with La Leche League online or kellysmom.com is a great source. Have fun!