Nursing and drinking

[Elena]

I know it's a controversial topic. Some say it's OK to drink in moderation while nursing, others quote studies about gross motor delay in kids etc. I've heard our lactation consultant actually suggesting having a glass of wine to relax and help with let down. Others try to time drinking so that they don't nurse for 2 hours after that.

I am curious what mamas on this board think about drinking while nursing.

DS is almost 2 and there is no sign that he's even thinking of weaning. I do want to enjoy a glass of wine with DH when he comes home from work, but there is this guilty question mark in my head about the whole thing. I know doctors say it's OK, but what exactly is 1 glass of wine? How long do you wait after a drink to nurse?

[bostonsmama]

I have no personal experience off which to base an informed opinion on whether it's okay for you to drink alcohol while BF, but I do know that one serving of wine is 4 ounces (not 6, which is what people often pour for themselves). In a standard wine glass, it shouldn't come up more than 1/3 to 1/2 the way.

Larissa

My-oh-my, we're doing it in July!

Proud Aunt to Jack Dorian, born to my brother and SIL on 3/06
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/32719.jpg

[psophia17]

I didn't really drink while BF, but every so often I'd have a drink, and it didn't phase me if I had to BF soon after. If I had gotten drunk, I wouldn't have BF, but one glass of wine or one Baileys and coffee? I saw no reason to worry, so I didn't.

[mamatomax]

2 years old? Honey, have some vino! You owe it to yourself!!! I enjoy a drink or 2 without worry, but if I have 3 or more, then I pump-and-dump. Maybe some moms will disapprove, but I'm a mom, not a saint.
Jill
Mama to Baby Max

http://b1.lilypie.com/VnnVm5/.png
http://www.snugglepie.com/ezb/265055.png

[ribbit1019]

It has been a really long time since I have drank anything. I went from pregnant to nursing to pregnant again. The couple of times I have gone out I have pumped and dumped. Better safe than sorry.

Christy
My Waterbabies
Maddy born 6/9/04
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040609/3/4/0/-5/.png
& Jarred born 3/8/06, 11 lb 14.5 oz 24" @ 6 wks, a happily breastfed babe.
http://b1.lilypie.com/KH1pm5/.png
Co-Owner Ribbit Baby http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v22

[Wife_and_mommy]

Well, I don't drink but I'm sure an occasional glass of wine won't do great harm to DC.


Elizabeth
mommy to DD(April '04) and DS(January '06)

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]

[elliput]

Enjoy a glass of wine on occasion with your DH! Like Larissa said the standard serving is 4oz, and if you have not been drinking in over two years, it will seem like more than enough. :-)

[pampamz]

I pumped & dumped w/DS but with DD, as with most things with baby #2, I didn't worry about it. The occasional glass of wine, IMO, is fine (i'm no expert). If you are nursing shortly after, maybe dump.

[pb&j]

Not a doctor here, but...

Your two year old will not have gross motor delay if you, on occasion, enjoy a glass (even a big one!) of wine and nurse soon after. If you're very worried, wait a couple of hours.

Have a drink, and don't feel guilty. JMHO.


-Ry,
mom to Emma, stillborn 11/04/04
and Max, 01/05/06

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/32812.gif
http://b1.lilypie.com/aKGqm5/.png[/img] ([img)

[betsydenny]

Oh man, I was back to margaratias (boy did I crave them when preggo) within a few months. Now I only had one drink when I did drink but I would say that would be at least several times a month.
I never pumped and dumped.

I have two very active and normal kids and did this with both.
Have your glass of wine!

[sbjf]

Here are the facts:

http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html

Some highlights:

Alcohol does not accumulate in breastmilk, but leaves the milk as it leaves the blood; so when your blood alcohol levels are back down, so are your milk alcohol levels.

It is recommended that nursing moms avoid breastfeeding during and for 2-3 hours after drinking (Hale 2002).

There is no need to pump & dump milk after drinking alcohol, other than for mom's comfort -- pumping & dumping does not speed the elimination of alcohol from the milk.

In general, if you are sober enough to drive, you are sober enough to breastfeed. Less than 2% of the alcohol consumed by the mother reaches her blood and milk. Alcohol peaks in mom's blood and milk approximately 1/2-1 hour after drinking (but there is considerable variation from person to person, depending upon how much food was eaten in the same time period, mom's body weight and percentage of body fat, etc.).

[Dcclerk]

I definitely did it, and didn't think much about it. Never to excess, but I suspect that I had 1-2 glasses of wine at a sitting at least once a week starting a few months after DD was born. And I promise, if it was truly one that wasn't at least reasonably safe, my DH would have been all over me for it. ;)

[annasmom]

I never went out drinking, but did have an occasional (and occasional is probably a slight exageration ;)) glass of wine. When my dd was in the NICU after she was born, all the nurses kept on telling me to go home, relax and have a drink and they all knew I was pumping/nursing!!

[o_mom]

I have had the occasional glass of wine or wine cooler since DS2 was around 6 months old. I usually wait until I have put him to bed, since he will almost alway sleep at least 4-5 hours before he gets up again. Even if he didn't I was never drinking enough that I worried about feeding him.

Also, like the PPs said you do not need to "pump and dump". Alcohol does not stay in the milk until the milk comes out, it will go back to the bloodstream as the blood levels go down. The alcohol content of your milk is the same as your blood, so even if you are legally drunk, your milk is only 0.08% alcohol - compare that with beer which is 4-6% and you can see that even if you were falling down drunk (0.08) the amount that might be passed to your DC is very small.

[khalloc]

I would not hesitate to drink a glass or 2 of wine, or a few beers while nursing. If I drank hard alcohol I would have 1 drink, but probably not more than that. But I stick to beer/wine usually. And I wouldn' say I drink that much or that often.

[brittone2]

I definitely did/do have an occasional glass of wine or some of DH's beer or part of a margarita while BFing :) Frankly, I had a splash of wine with dinner here and there while pg too.

I have several physician friends who had an occasional glass of wine during pgcy and BFing or their male physician spouse had no problem if they did it if it was the man that was the physician. It is chronic exposure IMO that has an impact in cases like FAS.

I never pumped and dumped or even worried about it to be honest.

I take Metformin for my PCOS and that is not a good thing to combine w/ alcohol (other than one drink max on occasion) so that is my big limiting factor most of the time.

Indulge in some vino in moderation (a small glass w/ dinner) on occasion without guilt I say :)

[maestramommy]

My ped said a glass of wine at dinner is okay. Both my sis and BIL (who are chemists) say not enough alcohol crosses into breastmilk to make a difference. Same goes for caffiene. And for what it's worth, DH and have a 1/2 glass of wine with dinner most nights. It started with him needing a shot of something after the ordeal of putting Dora to bed. Now we just sort of relax during dinner. By this time Dora's in bed and she won't be up for a feed for several hours. I believe the wait time is 2 hours?

[Sarah1]

I didn't hesitate to drink a beer or glass of wine while nursing. If I had more than two, then I'd pump & dump.

[aliceinwonderland]

I had the occasional half a glass of wine, pretty early too. But I did so in my last two trimesters too. I am of the "(almost)everything in moderation" thinking :)

[hez]

I had a drink here and there, and I normally didn't worry about how long after to nurse. I'm generally not a heavy drinker anyway, and one drink was more than enough for a little buzz when it had been so long ;) Payton seems to be none the worse for wear-- walked fairly early, for instance!

[dr mom]

I think moderation is the key. I feel pretty safe having one glass of wine with dinner, but that's my limit - the other issue, at least for us, is that DS still co-sleeps on occasion and I wouldn't feel safe sharing our bed with him if DH or I was drunk.

I confess there have been nights I wished a *little* alcohol would infiltrate my milk, just to DS would calm down and go to sleep, but I haven't noticed any difference whatsoever. On the other hand, an occasional glass of wine is good for MY mental health when DS is bouncing off the walls!

[dogmom]

There are actually some breast feeding advocates the support alcohol intake because they feel that the complete ban on drinking while BF leads to early weaning. As PP have noted alcohol is not actively secreted in breast milk in higher percentages than your blood alcohol level, and it leaves the milk, not builds up. I would basically ask my DH to make me a drink while I was finishing up BF in the evening. (Not every night, however.) I would then get a good 3-4 hours before I would BF again, and by that time I felt that the alcohol was at a low level. My rule of thumb is if I felt like a had been drinking I shouldn't BF. I think there is a picture of me at a friends BBQ with a Margharita in one hand and nursing infant in the other as I was finishing up. I'm sure it will be used to black mail me at some future point in my life. ;)

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03
& Eve
EDC 6/18/06

[calebsmama03]

Absolutely! I'm glad you posted that, Bonnie. I have a glass or 2 of wine regularly and it causes no problems, especially when you time it right.
Lynne
Mommy to C 3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
And Miss Purple, 5/05

[JulieL]

I'm a quite surprised and alarmed by the nonchallant way some women have posted about drinking and being pregnant. While I see it's fine for you to choose this decision for yourself, to act like there couldn't have horrific ramifications for another mom is frightening. There IS MEDICAL RESEARCH THAT SMALL AMOUNTS OF ALCOHOL MAY BE DAMAGING TO AN UNBORN BABY. While if one doesn't have that experiance, that doesn't mean the major danger isn't there. In the same way one may never get injured by not wearing their seatbelt, many do die. Let's be careful please to distiguish personal choice from medical recommendations for other pregnant mothers who may be reading this thinking alcohol is fine for them to consume, and for their baby.



************************************************** *******************
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause physical and mental birth defects. Each year, more than 40,000 babies are born with some degree of alcohol related damage. Although many women are aware that heavy drinking during pregnancy can cause birth defects, many do not realize that moderate—or even light—drinking also may harm the fetus.

-MARCH OF DIMES article in below link

http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/681_1170.asp


http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=18276

http://www.moondragon.org/obgyn/pregnancy/pregalcohol.html

http://familydoctor.org/068.xml

http://www.drgreene.com/21_545.html

[annasmom]

Julie, I don't think anyone mentioned drinking while pregnant, maybe I am wrong, I will have to go back to read all of the posts. I believe most posters were disussing drinking while nursing.

FWIW, I am glad you posted the links that you did and brought up the issue of drinking while pregnant because the issues are so intertwined, and I think easily confused.

[JulieL]

will retract personal statement, but not what is recommended by the AMA

[annasmom]

Point taken, I don't think you are being a snit. I think it is important to draw the distinction. And again I am glad that you posted the links that you did. I have always found the March of Dimes site especially informative.

[Marisa6826]

First, making it personal is against the Rules.

Second, as it's been discussed ad nauseum, research is subjective and can always be found for both sides of the fence. It is VERY common for a pregnant woman to be told to have a glass of wine to calm down pre-term contractions, and how many of the Mommies here had a glass of wine or a drink before realising they were pregnant?

Also, there is no need to 'scream' a/k/a post in all caps. Passing judgement on others decisions and reprimanding them isn't necessary, nor is it appropriate. We all know calculated risks and make our own choices.

Please refrain from continuing down this path. We really don't want to have to lock another thread.

-m


ETA - The OP was asking about having a drink while BF a two year old. Not a newborn, not while pregnant. Please let's keep on track of the original nature of the thread.

[kijip]

I neither drank knowingly while pregnant or while TTC. However, that was my choice based on the fact that I am not much one for drinking anyway. However, Toby was a BCP baby and I had no knowledge of being pregnant. Luck of the draw has it that in the month before I found out, I drank a larger than normal amount- attended 2 beer festivals, 1 home brewing tasting party for Halloween and had several dinner parties including a wine tasting. I never became drunk but I did have 1-3 drinks each time... I freaked out because of all the media coverage on not drinking while pregnant (did not find out I was pregnant till I was well into my first trimester. I consulted multiple doctors who all told me to chill but in nicer words. Yes, there are risks. But there are also risks with catching an airplane, cross the street, drinking diet sodas, eating sweets, letting my kid ride on a swing or letting Toby watch Dora the freaking Explorer. We all get to decide what we are comfortable with. I am sure that in some way or another you either did or do put your child at risk, Julie. I know I do.

In my case, the risks were not born out and Toby arrived full-term, 9 pounds and freakishly long (way too tall for newborn sizes..) The vast majority of babies born to mothers who consume some alcohol while pregnant arrive just fine too.

[brittone2]

Well, yes, I did mention I had an occasional splash of wine (and I mean that literally) while I was pg. That was with the total blessing of my original OB and later my midwives, as both practices were fine w/ having an occasional (small) glass of wine with dinner.

So yes, I have personal friends who are physicians and did drink an occasional glass while pg (or were fine w/ their spouse doing it), but my own providers were fine w/ it as well when I asked.

We all make our own decisions. I certainly do not feel like *my* child was ever in danger by *my* having a very small glass of wine here and there while pg or BFing. I certainly wasn't implying it was an endorsement for everyone to drink in pregnancy or breastfeeding...certainly each mom should look into it for herself and talk with her own provider.

(edited to fix post)

[smilequeen]

I had the rare drink or two when we went out to dinner. I can't handle more than a glass or two of wine anyway. I never pumped and dumped because I never drank enough to cause a worry and generally I had those drinks while I was out and DS was at home with a babysitter (rare happening in those days :))

[MelissaTC]

I had an occasional glass of wine while nursing my DS. I also had a glass of wine while pregnant and even had a teeny bit of champagne a few weeks before he was born.

I would go with what Larissa said and pour only a 1/3 or 1/2 a glass of wine. I tended to sip slowly to make it last. :)

[aliceinwonderland]

Yes, I guess I too was under the assumption most pregnant women looked to their OB for such information, not neccesarily strangers on the internet. At any rate, my (nationally recognized, award-winning, older and experienced) OB must have given me fetus-harming advice, I guess, since he certainly gave me his blessing. Or perhaps not, since my son was 10 days overdue, over 8 pounds, and pretty much perfect.

Also, in my OP, it was ***my*** last two trimesters I was talking about, not any other women's, in case that needed to be clarified.

[o_mom]

All of these pretty much say the same thing - namely that "no level of alcohol consumption has been proven safe" There is a very good reason they are worded that way - you can never prove a negative, just the lack of a positive. It will NEVER be proven that there is no effect of very small amounts of alcohol (and I'm not talking about the 1 drink per day they call "light drinking") are safe, simply because it is not possible to do so.

Personally, I had a total of 2 half glasses of wine in the third trimester with each pregnancy. Oh, yes, and communion wine almost every week....

[barbarhow]

Yup. The important notation in your post is that the consumption MAY be damaging. I had an occasional glass of wine while pregnant with Anna. Not with Jack-the mere smell of alcohol made me nauseated. I also have wine and other alcoholic beverages while breastfeeding. I am not a heavy drinker, neither of my children was born with FAS. Both have reached all milestones on time if not early and from the look of them I would have to say they are pretty much perfect. Neither my midwife nor my FP physicidan felt that it was necessary to elimate completely during breastfeeding and both okayed a spot of wine now and then during pregnancy. I am very comfortable with my decision.
I am sorry you are so alarmed.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03, a Red Sox fan
and Anna 5/12/05, my little Yankee fan!