**WARNING -- disturbing news story, infant death**

[Ceepa]

I even debated posting this, so if anyone protests or the mods disagree with its posting, please remove. I just thought it was amazing that this person didn't see the connection between filling her body with a narcotic and the effect it would have on her nursing baby.

Very sad:

Woman Pleads Guilty in Breast Milk Death
AP
WEST BRANCH, Mich. (Jan. 13) - A woman who prosecutors say was responsible for her infant daughter's death after feeding her breast milk containing cocaine pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted manslaughter.

Sara Shelby, 24, of West Branch, stopped short of admitting Wednesday that she killed her 5-month-old daughter with breast milk contaminated by the drug. Karie Bowman died Aug. 21, 2005, and a medical examiner ruled the infant died of cocaine intoxication.

Shelby faces up to five years in prison when sentenced Feb. 7.

She had been originally been charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter, a 15-year felony, but agreed to a plea deal in which she also agreed to terminate her parental rights to her other child, a 5-year-old girl.

During her preliminary examination, Ogemaw County Detective Sgt. Tom Grace testified that Shelby told him she had taken cocaine two or three times the day before her daughter's death. Grace said Shelby told authorities she lay down with her two daughters for a nap, discovered her infant wasn't breathing an hour later and called 911.

The child was pronounced dead after being transported to the hospital.

[megs4413]

wow...that's horrible.

along the same vein but not as big a deal....i've been wondering about alcohol consumption while breastfeeding. i wasn't able to breastfeed DD and won't be able to breastfeed DS (except through pumping) so i don't know all the rules very well. i'm assuming alocohol is a no-no while breastfeeding...is that right? not looking for a debate, just a general guideline as to alcohol consumption while BFing. i haven't had an alcoholic beverage since before i was pregnant with DD so it's not like abstaining is a problem....i'm just wondering if that's what you're supposed to do.

[mommyapb]

I don't drink since I am nursing dd (10 months now). I will have a sip or 2 of wine once a month but that is it. They say that the alcohol passes through your milk after 8-10 hrs so I will have those sips of wine with dinner or after dd is down for the night. By the time I nurse her in the morning, it is out of my system.

HTH

[o_mom]

Here's a great page of info:

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

I basically follow those guidelines - usually not until they are 6+ months old, no more than one drink, usually less than once per week and always after they have gone to bed for the night so I know it will be at least 3 hours or more. A glass of wine with dinner is about all I have. If you figure that legally drunk - as in can't walk a straight line, 2-3 drinks in an hour - means your blood alcohol content is 0.08% and even beer is 4% alcohol, not much reaches the baby.

[maestramommy]

I think a glass of wine at dinner is fine, as long as you're not nursing for a couple of hours after. But cocaine 2-3 times a day? eek.

[lizajane]

my ped, my OB and my LC all said up to 2 glasses of wine. i felt like that was excessive, so i stuck to 1/2 glass if i was going to nurse again that night and 1 glass if i wasn't planning to nurse again that night. your body metabolizes the alcohol at the rate of 1 drink per hour. so if you have 1/2 glass and feed 2 hours later, it is gone. (according to my ped and OB)

[Crunchymom]

The lady I nannied for bought these to test for alcohol in her breastmilk. http://www.milkscreen.com/

She did a test run by drinking a glass of wine and testing soon after-- it changed colors. A few hours later she retested and no color change.

I think the general rule is to feed your baby first, then have your drink, and by the next feeding the alcohol should be out of your system. Also, if you feel "tipsy" then you should pump and dump and feed your baby with expressed milk from another time.

[o_mom]

There is no reason to pump and dump unless you are uncomfortable from engorgement. The alcohol does not stay in your system - it leaves as it leaves the blood.

[Crunchymom]

That's what I meant-- if you are pumping because you are missing a feeding then you should throw out the milk and not save it for later.