Can you have a drink when breast feeding

[TraciG]

I think you can have one after nursing am I right, I have a Bris , very big party tomorrow night & wanted to know

[egoldber]

I have always felt personally very comfortable with light alcohol consumption while nursing. Pretty much since Amy was born, I've enjoyed a beer or a glass of wine 2-3 nights a week.

[MamaMolly]

My cousin SWEARS that her milk didn't come in until she had a beer. My mom's doctor told her to have a glass of wine before or during breastfeeding (relaxed mom = good nursing session). And I had a glass of wine or a beer here and there, maybe once every couple of weeks. It seemed to irritate DD's reflux so I tended to skip it more often than not.

A little alcohol will end up in your breast milk. If that makes you uncomfortable you can always 'pump and dump'.

Either way, have a good time at your party!

[tylersmama]

I always went by the rule that as long as I couldn't feel the effects, it was fine. Heck, I've been known to sip a glass of wine *while* nursing...takes the alcohol a while to get into your system, after all. I was totally ok with 1 or 2 drinks, and usually, I was drinking after DS was in bed, in which case the alcohol was out of my system by the time he woke up in the morning anyway.

I say go for it, enjoy!

[ThreeofUs]

Here's a couple of strategies I've heard of:

Some moms bf right before having a glass of wine, and then (three hours later) feel they can bf again without passing much on to the baby.

Some moms pump right before the party, drink what they want, and feed the pumped milk to the baby.

[GeekLady]

Alcohol in breast milk will be roughly your BAC. Kellymom has a good rundown on alcohol and breastfeeding, and the AAP considers it a "maternal medication compatible with breastfeeding".

Basically the rules are the same for responsible drinking before you were pregnant - if you don't drink too much and don't drink too often, you'll be fine.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I have no problems with it. Ds doesn't seem to appreciate it much though. Ds1 didn't have any reaction but ds2 seems to be more fussy if I have a drink or 2. Could be a total coincidence since he is a fuss budget a lot of the time somedays. :)

Beth

[Melbel]

If it puts your mind at ease, at a boutique in town, I noticed that they had a kit that allows you to test breast milk to detect alcohol.

[trales]

I typically have a glass of wine with dinner, and sometimes finish it while nursing. Would I get drunk or tipsy, no, but a glass or two is no big deal to me.

[JBaxter]

Dark beer always made me produce more milk. If I had a glass in the evening I would wake up before Nathan because I was full

[bubbaray]

Dark beer always made me produce more milk. If I had a glass in the evening I would wake up before Nathan because I was full


Actually, after I had DD#1, one of the "old timer" L&D nurses told me this. She told me that they actually used to provide new moms with beer while in the hospital. Unfortunately, I didn't get this service (and had too much milk anyway).

[o_mom]

I typically have a glass of wine with dinner, and sometimes finish it while nursing. Would I get drunk or tipsy, no, but a glass or two is no big deal to me.

:ROTFLMAO: After 5+ years of being continuously pregnant or BF, a half a glass is enough to make me tipsy, a full glass would have me knocked out.

To answer the original question - I will have my half a glass of wine or the occasional wine cooler while BF. Usually with dinner or right after they go to bed. I tend to wait until closer to 6 months, but that really is just me and my exhaustion level before then which would mean I would be fast asleep after a glass. Older babies can tolerate alcohol better, but one glass isn't going to be an issue, even at his age.

[TraciG]

My sister-in-law wants to know. Tonight is a BIG Bris for her son.

Pina Colada ok ?

[o_mom]

I personally wouldn't at 1 wk. However, I think that she needs to weigh the risks of the drink w/BF, giving a 1 wk old a bottle and not drinking at all at this point. http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html

[TraciG]

I read the kELLY Mom , still I wasn't sure about a week old. Thanks

[o_mom]

This part stood out to me:

"Always keep in mind the baby's age when considering the effect of alcohol. A newborn has a very immature liver, so minute amounts of alcohol would be more of a burden. Up until around 3 months of age, infants detoxify alcohol at around half the rate of an adult. An older baby or toddler can metabolize the alcohol more quickly."

Also, the part about affecting supply would concern me at that age - the baby is already going to be out of sorts from this and throw in a 25% drop in supply at the next feeding and that could spell trouble.

[egoldber]

OTOH, I had a margarita the day I came home from the hospital.

[o_mom]

Oh, I agree there are much worse things to worry about as long as she is making an informed decision. Not within my comfort level, but not something horribly unsafe at all.

[egoldber]

I guess my feeling on this kind of thing is that so many women are told there are things they "can't" do when nursing when most things are fine (in moderation of course).

[TraciG]

from one drink the supply is less at the next feeding ?

I have had Manishewitz wine, that's the SWEET Jewish wine MOST people hate, I love it !

I think I'm fine with one drink although I still don't know if I should have a mixed drink or just wine.

WISH I could get that's buzzed relaxed feeling tonight but NO WAY can I !

[o_mom]

from one drink the supply is less at the next feeding ?

I have had Manishewitz wine, that's the SWEET Jewish wine MOST people hate, I love it !

I think I'm fine with one drink although I still don't know if I should have a mixed drink or just wine.

WISH I could get that's buzzed relaxed feeling tonight but NO WAY can I !

I'm just going by what is on the kellymom website:

"Alcohol does not increase milk production. In fact, babies nurse more frequently but take in less milk in the 3-4 hours after mom has had a drink, and one study showed a 23% decrease in milk volume with one drink (Mennella & Beauchamp 1991, 1993; Mennella 1997, 1999)."

I really don't think it is a big deal either way, even with this. For you, Traci, I really don't think it is a concern at all given the age of your son. One mixed drink or glass of wine would be about the same, just pick one and enjoy! For your SIL, I just wanted to put out there that there is slightly more reason for concern given the baby's age, but still not a huge deal.

[Page]

The LC at my breastfeeding class told me that a reasonable amount would be 1 alcoholic drink an hour, up to three drinks in 3 hours. It seems like a lot to me, but her logic made some kind of sense. She said the best way to do it was to have a drink an hour, up to 3 hours and if it went beyond that, "pump and dump".

She said it takes about 30 minutes to go from drinking the alcohol to being present in the breastmilk.

Not entirely sure how much medically sound validity there is to it, but that's what I was told. My DD is 12 days old and I had one beer the other night. She nursed fine right after and since.

I don't think I'd do 3 drinks, but I'd be comfortable with 2 over 2 hours. JMO, of course.

[TonFirst]

"maternal medication compatible with breastfeeding"

This is the greatest thing I've read in a long time.

"No baby, this isn't a martini - it's Mama's 'maternal medication.' Now, go get Mama an olive!"