Things to consider
Your baby’s ageYour weightAmount of alcoholWill you be eating?
How much alcohol passes into breastmilk?
Alcohol is present in a woman’s milk at the same level as in her blood: it rises and falls along with it. If you know your blood alcohol level, you know your milk alcohol level. Alcohol passes freely into breastmilk and has been found to peak about 30 to 60 minutes after consumption, 60 to 90 minutes when drunk with food.Alcohol also freely passes out of breastmilk so there is rarely need to express milk and throw it away. If the alcohol has gone from her blood, it will have gone from the milk. It takes a 140 pound (10 stone, or about 63.5kg) woman about two to three hours to eliminate the alcohol in one serving of beer or wine from her body; the more alcohol that is consumed, the longer it takes for it to be eliminated. For example, if the same woman had four drinks, it would take nine to ten hours for her breastmilk to contain no alcohol. (1)Maternal blood alcohol levels must attain 300 mg/100ml before significant side effects are reported in the infant. (80mg/100ml fails the police breath test).
Can alcohol affect milk supply?
Studies have found that babies nurse more frequently when their mother has consumed alcohol. However they don’t metabolise alcohol nearly as well as adults do, and when there is alcohol in the milk they seem to take less milk than they would otherwise in the 3-4 hours after an alcoholic beverage is consumed. Compensatory increases in milk intake have been observed during the 8-16 hours after exposure when mothers refrained from drinking. (2,3,4,5)When this is combined with the slowed milk release that can result from alcohol, an oxytocin inhibitor, milk supply and baby’s growth can be compromised if a woman drinks substantial amounts regularly. Even though nursing right after a couple of drinks can temporarily decrease the baby’s milk intake, a beer or a glass of wine a couple of times a week is unlikely to matter, and the effects decrease as your baby gets older.
Do I have to pump and dump after drinking alcohol?
You do not have to pump and dump after drinking alcohol when you’re breastfeeding, except for comfort.As alcohol leaves the bloodstream, it leaves the breastmilk. Since alcohol is not “trapped” in breastmilk (it returns to the bloodstream as mother’s blood alcohol level declines), pumping and dumping will not remove it. Drinking a lot of water, resting, or drinking coffee will not speed up the rate of the elimination of alcohol from your body either.Adult metabolism of alcohol is approximately 1 ounce in 3 hours, so mothers who ingest alcohol in moderate amounts can generally return to breastfeeding as soon as they feel neurologically normal. If you want to minimise the alcohol your baby gets, you can try nursing right before having a drink and then wait until your body has metabolised all the alcohol (about two hours for each drink consumed).
Alcohol abuse affects the baby
If you are regularly consuming large amounts of alcohol, this could harm the baby. It would be a good idea for you to consult a health professional if you have any doubts about the compatibility of your drinking habits with breastfeeding. Nursing mothers who are drinking to the point of intoxication, or binge drinking, may be less aware of their baby’s needs and they should not breastfeed until they are completely sober, at which time most of the alcohol will have left their blood. If consumed in large amounts alcohol can cause drowsiness, deep sleep, weakness, and abnormal weight gain in the infant, and the possibility of decreased milk ejection reflex in the mother. (6) Mothers who have been drinking should not bed-share with their babies as their natural reflexes will be affected. Excessive drinking by the mother can result in slow weight gain or failure to thrive in her baby. Alcohol abuses can affect milk letdown and may result in not breastfeeding enough. The baby may sleep more and miss breastfeeds, or may not suck effectively, leading to decreased milk intake. The baby may even suffer from delayed motor development.
Medical opinion
Dr. Jack Newman MD, FRCPC and Thomas W. Hale, R.Ph. Ph.D both believe that a mother can drink some alcohol and continue breastfeeding as she normally does. Dr. Jack Newman says this in his handout More Breastfeeding Myths: “Reasonable alcohol intake sh...
Summary
When a breastfeeding mother drinks occasionally and limits her consumption to one drink, the amount of alcohol her baby receives has not been proven to be harmful. The absolute amount of alcohol transferred into milk is generally low, and while we co...
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