Drinking while breastfeeding?

allnurses Guide · Jun 24, 2008

anyone heard of "pump and dump"?
otessa

actually that has been addressed in numerous posts. i posted one from dr. sears' website:

alcohol in breastmilk?

"i read that it is ok to have a drink of alcohol while breastfeeding as long as you do it right after breastfeeding and then don't nurse again for at least two hours after. wouldn't the alcohol get in the breastmilk and stay there or does it just go away somehow?"

let's say you're at a friend's party, have a couple of drinks and feel a little tipsy. at that point, there will be a small amount of alcohol in your breastmilk. now, if the party goes late... things get a little out of hand... you've had quite a few more drinks, and wind-up prancing around your friend's house wearing nothing but a bear-skin rug... there will be a lot of alcohol in your breastmilk!

what happens to the alcohol in the breastmilk? do you need to pump and dump? the milk-alcohol level will be based on your blood-alcohol level. as your body metabolizes the excess alcohol and the blood alcohol slowly decreases, so will the milk level. you generally don't have to pump and dump, unless you need to prevent engorgement. when the effects of the alcohol have worn off, then it is fine to nurse again.

one more thing: be prepared to pay top dollar to buy the negatives of any photos that were taken at the party!

dr. jim

MisterSimba, BSN · Jun 24, 2008

Regardless of whether or not alcohol enters the breast milk -- common sense tells me to NOT drink while breastfeeding. Why risk it? If the alcohol is that important to soemone, then they obviously have a problem.

If it was me, I wouldn't drink at all while trying to conceive, while pregnant, or while breastfeeding. If it's something I wouldn't feed to a developing fetus or a baby, why consume it while breastfeeding? I certainly wouldn't pour a Corona into a bottle and feed it to a baby, so, no, I wouldn't advocate consuming any alcohol while breastfeeding.

Alcoholism runs in my family and I've seen what it does to people, so I'm pretty cautious when it comes to drinking....

dawngloves, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2008

What the La Leche League says:

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/alcohol.html

megananne7 · Jun 24, 2008

Slightly off topic... but I've heard of mother's who have breastfed drunk (lying down) and then have fallen asleep while nursing. They ended up smothering the baby.

That doesn't just happen because someone's drunk.

Roseyposey · Jun 24, 2008

There is no "safe" level of alcohol consumption while breastfeeding; some will end up in the breastmilk. The amount of alcohol that ends up in a mother's milk from one drink is very small. However, the mother should absolutely not drive a car or co-sleep with the baby. The "pump and dump" method does nothing. The alcohol needs to be metabolized out of the body to be cleared from the breastmilk. The only way to be 100% certain that the baby has received no ETOH is to not drink, or feed the baby previously expressed breastmilk.

Roseyposey, RN, CLC

pattycakeRN · Jun 24, 2008

Alcohol is not a necessity. Just like giving it up while pregnant (please GOD don't anyone argue that one), abstaining from alcohol while breastfeeding isn't perhaps necessary (we can argue semantics all day) but for pete's sake, if you're not sure, don't do it!! How hard is that? If you can't abstain from drinking for 9-18 months, you should seriously think about your relationship with alcohol.

Not at all like driving, IMHO, because driving has become a necessary risk in many cases.

Maybe this is because I don't drink and I refuse to breastfeed. Ever.

Jolie, BSN · Jun 24, 2008

Isn't it our responsibility as professional nurses and healthcare providers to offer evidence-based education to our patients?

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jun 24, 2008

Offer the breastfeeding mother the FACTS, not opinions. One should never 'educate' using anecdotal evidence, or fear tactics.

A woman should NOT have to become a teetotaler during the entire time she is breastfeeding; what do you say to those who are breastfeeding for a year? 18 months? Longer? "If you have that glass of champagne, Martha, you're kid is gonna be slow and you're a poor example of motherhood"?

Give the mother the CORRECT, CURRENT information, not guesswork and "what I'd do". Who cares if you 'refuse to breastfeed'? What does that have to do with anything? You're saying that therefore, you'd be the far better mother because you'd refuse to nurse your baby --thereby leaving you 'free' to do other things as you please?

There's no reason a mother who is careful and mindful of the times her child needs to nurse should not have a glass of wine now and then. People here seem to be assuming that the only mothers who breastfeed do so with a brand new newborn, who is nursing nearly constantly. What about the nursling who goes five hours in between feedings? She can't have a glass? Facts, please, not moral fiction.

MassED, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2008

You don't need to pump and dump after drinking alcohol. You just need to give it time to fully metabolize and then it will no longer be in the milk. So when you are no longer feeling any effects from the alcohol, you can resume breastfeeding.

yes pump and dump if you are inebriated during feeding times. If you are intoxicated and it's feeding time for baby, give a bottle of formula and pump your breasts to dump it. OR if you know you're going to drink, pump ahead of time and put it in the fridge. Again, you'd only pump if you were engorged, as a previous poster wrote.

MassED, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2008

What the La Leche League says:
http://www.llli.org/FAQ/alcohol.html

so LLL doesn't have a well-defined answer to the question, so would it not be a WISE breastfeeding mom to avoid what you wouldn't place directly into a bottle for your child? Like a previous poster wrote, if you wouldn't give your child a Corona, why risk it - most, in this country, don't BF over a year or so... really, what's the harm and where's the self-control to wait - pursue your own desire after you've stopped BF. This could lead to another topic, but.... what's best for your baby, anyway?

:twocents:

MassED, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2008

Offer the breastfeeding mother the FACTS, not opinions. One should never 'educate' using anecdotal evidence, or fear tactics.
A woman should NOT have to become a teetotaler during the entire time she is breastfeeding; what do you say to those who are breastfeeding for a year? 18 months? Longer? "If you have that glass of champagne, Martha, you're kid is gonna be slow and you're a poor example of motherhood"?
Give the mother the CORRECT, CURRENT information, not guesswork and "what I'd do". Who cares if you 'refuse to breastfeed'? What does that have to do with anything? You're saying that therefore, you'd be the far better mother because you'd refuse to nurse your baby --thereby leaving you 'free' to do other things as you please?
There's no reason a mother who is careful and mindful of the times her child needs to nurse should not have a glass of wine now and then. People here seem to be assuming that the only mothers who breastfeed do so with a brand new newborn, who is nursing nearly constantly. What about the nursling who goes five hours in between feedings? She can't have a glass? Facts, please, not moral fiction.

Moral fiction? Please. Alcohol consumption that can cross into breastmilk is fact-based and not "moral" fiction. The very relevant question is how much alcohol and when in relation to timing of breastfeeding. It is absolutely NOT moral fiction.

"Alcohol appears in breastmilk and heavy alcohol consumption can interfere with the milk supply and be harmful to the infant.

Mothers can minimize their infant's exposure to alcohol by consuming one alcoholic drink no sooner than two hours before breastfeeding. A breastfeeding mother who ingests several alcoholic drinks should postpone breastfeeding at least two hours for each drink. This means that a mother who takes three drinks should wait at least six hours after the last drink before she resumes nursing. The alcohol-containing breastmilk can be expressed and discarded. The alcohol will take the same amount of time to disappear from the breastmilk; expressing and discarding this milk is suggested only for the mother's comfort and for continued stimulation to maintain milk production. Infants who are hungry during the waiting period will have to be fed with previously collected and stored breastmilk or an acceptable alternative."

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/prenatal/national_guidelines-lignes_directrices_nationales-06a-eng.php

scattycarrot, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2008

Moral fiction? Please. Alcohol consumption that can cross into breastmilk is fact-based and not "moral" fiction. The very relevant question is how much alcohol and when in relation to timing of breastfeeding. It is absolutely NOT moral fiction.
"Alcohol appears in breastmilk and heavy alcohol consumption can interfere with the milk supply and be harmful to the infant.

Exactly. the relevant question IS how much alcohol is passed into breast milk and if you look at the facts, they clearly state that alcohol is metabolized out of breast milk at the rate of a drink (one unit)per hour. So, if a nursing mother wants to have a drink that will be gone out of her system by the time she feeds her baby, why shouldn't she? There is 'nothing to risk', she isn't put her baby's life in danger for crying out loud, the baby is not going to be getting any of the aclohol. Thats like saying if you ever have a drink you should NEVER drive. How does that make sense? It doesn't, thats how. And, having one drink now and then doesn't illustrate a drinking problem at all. People are allowed to enjoy an occasional drink of wine or whatever and they shouldn't be labelled as having a problem. And, even if someone wants to go out for a big evening and get drunk, than as long as they understand when they can breast feed next for it to be safe and someone is caring for the child, why shouldn't they? Its more important that the mother is encouraged to breastfeed than being scaredmongered into never breastfeeding because people are being judgemental. They are not risking their childs life. So, to say the only safe amount is NO amount is not accurate. AS I mentioned previously, alcohol is NOT contra-indicated by the American Association of Pediatrics(within guidelines). One of the main reasons moms give up breastfeeding is because they are told what they can and cannot eat/drink/do/whatever. They need facts not personal opinions, so they can make an informed decision.