Drinking while breastfeeding?

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A friend of mine mentioned on Myspace she couldn't drink alcohol b/c she was breastfeeding. Maybe I missed that in OB, but is that true?!

(I know a lot of what we drink/consume can end up in breast milk, but I wasn't sure if you can end up with a drunk baby or something!)

Specializes in ER.
by breast infections, i assume you're talking about mastitis? if so, mom does not need to stop breastfeeding while treating the mastitis, even if she's on antibiotics. in fact, continuing to breastfeed is the best treatment (along with the abx if it's severe). and you don't need to pump and dump after having a drink, the alcohol does not stay in the milk. it takes a lot of calories and energy to make that milk, so it's best not to waste it unnecessarily.

i'm so glad this conversation is taking place, because there seems to be a lot of misinformation out there!

you are making a cut and dry statement that is absolutely incorrect - see previous posts on reliable sources (referenced websites) pertaining to this.

it also depends on the abx she is on whether she needs to temporarily pump and dump, btw.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I personally have no real attachment to alcohol and have no problem giving it up for any length of time.

That said, I don't think we need to be reading new moms the riot act for having an occasional glass of wine. Getting buzzed and/or smashed is different.

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yep, i see your point and concerns.

and as i've stated, it's very hard to understand any of this when i don't drink.

i suppose it's the same type of bashing that smokers take...

or the overweight take.

there is prejudice, and i will be the first to admit to it.

my husband is an alcoholic (recovered at present) and i remember going through the roof the very first time my dtr asked for a sip of his beer.

my kids and i have gone to alanon, and they know the 12 steps in recovery.

am i comparing apples to apples?

i.

don't.

know...

quite honestly.

****edited for brevity********

with peace,

leslie

Ah, my, I see where you're coming from now! I understand your thinking now, and appreciate your explanation of the background.

For what it's worth, it probably isn't apples to apples, or even a good comparison of the bashing of the overweight, or smokers. Not in that in THIS case, it's supposed to be about the occasional (meaning infrequent, not abusive) use of alcohol. Although it DOES seem to be something of a bashing of those who imbibe only on occasion (the occasion not being because it's 3:00!).

But I see why you're sensitive to the topic of "occasional", for certain. And yes, I'm quite sure there are those whose definition of "occasional" probably is because it's Tuesday, or because it's 3:00, or because the laundry came out right, or because....whatever.

On a message board it's difficult to recognize denial versus a legitimate explanation. I can tell you I have an occasional drink and you can't know if I'm a total drunkard or if I really DO have a glass or two once a week, every couple of weeks, once a month or even less. We have to go with gut instinct and sometimes think in generalities.

So, on that note, I'll just have to say that given an honest set of circumstances of a nursing mother who has a child who goes several hours between breastfeedings and that mother would like a glass of wine, it isn't something that should be of issue. That's how I took the OP's post, at any rate. The same nursing mother who has a newborn who can't go more than a couple of hours without feeding has a different set of issues, as does the mother who drinks too frequently.

Let's hope responsibility holds sway, regardless of the consumption choices.

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Specializes in Woundcare.

MassEd, what about all of the info linked to that clearly states that once alcohol is metabolized by the body, it no longer remains in the milk?

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Specializes in ITU/Emergency.
whoah are you way off track here - i believe we agree it's how much and when to breastfeed safely. nobody is scaring her, relax already! oy! :madface: and to write that one of the main reasons mom's giving up breastfeeding, as you write, because they are told "what they can and cannot eat/drink/do/whatever.: is just silly, back that up with facts. there are many reasons, such as difficulty with latching on, lack of support, feeling as though there's not enough milk being produced, not having husband or s.o. help out with the task, taking meds that can't be taken while nursing, etc. there are lots of reasons, not just what you write (in your opinion), as the main reason.

well in your response, it's unfair for you to cut off the rest of my quote:

"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/nutriti...es-06a-eng.php

sorry, didn't realise i was back at school, writing a paper and needing to provide references for comments that i make. nor did i realise that i am not allowed to voice an opinion. anyway, as for that reference, in his book 'the ultimate breast-feeding book of answers, dr.newman states that the restrictive nature is one of the main reasons women give up breastfeeding. unfortantly, i can't find the quote online but this the nearest to it i can find. sorry! do i get an f?!

'experts like dr. jack newman, author of the ultimate breast-feeding book of answers ([color=#3366cc]compare prices) are working hard to dispel these myths. nursing while you are drunk or frequently nursing when you've been drinking -- those are problems. but, according to newman, "reasonable alcohol intake should not be discouraged at all ... prohibiting alcohol is another way we make life unnecessarily restrictive for nursing mothers."

http://babyparenting.about.com/od/breastfeeding/f/pumpdump.htm

more from dr.newmanin an interview with glob

eandmail.com:

kelly drennan, toronto: what is your position on drinking and breastfeeding? motherrisk has a chart on their site which states on average that women should wait two hours before the alcohol leaves their bloodstream before nursing, and that the pump and dump method does not work.

jack newman: i think that motherrisk's position is neo-puritanical. the amount of alcohol in the milk is very small after a drink or two, much less than you would find in de-alcoholized beer. in most provinces, you are considered too drunk to drive if you have 0.08 per cent alcohol in your blood. if you have that amount in your blood, you have that amount in your milk. that's nothing. i don't understand motherrisk's position. they are willing to tell mothers they can take all sorts of other drugs while breastfeeding (quite rightly) and are squeamish about alcohol.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.
You are making a cut and dry statement that is absolutely incorrect - see previous posts on reliable sources (referenced websites) pertaining to this.

It also depends on the ABX she is on whether she needs to temporarily pump and dump, btw.

Can you post a link to a source that recommends dumping breastmilk while on antibiotics? In 11 years of professional practice, and 3 years of nursing my own babies, I have never encountered a patient (myself included) on an antibiotic that was contra-indicated with breastfeeding.

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Can you post a link to a source that recommends dumping breastmilk while on antibiotics? In 11 years of professional practice, and 3 years of nursing my own babies, I have never encountered a patient (myself included) on an antibiotic that was contra-indicated with breastfeeding.

Me either. My bible for this is the already mentioned "Medications and Mother's Milk" by Dr. Hale.:redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe

steph

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.
Can you post a link to a source that recommends dumping breastmilk while on antibiotics? In 11 years of professional practice, and 3 years of nursing my own babies, I have never encountered a patient (myself included) on an antibiotic that was contra-indicated with breastfeeding.

They are indeed few and far between, but a friend of mine had to pump & dump while taking Chloramphenicol (missionary in a 3rd world country & had typhoid fever). Like I said, a pretty extraordinary situation.

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To be fair . . . . I've been thinking about some physicians who tell women to stop breastfeeding when they are taking certain medications (I actually had Dr. Hale call me regarding an email I sent him and he gave me info to counter what the doc told the patient!!).

Also, this same doc tells women to stop breastfeeding if their child gets jaundice. And doesn't use lidocaine when doing circs.

So, maybe some nurses and new moms have run into old fashioned (out of touch) docs.

steph

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If you drink a 5 oz. glass of wine, 12% alcohol, and weigh 120 lb., your blood alcohol will be about 0.04%. If breast milk has the same alcohol level as blood, your baby will get 4 parts in 10,000 alcohol in the milk. I don't think that's enough to worry about, and I never worried about the rare drink I had when nursing my four children.

If you cut up grapes for your toddlers they probably have that much alcohol. At least, I had teetotalling relatives who wouldn't eat cut grapes for that reason.:D

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.
To be fair . . . . I've been thinking about some physicians who tell women to stop breastfeeding when they are taking certain medications (I actually had Dr. Hale call me regarding an email I sent him and he gave me info to counter what the doc told the patient!!).

Dr Hale is on my (very short) list of heroes. :bowingpur

I use his book ALL THE TIME.

Recently learned from him that a CT scan c contrast is not an automatic ticket to pump & dump. :up:

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Specializes in Adult Stem Cell/Oncology.

If you cut up grapes for your toddlers they probably have that much alcohol. At least, I had teetotalling relatives who wouldn't eat cut grapes for that reason.:D

Grapes don't contain ANY alcohol, the alcohol in wine (and other alcoholic drinks) comes from the fermentation process. I'm a nanny for a 14-month old and she LOVES grapes. I take the skin off and cut them into tiny pieces and she can't seem to get enough. If there was any alcohol in grapes, her mom (who has an MD and a PhD) definitely wouldn't let me give them to her!

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