Breastfeeding and Alcohol

Breastfeeding is beneficial for both mom and baby. However, if you decide to drink alcohol while breastfeeding, do it moderately. When considering to drink alcohol, the baby's age and medical stability should be taken into consideration. Mothers of premature babies especially should be more careful to consume alcohol because it is harder for these babies to metabolize the alcohol easily through their little bodies. In fact, as long as the alcohol is in your blood system, it is also in your breast milk.As a Lactation Consultant, many of my moms have asked me about drinking while breastfeeding. I tell them if they have to drink alcohol, they should drink one glass after they have breastfed their baby to allow it to work through their system. If a mother chooses to drink heavily, it may interfere with their let down reflex and as a result, produce less breast milk.Therefore, a breastfeeding mom should consider drinking only one cup and waiting for 2 to 3 hours before breastfeeding her baby. Babies who have moms that do drink alcohol may show signs of being tired, drowsy, weak and it may even affect their weight gain. So, think carefully and be a responsible adult. There is a product on the market called Milk Screen. It is a breast milk alcohol test kit. You can buy it from Target, Amazon.com or Babies R Us. You take the pad in the box ,saturate it with your own breast milk and test your milk. A color change will indicate the alcohol content in the breast milk.Mothers who are intoxicated should not breastfeed until they feel sober. If you do decide to drink heavily, plan ahead and pump extra breast milk before drinking alcohol and store it for the next meal. How fast the alcohol leaves the body depends on the strength of the alcohol and the mom's body weight. There is no need to pump and dump breast milk. It does not accelerate the elimination of alcohol faster from your breast milk. La Leche League's Book, The Breastfeeding Answer Book says that alcohol peaks 30 to 60 minutes after taking it without food and 60 to 90 minutes when taken with food. So, drink alcohol if you have to after breastfeeding your baby in between feedings. In conclusion, very little alcohol comes out in the breast milk.However, mothers should drink reasonable amounts of alcohol while breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is the ideal way to feed your child and recommended for 1 year. If you do decide to drink alcohol, do it carefully and take your baby into consideration.