Controversial issue

[gypsymom]

I know that there are different schools of thought on this and that it can be a touchy subject. I'm just wondering what all your thoughts are on drinking while nursing.




I personally have had a very rare beer on a few occasions after the babes are in bed and I know I won't need to nurse for a long while. I usually will have only half of one before I start feeling guilty about it, and since I don't want to pump n dump (I hate pumping) I end up giving it to DH or dumping it.

[Frenchy]

When the girls were in the NICU and I was pumping, my sisters came to town and my whole family was celebrating the birth of the girls... so they got champagne. I took two sips and was so paranoid that I was going to hurt the girls, I pumped and dumped for 12 hours :shrug. So dumb!! I just didn't get it, plus I was just so nervous. After they were home and it was 4 months or so, I would have a beer and not worry about it at all. We got a few good laughs about what a spaz I was.... Ok we still do...

[Super Goo]

Isn't beer recommended for milk production? :para

[gypsymom]

Isn't beer recommended for milk production? :para

Sometimes...I just have a guilt complex that I can't shake...

[MsSteak]

Beer is good for milk production! I think it is the yeast in it. My Dr. actually recommended it. Everything in moderation. A beer, a glass of wine or whatever else is not going to hurt.

[Supercalafragilistic]

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art15896.asp

Read this :)

I think you're fine.

[Pezzle Stick]

I've always thought a beer was good for milk production also. I agree with Steak...everything in moderation. I dont think one beer will hurt

[SnowBirdie]

well, if you have one very occasionally you fall under the guidelines that the aap set out. http://kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html discusses it, and i think it depends on how often, how much, and when you are going to nurse again.

i don't, but i probably wouldn't anyway, so that isn't any indicator...lol. it sounds as if you, gypsymom, are well within the recommended limit.

here is the basic page from kellymom.com on alcohol use during bf in case you don't feel like going there...lol

*Current research says that occasional use of alcohol (1-2 drinks) is not harmful to the nursing baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs classifies alcohol (ethanol) as a “Maternal Medication Usually Compatible With Breastfeeding.”
* Many experts recommend against drinking more than 1-2 drinks per week.
* It is recommended that nursing moms avoid breastfeeding during and for 2-3 hours after drinking (Hale 2002).
* There is no need to pump & dump milk after drinking alcohol, other than for mom's comfort -- pumping & dumping does not speed the elimination of alcohol from the milk.
* Alcohol does not increase milk production, and has been shown to inhibit let-down and decrease milk production (see below).
* If you're away from your baby, try to pump as often as baby usually nurses (this is to maintain milk supply, not because of the alcohol). At the very least, pump or hand express whenever you feel uncomfortably full - this will help you to avoid plugged ducts and mastitis.

In general, if you are sober enough to drive, you are sober enough to breastfeed. Less than 2% of the alcohol consumed by the mother reaches her blood and milk. Alcohol peaks in mom's blood and milk approximately 1/2-1 hour after drinking (but there is considerable variation from person to person, depending upon how much food was eaten in the same time period, mom's body weight and percentage of body fat, etc.). Alcohol does not accumulate in breastmilk, but leaves the milk as it leaves the blood; so when your blood alcohol levels are back down, so are your milk alcohol levels.

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.


Effects of alcohol on breastfeeding and the breastfed baby

* 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).
* 2+ drinks may inhibit let-down (Coiro et al 1992; Cobo 1974).
* One study showed changes in the infant's sleep-wake patterning after short-term exposure to small amounts of alcohol in breastmilk -- infants whose mothers were light drinkers slept less (Mennella & Gerrish 1998).
* Daily consumption of alcohol has been shown in the research to increase the risk for slow weight gain in the infant.
* Daily consumption of alcohol (1+ drinks daily) has been associated with a decrease in gross motor development (Little et al 1989).


i am really silly, since i wouldn't drink anything when i have little ones in case they need me and i need to be alert. i know...silly, but i am affected very quickly by just a little alcohol, and i would never forgive myself if they needed me and i was looped (which i would be)...lol. :party i am not saying no one should..just that i am silly that way...:snicker

[Pop Tart]

:para

[Lola Starr]

It's been a while since I breastfed, but I did not drink much while pumping. I think in the beginning I even did the pump/dump thing.

This being said, I don't think a few drinks is a bad thing. :shrug

[Bonkey]

I drink and nurse! Only in moderation though. My pedi said "you can drink, as long as you don't tie one on":lmao
Ummmm. So at the max I will have 2 glasses of wine and nurse 3 hours later. No more than that. If I ever felt drunk, I would pump n' dump. I think a few beers are fine- as long as you are not drinking in excess.:friends2

[SnowBirdie]

some days i could really use a few...sigh. but i haven't..lol. it is a thought though:lol

[gypsymom]

Thanks guys! You've helped me shake my guilt complex enough to actually finish a beer. :woot Now I want more. :para I think it's time for bed...

[MsSteak]

:lol

[Iggy]

The brewer's yeast in beer is good for milk production. You can get the same effect, sans alcohol, from root beer. The good kind, bottled, not the 2-liter Mug/A&W/generic crap.

[Free Bird]

My OB is from the West Indies and she's more towards the "nautral" remedies. She insisted I drink a beer a day to help my supply. The key is to drink foreign beer like Heinekin or any other import. The yeast in those is different than in American beers and better for your supply.

Unfortuantely, I am not a beer drinker. So it didn't work for me.

[zak frost]

I figure one beer won't hurt them. Everything in moderation....

[Bella~*]

I couldn't agree more, Drink in moderation, I had a tequila sunrise tonight, i haven't had a drink in a long while, and I almost never finish it. :para

But..... in any case, This does make me feel better too..

[Ringlette]

Everything in moderation.

I have actually nursed Eowyn while drunk.:para I am not proud about it at all. I am just sharing my experience. It was my first night out. I went out and my mom watched the girls. I had pumped milk, but my mom called me at midnight and told me that Eowyn was refusing the bottle and crying uncontroably. I had someone drive me home, and I attempted to give her the bottle for about 30 minutes. AFter that I couldn't take it anymore (neither could my mom:roll ) and I nursed her. It had been about an hour and a half since I drank anything, but I was still pretty drunk. I had pumped enough the day before to give them bottle for 24 hours each. It was a huge PITA, and both of them absolutely refused the bottles. I was so mad. From that point on, it was only mommy, and very little drinking for me. Even though I knew it wouldn't hurt them if I did. Eowyn was fine that night and the next day.

[Bella~*]

Everything in moderation.

I have actually nursed Eowyn while drunk.:para I am not proud about it at all. I am just sharing my experience. It was my first night out. I went out and my mom watched the girls. I had pumped milk, but my mom called me at midnight and told me that Eowyn was refusing the bottle and crying uncontroably. I had someone drive me home, and I attempted to give her the bottle for about 30 minutes. AFter that I couldn't take it anymore (neither could my mom:roll ) and I nursed her. It had been about an hour and a half since I drank anything, but I was still pretty drunk. I had pumped enough the day before to give them bottle for 24 hours each. It was a huge PITA, and both of them absolutely refused the bottles. I was so mad. From that point on, it was only mommy, and very little drinking for me. Even though I knew it wouldn't hurt them if I did. Eowyn was fine that night and the next day.


Thank you for sharing that info. your a supurb mother no matter what!!!:bluebowdanc

[SnowBirdie]

hey, your babies have to eat, and if they won't take the bottle...i guess that is what you have to do. you realized they wouldn't cooperate after that, so hey, they did okay and had to eat. you are a great mom, and they are some healthy and happy kids :):)

[carchris kringle]

I never would do it. I am a wine lover and while I was exclusively pumping and giving BM in bottles for their first 6 months(neither could latch), I never took a sip of wine, just too afraid.
Now my SIL on the other hand will have a glass or 2 of wine while pregnant. She did it with my nephew and now with the baby she is prego with. THAT I COULD NEVER DO. It boils DH's blood when she has it and he can't bite his tongue. I think because he understand how precious a baby is and how it can go from good to bad way to fast. He appreciates a pregnant woman and baby! She just is too selfish (IMO)

[Smidget]

i've never done it and will never do it. but that's because i don't drink at all and haven't since WAY before i was preggo. so i have never even thought about it. i don't look down on anyone who does it. i've heard a beer or glass of wine is OK. drinking while preggo though, NEVER!!! and simcarchris, i wanna :slap your SIL!!!

[Cake]

I drink. When they were little it was hard because they went back and forth about bottles unless they were in the habit of getting one every few days routinely but starting solids made it eaiser.

To buy myself some time, I nursed one and then started to drink as I fed the second and did it at the most dependable sleep time of the day. For me, that was late afternoon when all my kids were sleeping. Perhaps it was a little odd to be nursing a baby, beer in hand at 4:00 but that’s what worked for me.

I never had more than a couple or any in the evenings until they were on solids and I didn’t have to nurse to sleep. I’m not a late night drinker anyway except for when I go out with friends and, well, that wasn’t really an issue for a loooong time.

[Pop Tart]

Its no secret that I will have a few drinks and I've definitely smoked, too. The older the girls get, the more freedoms I've allowed myself, but I've educated myself about the risks and compared those to the benefits (mostly, that I feel less like a cow, more like a human... selfish, yes, but it benefits my whole family, IMO)

Here's what kellymom says:

http://kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html

Guidelines

* Current research says that occasional use of alcohol (1-2 drinks) is not harmful to the nursing baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs classifies alcohol (ethanol) as a “Maternal Medication Usually Compatible With Breastfeeding.”
* Many experts recommend against drinking more than 1-2 drinks per week.
* It is recommended that nursing moms avoid breastfeeding during and for 2-3 hours after drinking (Hale 2002).
* There is no need to pump & dump milk after drinking alcohol, other than for mom's comfort -- pumping & dumping does not speed the elimination of alcohol from the milk.
* Alcohol does not increase milk production, and has been shown to inhibit let-down and decrease milk production (see below).
* If you're away from your baby, try to pump as often as baby usually nurses (this is to maintain milk supply, not because of the alcohol). At the very least, pump or hand express whenever you feel uncomfortably full - this will help you to avoid plugged ducts and mastitis.

In general, if you are sober enough to drive, you are sober enough to breastfeed. Less than 2% of the alcohol consumed by the mother reaches her blood and milk. Alcohol peaks in mom's blood and milk approximately 1/2-1 hour after drinking (but there is considerable variation from person to person, depending upon how much food was eaten in the same time period, mom's body weight and percentage of body fat, etc.). Alcohol does not accumulate in breastmilk, but leaves the milk as it leaves the blood; so when your blood alcohol levels are back down, so are your milk alcohol levels.

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.


Effects of alcohol on breastfeeding and the breastfed baby

* 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).
* 2+ drinks may inhibit let-down (Coiro et al 1992; Cobo 1974).
* One study showed changes in the infant's sleep-wake patterning after short-term exposure to small amounts of alcohol in breastmilk -- infants whose mothers were light drinkers slept less (Mennella & Gerrish 1998).
* Daily consumption of alcohol has been shown in the research to increase the risk for slow weight gain in the infant.
* Daily consumption of alcohol (1+ drinks daily) has been associated with a decrease in gross motor development (Little et al 1989).

Page last modified: 12/05/2005
Written: 5/1998

[carchris kringle]

i've never done it and will never do it. but that's because i don't drink at all and haven't since WAY before i was preggo. so i have never even thought about it. i don't look down on anyone who does it. i've heard a beer or glass of wine is OK. drinking while preggo though, NEVER!!! and simcarchris, i wanna :slap your SIL!!!


Smidge I do too! It is a hot topic in our family. Everyone but SIL and BIL are so frustrated with her. Out for dinner for my birthday she had a glass of wine and my mom (who didn'tk now there was an issue) actually said something to her (GO MOM). She is an a@@