I have a question/concern about alcohol consumption and nursing. I rarely drink alcohol. I haven't had enough to drink and feel the effects in years. However, a few nights ago had enough beer to feel a little tipsy. I came home, and thought I was perfectly sober and therefore nursed my 9-month old. To my horror, I woke up a few hours later and got up and walked around a bit, realizing that I was still a tiny bit tipsy, and therefore had not been fine to nurse my baby. I am too embarrassed to call my pediatrician to ask what affect this could have on my baby, but perhaps I should. I understand the general rules about drinking, nursing, and when not to nurse. I am seeking information on what affect this one nursing session could have had on my poor little one!
I calmed down, did some more research and talked to my pediatrician. She laughed. Apparently I had two things going for me: 1) I didn't drink much, 2) I didn't nurse until 2 hours after finishing my last drink. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting alcohol consumption during lactation. Most of the advice I got here (thank you) was up-to-date and accurate, according to my pediatrician. The rules of thumb are to limit consumption and not to nurse while intoxicated or impaired. Pumping and dumping, therefore, isn't necessary; once mom's blood alcohol level has recovered, there is no longer alcohol in her milk. As for the advice to not have one more sip until I am done nursing, fat chance. Apparently, while that is very loving, wise and well-intended, my lifestyle is healthy for me and my baby, even with a couple drinks once in awhile.
About the same effects it would have on you. I wouldnt be too worried about doing it once, but I would NOT have another DROP again til he weans himself.
S.
S.,
Drinking occasionally will not ruin your baby. I know moms who drink dark beer to increase milk supply - myself included. It does work. As long as I'm not having more than 2 within a couple of hours of nursing (body metabolized about a drink per hour), it's not an issue. When I was a baby, my mom used to drink a beer when she sat down to nurse me. I turned out fine (and my gross motor skills are superb).
what ive heard is that you can pump and dump the first feeding after having even one drink.
i assure you that this 'accident' will not permenantly harm your son in any way, you just have to be aware of the time it takes to get all the alcohol out of your system. you can suppliment with formula during the pump and dump times, or you can pump an extra time a day or every other day or so, and store that in the freezer to use when you need to pump and dump.
www.askdrsears.com might have information for you. try trustworthy websites, even llli.org for info on how long it takes for alcohol to leave your system, or if you can, i encourage you to wait until you've weaned to drink. after all, its MORE than possible to have a good time without a drink.
but there are safe, healthy ways to drink too, so dont feel like you have to deprive yourself of your nights out or osmething :P
good luck!
I have made the same lapse in judgment. My daughter is fine. Obviously, I haven't made a habit of it, but the one time it did happen is done, and I can not do another thing about it. My daughter is bright, agile, and full of energy. No reason to stress about it, we've got plenty of other things to consume our thoughts. Best of luck to you...
Don't worry! I'm sure it's not as bad as you think it is. I think that by the time it works it's way through your body, they don't get much at all. But you could probably call your doctor and remain anonymous if it makes you feel better. I'm sure they get questions like that all the time.
Don't worry. Go ahead and call the dr. They hear everything so don't be embarassed. They should be able to answer your questions and address your concerns. One time is unlikely to have any major effect. I wouldn't do it repeatedly though. Also, there's a product I've seen in magazines which tests the milk prior to nursing to make sure it's safe after you've had a few drinks. I can't remember the name but your dr may know. Furthermore, keep in mind your alcohol tolerance is much lower than it was prior to pregnancy/nursing so always be extra careful. No alcohol is best but one nursing won't hurt your child. Talk to your dr. Risk of embarassment shouldn't keep you from getting info from your dr. They won't be upset with you or make fun of you. They understand. Good luck.
I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure you're little one will be fine, with no lasting effects =)
Remember the good ol' days when parents gave their babies brandy to help with coughs? Haha! Trust me, it's just fine to have some alcohol go through your system. I drank from time-to-time while nursing for that year after my son was born and it never affected him. My doctor and my brother, who is a doctor, assured me that with the small amount I would drink it was just fine. The worst thing is it may affect the taste of your breastmilk slightly, but with the small amount you had it's nothing. Please don't worry!
Don't lose sleep over it or call your Peds. What your infant got was diluted to start with and it's not going to affect him this one time. Make sure you drink lots of water if you do drink so counter-balance the hydration effect on your body. Take care!
Relax. There will be absolutely, positively, 100%, no lasting effect to your baby.
S.,
Obviously you won't do this again, you are a great mom. I won't worry about it too much, especially since there isn't any thing you can do about it at this point. I think I would not worry about being embarrassed to ask your doctor. I am sure they know you would never do anything on purpose to hurt your baby. If you need medical opinions, you could always call your nurse or doctor and talk to them, thats what they are there for.
Best to you,
Jessica
Hi S.,
Nowadays doctors advise against nursing when you are pregnant although our parents drank all the time not knowing the possible effects and most of us turned out ok. They used to think that drinking while nursing was a bad idea, but now they say the alcohol will not transfer into the milk. So, you're OK! In Ireland, they call a certain kind of beer "mother's milk" because they feel it is beneficial for nursing moms. Some doctors even recommend a beer or wine to encourage relaxation and, therefore, milk production. I nursed my first baby for 2 yrs and am now nursing my 10 month old. I have had alcohol on occasion and even to the point of being tipsy although, mostly, I don't really feel like drinking. So, don't worry and don't be embarrassed to talk to your doctor. Most doctors will probably tell you this is OK.
Hope this helps and keep up the great nursing!!
Your baby will be fine so don't beat yourself up about it! For future reference, when the alcohol wears off in you- it wears off in the milk. So if you want to have a few drinks you need to wait to nurse your baby until it wears off. My doctor said it is okay to have one drink on occasion and then to have a nursing session. More than that you must wait 1.5-2 hours per drink before breastfeeding. If your baby sleeps a long night, it is best to have a drink after bedtime. Then you can be certain that all the alcohol is gone before nursing again.
Don't worry, your baby is fine but next time- give him/her a bottle and pump and dump the milk if needed.
Hey S.,
This one nursing session probably didn't have any affect on your little one. Even though some alcohol is secreted into the breastmilk, unless you drink on a regular basis, your baby should be fine.
Here are a couple of links with specific information.
http://www.llli.org/FAQ/alcohol.html
http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html
Hope it helps,
Limor
You did NOT hurt your baby, stop worrying :) Read the excellent references others have given you here. I, and most of my friends, had beer or wine during our nursing months. We have a crew of very healthy, smart, active children!
If your baby is fine now, your baby will be fine. It's not like *you* have too many drinks and three days later have problems suddenly pop up, yk? I'd imagine it's the same.
I certainly don't judge you for having a couple of drinks at 9 months postpartum. I did. I just used pumped milk if he got hungry those nights. And you know these right? I haven't used them, but I know they're available. I just saw another brand of them at Target actually:
http://www.milkscreen-moms.com/ Anyway, I think everything will be just fine. :)
As far as what effects already passed, I found this-
http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html
"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.”
"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 wouldn't worry about it too much. I've read books by midwives that say that it's okay to have a LIMIT of one alcoholic beverage per day when you're pregnant. I figure, if you had a few beers now that you're not pregnant and you waited a few hours before nursing your little one, the effect can't possibly be as great as it would have been had he/she been in your womb. I've done the same thing while nursing my little one and I haven't noticed anything that would say he had been affected at all. Of course, that doesn't mean everything was okay just because I didn't notice anything, but I really don't think it has that much of an effect on them.
To be honest your baby will be fine, it was only once. And back in the good ole days when out parents nurse they didn't think twice about breastfeeding when drinking.. or smoking for that matter. I know that the affects are a little more well known now but like I said your baby will be fine!! And NEVER be afraid to call your pediatrician, if they scold you and make you feel at all less of a parent because of this, I'd find a new one! I listed a web site that has and alcohol calculater so the next time you do have a few drinks you'll be able to know when it will be safe to feed your baby. Take care, and don't stress the small stuff!
Don't fret - back in the day - the fridges that were on the maternity units were stocked full of beer to help nursing mothers. No joke - I heard this story when I was pregnant and went to my breastfeeding classes. I heard it from 2 different hospital classes - so, it's not just a wives tale. They do not do it anymore b/c it makes the babies way too sleepy and more research was done about it not showing it to be that much of a benefit. I'm not saying you should do it but, I know the lactation consultants always recommended us using beer to help with milk production. Everyone seems to have their own "remedy" or advice. They just usually suggested the non-alcoholic choices. I think next time it would be best for you to pump and dump but, I don't think you have to worry since it's already happened. It just usually causes the baby to be much more sleepy - making it difficult for the baby to nurse as much as usual. I forgot how long they said to wait after drinking - but, I'd maybe just pump and dump x1 after your consumption. Don't beat yourself up over it - and don't ever hesitate in calling your pediatrician. They've heard it all and quite honestly - many of them are mothers and have been there.
Hi S.
You did not say how much you had to drink . With me 2 drinks makes me feel buzzed for a while . You did not say how soon you nursed your little one after drinking . If it was right after drinking your beers or a while later . If it was right after then it was in your milk . If it was hours after your last drink then there may been a little but nothing to affect your little one . Not sure of the affects either way . I always pumped and dumped after drinking before nursing either one of my little ones while nursing .
I agree with all those who say it isn't going to affect the baby. If there was a little alcohol in the milk, it would go away, just like it does for adults. If you were drinking daily and nursing, that would be a huge issue, but a few times aren't going to hurt them.
I think your little one will be fine. In Germany they give nursing mothers beer in the hospital. I'm not condoning or recommending that mothers nurse while they have alchol but you shouldn't beat yourself up about this one insidence.
