Alcohol and Breastfeeding
Many moms ask when they can have alcohol after delivering their baby, with a guilty look on their face. No mom guilt here! You have just grown a human inside of your body and successfully birthed a baby…That is reason to celebrate! Let me answer some of the common questions about breastfeeding and drinking alcohol for you.
What is the size of one serving of alcohol?
12 oz beer (5%), 5oz of wine, 1.5oz of distilled spirits (40%). Let’s all get on the same page. Your best friend’s heavy hand when pouring wine does not count as just one serving.
How much alcohol gets in my breast milk?
Depends on when you drink. Alcohol levels in your body rise in the same way they do in your bloodstream. Think back to pre-pregnancy times when you had your favorite cocktail… shortly after finishing your drink you start to feel a little tipsy and over time that feeling wears off. As a breastfeeding mama your blood alcohol level peaks 30-60 minutes after your finish your drink and alcohol can be detected in milk 2-3 hours after consumption. Blood alcohol levels depend on many factors such as body weight, food consumption, how quickly you drank, etc. Time is your friend!
How does alcohol affect my baby?
Depends on how much you drink and how old your baby is. There is no evidence that minimal alcohol consumption (1 drink per day) is harmful to the behavior or development of your baby if you wait 2-3 hours after drinking to nurse or express milk. Research shows that drinking more than 1-2 drinks per week may lead to decreased milk production, impaired let down of milk, disrupted sleep for your baby, poor infant weight gain, and delays in early infant developmental milestones. As your baby grows, the rate they metabolize alcohol increases. Basically, the impact of alcohol in your breast milk may be higher for a newborn than when your baby is 6 months old.
Should I “Pump and Dump” my breast milk?
Nope. Pumping and dumping milk does not decrease the amount of alcohol in your blood or breast milk. You may choose to pump your breasts after consuming alcohol and discard the milk if they are feeling uncomfortable full, or you want to maintain a schedule of milk expression to stimulate/protect your milk supply.
What do the experts say about alcohol and breast milk?
Centers for Disease Control: recommends not drinking alcohol as the safest choice but recommends a 2-3 hour wait per drink consumed before breastfeeding.
Thomas W. Hale, R.Ph. Ph.D in “Medications and Mothers’ Milk” (17th ed.): When a mother feels normal after drinking, she can breastfeed.
So, what does that mean for me?
YES! You can have a drink!
1 drinks= 2-3 hour wait
2 drinks= 4-5 hour wait
3 drinks= 6-8 hours wait
Many moms have their favorite cocktail and then wait 2-3 hours or wait until she feels neurologically normal. It’s simple, just pump/nurse and then have your drink right after. If your baby usually eats every 2-3 hours, then you know you are right in the suggested time frame for waiting after a drink.
Talk with a consultant today about how to drink and breastfeed
For more information about alcohol and breastfeeding visit: CDC (breastfeeding and drinking), LLL (alcohol and breast milk), and NIH (alcohol consumption and breast milk)
I am a registered nurse in the State of Florida and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). The content on this blog page is for informational and educational use only. I have taken reasonable steps to ensure that the information shared is accurate, but I cannot guarantee that it is free from errors. The information shared here does not take the place of a medical provider, nor establishes any kind of client relationship with myself as a registered nurse or a lactation consultant. I am not your IBCLC or RN unless you book a consult with me directly and we establish a patient/caregiver relationship.