Breastmilk Alcohol Detection Strips

Has anyone used these?  Do they work?  I would REALLY love to enjoy a couple cocktails, but am so weary with breastfeeding.  I have had a glass or 2 of wine on occasion, but have always pumped enough expressed in advance.  Your thoughts...

[pertykitty]

im sure they work, ive never used them.  i love to cook and having some wine while cooking has always been a love of mine.  while nursing addy i pretty much refrained.  i had a drink or 2 a couple of times but then felt guilty so i waited.  how old is your son i cant remember?  it is something we miss, being an idividual, being in control of our own bodies, but it really is such a short time in our lives.  my thoughts might not be what you want to hear but they are my thoughts lol.  if your son is very young, either pump and have milk ready for those few times you do drink a few drinks, or realize that waiting a short time is really just a short time.  its such a personal decision.  i have to say though i wouldnt have drinks often and remember that you never know when they will change their schedule and have a growth spurt and require hourly feedings again.  motherhood can be challenging, you just have to do what works for you and your baby, in a healthy way.  

[PamelaBee]

Thanks for your reply...my son is 2 1/2yrs old (not breastfeeding), this inquiry was for my baby girl (2 mos old)...yeah, I know it IS the guilt thing with me, but I do know that if you're smart about it, and plan to have enough expressed milk on hand, it really shouldn't be an issue...I am curious to get the milkstrips anyway to see how they work

[tiredbuthappy]

it got good reviews on amazon.com

[kylesMom09]

I used these once since I had my DD...They seemed to work just fine, but i still was worried about it so i waited 12 hours after having only one drink.  I know it probably wasn't necessary to wait so long, but i just couldn't bring my self to nurse her just in case.  I haven't used them since, but i am sure they work just fine!

[meiram]

If you get them and use them, post back about how well they work.  It's been quite awhile since I have indulged in any delicious drinks.  I don't think I will have any anytime soon, at least until ds gets his sleeping/eating pattern established.  

[NicMom]

I used them and they seem to work. I had two drinks then about an hour later the milk tested bad, 3 hours later it was clean.

[PamelaBee]

I bought the strips...I had about 3 glasses of red wine starting about 5pm the other evening...by 1am the strip showed no alcohol.  I actually missed not nursing my little angel during that time...it made me feel guilty.  But, I think it's a great product to get if you plan on having a few...it gave me peace of mind.

[Super_sally888]

From what i've read, one or even 2 standard drinks aren't going to have an impact on your breast milk.  Don't get tipsy, but a drink should not be a problem.  Logically.

I am going to be a geek here:

1 glass of wine, say 200 mL, at worst 15% alcohol, that is 30 mL of alcohol. Your body is 80% water.  But for safe side, let's say 60% water (assuming the alcohol gets distributed into that volume only).   Say you weight 65 kg.  So 60% of 65 kg = 39 kg (say roughly 39 Litres of fluid, or 39,000 ML).  ok 30 ML of alcohol into 39000 ML of body fluids = 0.00076 % alcohol.  Now say your baby drink 100 mL of breast milk, he would only get about 0.076 mL of alcohol (way less than 1 ml).  (someone check my calculations - and I don't have 'scientific' basis, just some logic).  I can't believe that this much alcohol would be of significant concern to a baby.

I reckon if you want a drink enjoy it, in reason (don't drink enough to get tipsy).  Breastfeeding is demanding enough as it is, without making women feel bad about a glass of wine, when the real risk is so low.  

That's my 2 cents anyway.

[AndiJ78]

I am on the other side. Why risk it? We all know alcohol weakens our response time and given we abstained (hopefully) from drinking while pg, it is likely to affect us more than it would normally. Not only that, for every hour we spend drinking, that is less stimulation to the supply and we have all seen how many have had issues with supply as it is.

Seems like a lot of work for something that really is not necessary. I say if you need a way to relax, take a bubble bath. It is such short amount of time in the grand scheme.

Even if it is the equivalent of drops, would you ever consider feeding it to your baby directly? Would you be willing to have a few drinks and nurse with your doctor, priest, or CPS worker right there with you?

That has become my new philosophy...if you would not be willing to parent the way you normally do if one of these authority figures/mandated reporters were right there, maybe you should reconsider your decision.

But again, this is one of the reasons I was dubbed an old cow ;-)

[tiredbuthappy]

this is an issue where i take an opposite stance than Andi. and I would nurse after a drink with my dr there- he's one of the many professionals who told me it's ok to have a drink here or there. along with the baby's ped, several LC's, etc... I have not encountered one health professional who said it's NOT ok.

that being said, i seldom do it, and it's usually only 1/2 beer. rarely a full beer.

when researching these strips, this conversation frequently came up in other sites. the perspectives were mixed. some people said nursing women should obstain entirely, for the reasons Andi posted. Many presented supersally's perspective- so many women have difficulty with the commitments of nursing. our society isn't exactly totally supportive of it yet. if you tell a woan who is undecided that she can't even have 1 drink every now and then, it will discourage many who are either overwhelmed or don't have a support system. in the end, the baby would lose out on all the benefits of breastfeeding. We see the question of drinking while breastfeeding arise frequently, so it is definitely a concern. to imply that a woman is somehow doing her baby a great disservice or even harm by having an occasional drink is both counterproductive and innaccurate in my opinion.
**note- i am in no way condoning getting drunk and nursing. I am simply saying that i have been told by trusted professionals that an occasional drink is ok.

we've had this discussion many times- i'm just restating my thoughts in the interest of having a complete and balanced thread :)

[AndiJ78]

I simply think there exists a problem if drinking is a means of coping with stressors. One should always find a healthier was to cope, support system or not.  I watched my mom turn to drinking as a means to cope with daily stressors and then saw her drink her way into liver failure as she continued to use it to cope with even the most minor of conflicts as she conditioned her to think it was acceptable. I believe it is dangerous to use alcohol as a crutch.

I do not feel that it is unhealthy or inaccurate to tell someone they should not drink while pregnant or nursing. I think that it is in the best interest of mom and baby to avoid exposure to alcohol during these times.

Let us not forget that some doctors still condone using Benadryl to make baby sleep or whiskey on the gums. My doctor certainly never condones drinking while pg or nursing, none of mine.

If the notion of not being able to have a drink is enough to steer someone away, I would really have to doubt their commitment in the first place. But then again, when they told my mom she would have to quit drinking to get a life-saving liver transplant, she declined and died in a nursing home at the age of 48. None of us believed it could be so powerful.

The question is now becoming less about the actual alcohol and more about the reason why a person is unable to abstain for a relatively short amount of time. Our society is constantly trying to find ways to justify actions that are not in the best interest of mom or baby.

Using yoga is an excellent way to relax. Drink a non-alcoholic beer, have a glass of white grape juice in a wine glass, sparkling cider, or flavored coffee.

I do not like to drink for obvious reasons. I was on my lips in SF after 2 tiny cosmos. Not a feeling I enjoy so it is hard for me to understand the draw.

[peekawho]

I DO drink, but would not drink while nursing--my personal choice.

Its about the same as saying to a pregnant woman "1 little drink during pregnancy probably won't hurt you".  In all honesty, that's probably true.  Yet pregnant woman make that committment to themselves and their baby to abstain completely.  Many won't even drink caffeinated beverages at all during pregnancy.  

Its about commitment, for my perspective.   For me, if I couldn't commit to abstain for the breastfeeding period, then I feel I wouldn't be terribly committed in the first place.

Sure its fun to relax, to get a little teeny buzz, and it would be AWFULLY hard for me to give that up, seeing as I love my wine so much.   But is getting a little relaxed and giddy worth the guilt?  

I would not drink during pregnancy and breastfeeding.  Again--my decision, and I recognize it may not be the choice of others.  

[PamelaBee]

Yikes!!!  I simply wanted to know if anyone used the milkscreen strips and what their experience was with them...I know the responsibility and commitment that comes with being pregnant and nursing, and so do many other women...I know how to relax and relieve stress without alcohol, so it is not a crutch nor is it a means to cope...