How much is ok???

Hello everyone.  I am invited to a Thanksgiving dinner to one of my friend's house.  There will be a lot of beer there.  I am breastfeeding and I am aware that there is a limit to what I can have.  I rarely drink but I just feel that I'll need to relax a little since I don't get to get out much with my cranky DD. I've been breastfeeding for two months and all I had this whole time was one glass of white wine.  Is one beer ok or is it much?  I also heard that it's better to pump and then drink so there is more time for the alchohol to metabolize.

[Harley-girl]

One beer is fine. I also plan to indulge a little once my baby girl is here if I plan on drinking more than 1-2 I will pump beforehand and keep it in the fridge that way she is not affected.

[foxy1220]

I read somewhere (can't remember where) That if you are going to drink an alcoholic beverage like a glass of wine or a beer to allow 4 hours per glass before you breastfeed....because it takes about 4 hours for the alcohol from ONE glass to get out of your system.

So I would say try to pump enough for two feedings just in case you want more that one beer.

[Elicam]

I was going to suggest the same thing. Why not pump beforehand and then not have to worry about it for that day. Some scientists say that 1 drink won't harm your baby, but others say that it is not advisable as they are unsure of the effects.

Just pump it out and enjoy yourself once in a while.

[loringd]

When I was breastfeeding,I got told if I was going to drink to pump the milk and throw it out because you shouldnt be drinking while breastfeeding.So you should pump enough for the baby before hand and when you do drink pump then throw it out

[Me2mommy2b]

Thank you everyone.  I'm not going to go crazy with the drink but I can taste the beer on my tongue already and it tastes gooood! (LOL, just kidding, i'm not that crazy about it but you know what they say about the forbidden fruit).  
Harley: How are you feeling?  When are you due?  All the best to you.

[surfergirl602]

pump and dump!

[gml24]

I think up to two drinks (beer or wine) is fine, but anymore than that and you shouldn't breastfeed.  My guess is that your tolerance is down so much from the pregnancy that two drinks will be PLENTY for you anyways, at least that was the case with me after my son was born.

[AndiJ78]

Don't forget that aside from what your baby gets, there is also an issue of how YOU will react to it. If you have been a good girl and abstained from drinking while pg, one beer may affect you a lot more than you realize. Be mindful of that and how it may affect your judgement, reaction time, etc. Now before anyone gets all cranky, I am not a drinker, but if I were to drink a beer right now, i would be on my ass. Something to think about.

Andi

[lawgirl17]

One should be fine ... however, remember that you always have the option of pumping in advance to feed you baby and then you can pump and dump after you drink alcohol if you feel like you have had too much. Enjoy yourself. If it was me, I would exercise the pump and dump option so I could have more than one! It's the holiday season! ;0)

[kbrownhh]

My doctor told met that the alcohal (alcohol) is absorbed in about 2 hours.  He told me to feed first, then have a drink and as long as I waited a couple hours it wasn't a big deal.  It honestly wouldn't do any harm to the baby if a little was still in your milk, but it may upset their system.

[LoveBabies2006]

Don't dump the breastmilk, its so precious!  You know, a friend of mine was on a business trip (for almost a week) when she was still breastfeeding her baby.  To keep the supply, she had to pump, which she did and store to bring back home at the end of her trip to feed her baby.  But for the milk she pumped the first few days of her trip, as there was no freezer, she couldn't bring back to feed the baby, so instead of throwing away, she used the breastmilk to wash her face and hands; which I thought was a very good idea, as I suppose breastmilk is good for the skin.  Like how milk is good for the skin and there is such a thing as milk baths or milk as an ingredient in shower cream rinse which is supposedly good for the skin.  So why waste your effort in pumping, might as well put it to good use if you can't feed the baby with it!