Can you drink if you are breastfeeding??

[faye83]

So I've been DYYYINGG to drink one little beer or one little mimosa for months, but of course havent done so. So I was wondering if it's ok to drink something while breastfeeding? I don't want to get the baby drunk from my milk, that'd be terrible lol! Is there a max amount I can drink or should I just skip it altogether?

[tiredbuthappy]

That's where it gets a little tricky. If your baby is not taking a bottle at that point, you may have an angry baby. Technically, you are constantly producing milk and in theory never "run out." However, my little one would get very mad and frustrated if i tried to nurse when i wasn't full. She had some nursing problems, but i imagine other babies may get impatient too. If your child is taking an occasional bottle, pump and dump is easier because you store some up in advance. However, if you introduce the bottle too early, you run the risk of interfering with successful nursing with nipple confusion or bottle preference. I personally would keep the consumption low enough where I wouldn't have to worry about pumping and dumping unless it was a very special occasion.

[lisax4156]

drinking an occasional beer or glass of wine isn't going to hurt anything.

I've had a total of about 3-4 beers during my pregnancy so far. I am 20w. My baby is very healthy and growing right on schedule.

An ocassional drink even when pregnant, isn't going to do much damage. It's when a person drinks to excess is when it causes trouble. 1-2 drinks a month isn't excess.

[Michele, Katy, TX]

My personal opinion is that you wouldn't need to pump and dump with only one drink.  Just my opinion.......

[faye83]

Ok thank you ladies! I'm definitely not planning on getting drunk or anything ( I got all my drinking done while I was in the university lol) I'm just talking about one beer or one mojito or one delicious pina colada!
What I don't understand is, if I pump and dump after I drink, would there still be milk left for when my baby wants to be fed? Does your boobs fill out with milk that fast? I don't want to be like completely dry when the time comes for me to feed my baby again

[Michele, Katy, TX]

I am not much of a drinker, but I made a joke when my most recent baby was just a few weeks old.  I told my ped I needed a drink with an umbrella in it :)  She said it was just fine to have one drink.  I trust her and don't think one little drink will put your baby at risk.

[tiredbuthappy]

As tobbeyj said, this can be a touchy topic and your best bet is to ask a professional, In my opinion, an occasional drink that is well timed is OK. This is according to my ped, several LC's, my OB, etc... If the alcohol is out of your system then it is out of your milk. If you are unsure then you can pump and dump 1 feed. Just this weekend I was at a bbq with a LC and she also said 2 drinks are OK, but to dump if it's any more.

The difficulty comes with the fact that the baby nurses very frequently in the beginning. If your baby is unwilling to take a bottle, or has unpredictable feeds, this may be a bit more challenging. Since I am pumping exclusively and only pumping 3 or 4 times a day at this point in time, it is easy for me to have a couple of drinks. Also, consider that you haven't had a drink in a very long time and your tolerance will be much lower. When my first was only 4 weeks old and I still had to pump more frequently, I was unsure about drinking at a wedding. My LC told me to have a drink or 2 as soon as I got to the wedding, wait a while and pump, and then to treat myself to another. Of course, I am not telling you to drink and nurse! I am just sharing what the medical professionals I have spoken to have told me.

[tobbeyj]

I learned at my prenatal classes that if you want to have a drink while breastfeeding that the best time to do it is either while you are feeding (while baby is actually eating from you) or immediately after baby has eaten. Reason being that the alcohol will not get in your blood stream right away and will be gone for next feeding. I would not go and get hammered though - but I mean one drink will not hurt ya. This is also a sensitive topic in which everyone will have their own personal views. I would speak to a nurse or doc about it if you wanna be sure. Good luck!

[Limonada]

I drink the odd beer or a couple of glasses of wine on occasion and I'm breastfeeding.  I try to do it when I won't have to feed DS in the immmediate future.  He sleeps a good 6-7 hours at night before he wakes up for a feeding, so I'll try to wait until after I've fed him before bed but before he gets up in the middle of the night.

[cocacolapanda]

The pump and dump is a myth.  If you have one drink, and wait about 30 min after finishing it you can breastfeed with out dumping it out.

If you plan on drinking a LOT, the only time you dump milk out is if you'r still feeling the tipsy or drunk.  Alcohol does transfer into your milk, HOWEVER it's exactly like it does in your blood stream.  So, depending on how much you drink will determine how long you need to wait.

Also, many baby stores (like babies r us) sell a testing system or something like that, if your really worried you can always test your milk to see how much Alcohol is in it.

If I had 1 drink I didn't worry about breastfeeding at all, if I had more than one drink I would keep track of how much and when I needed to pump next based on when I should be "ok".  I never got drunk, and if I got tipsy I made sure I waited a long time.

[Oneluv118]

Just because you don't feel the effects anymore doesn't mean its out of your system. So you definately shouldnt go by that!

Personally I wouldnt drink at all if I were breastfeeding just like I wont drink because im pregnant. Better safe than sorry.

[martikadragoon]

Yes you can still breastfeed but according to the lactation consultant you need to wait to feed  baby until you don't feel the effects from the alcahol anymore.

You might have to pump and dump one feeding.  There are strips you can use to dip into your breastmilk to test for alcahol.
Personally when I was bfing my first son I pumped and dumped 1 feeding after I had a couple of drinks at dinner. The rule USED to be that you pump and dump for 24 hrs but that's no longer the way it's done.

[Kla1]

All alcohol transfers to your breast milk so no you are not supposed to drink while breatfeeding. You could pump several bottles for a few days store it then drink a couple and give the baby what you pumped. That would be the only thing I could suggust to you other then just not doiing it altogether, sorry!

[Melka76]

I actually have had a few while breastfeeding - but I follow this strictly - I pump completely and store - and ensure I am empty before I drink - I have one or two and pump the next couple of feedings and dump them out - I use either stored milk or formula to replace the dumped feedings - I will breastfeed again  usually the next day -- when I know it is no longer in my system or milk.. there are actually kits out there that measure the amount of alchol in your breastmilk... but I think that might be a bit extreame!  I did notice this .. beer makes your milk come in.. so you might produce more than you normally do so pump and dump!!