How Long Does Alcohol Stay In Pumped Breast Milk?

Can alcohol be found in breast milk? – Yes. Alcohol levels are usually highest in breast milk 30-60 minutes after an alcoholic beverage is consumed, and can be generally detected in breast milk for about 2-3 hours per drink after it is consumed. However, the length of time alcohol can be detected in breast milk will increase the more alcohol a mother consumes.

Can you save pumped milk after drinking alcohol?

What It Means to ‘Pump and Dilute’ – But what if you just drank, and then you pump or express the breast milk while your blood alcohol levels are still high? The CDC says that if you express or pump milk within two hours of consuming one alcoholic beverage, you should discard the expressed milk.

Parents looking for other options are turning to friends and social media for advice. Enter the idea of “pumping and diluting,” an alternative to the practice of “pumping and dumping,” in which breast milk pumped after drinking is diluted with previously pumped, alcohol-free breast milk—as opposed to dumping it down the drain.

It’s hard to trace the origin of this practice, but Emily Bernard, IBCLC a lactation consultant and founder of Before and After Baby, says it may have started in online forums. “The thought of blending pumped ‘clean’ breast milk with breast milk that is pumped and contains any substance, including alcohol, is one of those items that has caught wave in a lot of online moms groups,” she says.

How long should you wait to breastfeed after a night of drinking?

After drinking alcohol, how long should I wait to breastfeed? – On average, it takes about 2 to 3 hours for a glass of wine or beer to leave your system, so it’s best to wait a few hours to breastfeed. Obviously the more you drink, the longer it takes. If your baby is under 3 months old, it will take them longer to process the alcohol, as their liver is still developing. If you express before drinking alcohol, your baby can be bottle-fed with your breast milk. If you need to miss a feed, don’t let your breasts become uncomfortably full as this can lead to, It’s best to express your breast milk rather than be uncomfortable. One unit of alcohol =

a small glass of wine (125ml) half a pint of beer single measure of a spirit (25ml)

If you’ve been drinking, never sleep with your baby. There is a strong link between and alcohol. If you know that you’re going to have a few drinks, arrange for another (sober) adult to look after your baby.

How do you get alcohol out of breast milk?

Breastfeeding immediately before consuming any alcoholic beverage, then waiting to nurse again for about three hours, will help ensure that your baby gets very little alcohol from you. If your breasts become full while waiting for the alcohol to clear, you can hand express or pump, discarding the milk that you express.

How much alcohol remains in breast milk?

Alcohol’ s Effect on Lactation Although pregnant women are discouraged from drinking alcohol because of alcohol’ s detrimental effect on fetal development, the lore of many cultures encourages lactating women to drink alcohol to optimize breast milk production and infant nutrition.

• In contrast to this folklore, however, studies demonstrate that maternal alcohol consumption may slightly reduce milk production.
• Furthermore, some of the alcohol consumed by a lactating woman is transferred to her milk and thus consumed by the infant.
• This alcohol consumption may adversely affect the infant s sleep and gross motor development and influence early learning about alcohol.

Based on this science, it would seem that the recommendation for a nursing mother to drink a glass of beer or wine shortly before nursing may actually be counterproductive. KEY WORDS: lactation; physiological AODE alcohol or other drug effects) ; breast milk; pregnancy hormones; infant; sleep disorder; developmental delay; motor coordination; alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder; learning Throughout most of human evolution, infants for several years after birth received their nutrients primarily from their mothers in the form of breast milk.

1. Breast milk is a complex fluid produced by the mother’s body that fulfills a similar nutritional function as does the placenta during pregnancy.
2. That is, it protects the infant from disease and influences certain aspects of the infant’ s behavior and physiology.
3. In essence, without successful breast-feeding, the human species would not have survived.

In many cultures a centuries-old belief persists that the process of breast-milk production and breastfeeding (i.e., lactation) can be optimized by having lactating women drink alcohol (Mennella 1999), For example, the consumption of small quantities of alcohol shortly before nursing is believed to increase milk yield, facilitate the release of the milk from the mammary glands where it is produced (i.e., the let-down), and relax both the mother and infant.

1. In fact, this folklore was so well ingrained in American tradition that, in 1895, a major U.S.
2. Brewery produced Malt Nutrine, a low-alcoholic beer composed of barley malt and hops.
3. This product was sold exclusively in drugstores and prescribed by physicians as a tonic for pregnant and lactating women and a nutritional beverage for children (Krebs 1953),

Its production was halted during Prohibition because it contained more than 0.5 percent alcohol. Even in modern times, alcohol continues to be hailed as an agent that promotes lactation (i.e., a galactagogue), For example, women in Mexico are encouraged to drink as much as two liters ( i.e.

, one-half gallon) of pulque – a low-alcohol beverage made from the fermented juice of the plant Agave atrovirens – daily during both pregnancy and lactation. Similarly, Indochinese women in California drink wine steeped with herbs, and in Germany malt beer is considered a “magic elixir.” Alcohol consumption among lactating women also is common in the United States.

Epidemiological studies found that although lactating women were less likely to report occasional binges of heavy drinking, the regular drinking patterns at 1 and 3 months after giving birth ( i.e., postpartum) did not differ significantly between women who elected to breastfeed and women who never breastfed ( Little et al.1990),

1. In contrast, breast-feeding women limited their use of other drugs ( e.g.
2. Were less likely to smoke cigarettes or marijuana or to use cocaine),
3. In the same survey approximately 10 percent of lactating women reported consuming at least one drink daily.
4. Whether these women were drinking in response to the folklore mentioned above is not known.

A recent study has indicated, however, that lactating women who were either encouraged to drink or received no advice at all about alcohol reported drinking significantly more than did women who were advised not to drink (Mennella 1997). The claims that alcohol benefits lactation are not accompanied by any controlled scientific evidence, and little research has been conducted in this area.

1. This article reviews the existing scientific literature on alcohol s effects on lactation.
2. After a brief overview of the initiation and maintenance of lactation, the article describes the transfer of alcohol to human milk and the effects that maternal alcohol consumption have on the interaction between mother and infant.

This discussion includes effects on milk production and milk properties ( e.g., flavor), the infant s milk intake, and the infant s motor development and early learning. Overview of Lactation Breast milk is produced by mammary glands located in the breast tissue.

1. These glands are present from birth, but become fully functional for milk production only during pregnancy.
2. Several hormones regulate the development of the mammary glands as well as the initiation and maintenance of lactation.
3. The most important of these hormones are prolactin and oxytocin, both of which are produced in the pituitary gland in the brain.

Prolactin, together with other hormones ( e.g., estrogen and progesterone), regulates the final development of the mammary glands during pregnancy. After birth ( i.e., parturition), the woman s hormonal environment changes, and in this setting prolactin can initiate milk secretion from the mammary glands.

1. In addition to its role in mammary gland development and initiation of lactation, prolactin also is essential for the maintenance of lactation.
2. During each feeding session, the infant s suckling at the breast induces prolactin release from the pituitary gland.
3. This prolactin release stimulates the mammary glands to produce new milk before the next feeding.

The extent of prolactin release (and, consequently, the amount of milk produced) is determined by the intensity of the suckling. Thus, if an infant is hungry and nurses strongly, the resulting high levels of prolactin released from the pituitary gland ensure sufficient milk production to meet the infant s needs.

• Conversely, any conditions that interfere with effective suckling will result in lower levels of prolactin release, thereby compromising milk production.
• Oxytocin plays a key role in the milk let-down during nursing.
• Its release from the pituitary gland in response to suckling or other stimuli causes certain cells around the mammary glands to contract, thereby expelling the milk from the glands into small ducts leading to the nipple.

Without this let-down reflex, the infant cannot nurse and empty the breast effectively. Transfer of Alcohol Into the Milk When a lactating woman consumes alcohol, some of that alcohol is transferred into the milk. In general, less than 2 percent of the alcohol dose consumed by the mother reaches her milk and blood.

Alcohol is not stored in breast milk, however, but its level parallels that found in the maternal blood. That means that as long as the mother has substantial blood alcohol levels, the milk also will contain alcohol. Accordingly, the common practice of pumping the breasts and then discarding the milk immediately after drinking alcohol does not hasten the disappearance of alcohol from the milk as the newly produced milk still will contain alcohol as long as the mother has measurable blood alcohol levels.

Peak alcohol levels both in the mother’ s blood and in the milk occur approximately one-half hour to an hour after drinking and decrease thereafter, although there are considerable individual differences in the timing of peak levels and in alcohol elimination rates in both milk and blood (Lawton 1985; Mennella and Beauchamp 1991),

Therefore, lactating women should not nurse for several hours after drinking until their blood alcohol levels have declined again. The question of whether exposure to alcohol in the mother’s milk can affect an infant in the short or long term has generated much speculation in the medical community. Because alcohol is excreted only to a limited extent in breast milk, many clinicians consider occasional exposure insignificant except in rare cases of intoxication in which the mother of a breast-feeding infant drinks heavily or in which a child is inadvertently fed large amounts of alcohol in a bottle.

Contrary to this perception, however, the limited research that exists to date suggests that alcohol administration through the breast milk may affect the infant in several ways, such as altering milk intake and influencing infant behavior and early development and learning.

• These effects are discussed in the following sections.
• Alcohol’ s Effect on the Breast-feeding Process and the Infant As mentioned earlier, folklore suggests that alcohol consumption by a lactating woman improves milk production and, in turn, the nutrition of her infant.
• Contrary to this assumption, however, studies have found that breast-fed infants consumed, on average, 20 percent less breast milk during the 3 to 4 hours following their mothers consumption of an alcoholic beverage (Mennella and Beauchamp 1991, 1993).

This finding is consistent with the results of similar studies conducted in rats (Subramanian and Abel 1988; Swiatek et al.1986; Vilaró et al.1987). The observed decrease in milk intake did not occur because the infants nursed for shorter periods of time (Mennella and Beauchamp 1991, 1993) or rejected the mother s milk because of an altered flavor following maternal alcohol consumption (Mennella 1997).

Rather, maternal alcohol consumption reduced the amount of milk produced (i.e., quantity) without altering its quality (e.g., caloric content) (Mennella 1999), As described earlier, the production and ejection of milk from the mammary gland are the result of highly synchronized hormonal processes that are governed, at least in part, by the frequency and intensity of the infant’s suckling.

These hormonal processes may be influenced by alcohol consumption. For example, studies in lactating rats demonstrated that although acute alcohol administration did not affect base line prolactin levels, it significantly inhibited suckling-induced prolactin and oxytocin release as well as milk production and, consequently, the pups milk intake (Subramanian and Abel 1988; Subramanian 1999).

• Whether acute alcohol consumption has similar effects on the hormonal milieu in lactating women is not known, however.
• Nor do researchers know whether chronic drinking affects the quantity and quality of milk produced in humans (see Heil et al.1999).
• Although infants consumed less milk when their mothers had consumed an alcoholic beverage compared with a nonalcoholic beverage, the mothers were apparently unaware of this difference (Mennella and Beauchamp 1993),

That is, mothers who had consumed an alcoholic beverage believed their infants had ingested enough milk, reported that they experienced the sensation of milk let-down, and felt they had milk remaining in their breasts at the end of the majority of feedings.

Because milk intake and the rate of milk production varies from feeding to feeding, a small difference in the infant s milk intake may be difficult for women to perceive. With breast-fed infants, the amount of milk ingested often varies, and milk usually can be expressed from the mother’ s breasts after a feeding.

Perhaps one reason why the folklore that alcohol is a galactagogue has persisted for centuries is that a lactating mother does not have an immediate means of assessing whether her infant consumes more or less milk in the short term. Effect on Infant Sleep Another presumed effect of maternal alcohol consumption is to relax the infant and thus promote the infant s sleep.

Studies found, however, that in the short term, acute exposure to alcohol in mothers milk altered the infants sleep-wake patterning in ways that are contrary to this medical lore (Mennella and Gerrish 1998). Infants whose mothers were light drinkers during both pregnancy and lactation slept for significantly shorter periods of time during the 3.5 hours after nursing when the mothers had consumed an alcoholic beverage than when they had consumed a nonalcoholic beverage.

This reduction was due in part to a decrease in the amount of time the infants spent in active sleep.1 (1 Active sleep, also called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, is the sleep stage during which dreaming occurs ).This finding is consistent with the results of studies assessing alcohol’s effect on sleep in the near-term fetus (Mulder et al.1998), normal adults (Williams et al.1983), and other animals (Mendelson and Hill 1978).

Effects on Infant Development Researchers examined the longer-term effects of alcohol consumption by lactating women in an epidemiological study of 400 breast-fed infants and their mothers. The study assessed the relationship between the mothers’ alcohol use during lactation and their infants’ development at 1 year of age (Little et al.1989).

The study found that gross motor development was slightly, but significantly, altered in infants who were exposed regularly (i.e., at least daily) to alcohol in their mothers milk. No significant correlation existed, however, between maternal drinking and the infants’ mental development.

Furthermore, the motor and mental development of infants whose mothers drank less than one drink per day did not differ significantly from the development of infants whose mothers did not drink at all or who were formula fed. The association between maternal drinking and delayed motor development persisted even after the investigators controlled for more than 100 potentially attributable to alcohol-related differences in maternal behavior, because infants of heavy drinkers who were weaned at an early age had significantly higher scores on motor development than did infants of heavy drinkers who were weaned at an older age and thus were exposed to alcohol longer (Little 1990).

To explain the effects of alcohol consumed through breast milk on infant development, researchers have formulated several hypotheses (see Little et al.1989), For example, some have suggested that the developing brain is highly sensitive even to small quantities of alcohol.

• Others have posited that alcohol may accumulate in the infant following repeated exposure because infants may break down ( i.e.
• Metabolize) or excrete alcohol more slowly than do adults.
• Some evidence suggests that infants have a limited capacity to metabolize alcohol, which in turn may render the alcohol dose more potent.

For example, studies found that like alcohol, caffeine is excreted to a limited extent in breast milk and the dose presented to the infants is generally less than 2 percent of the maternal dose. Breast-fed infants are at greater risk for accumulating caffeine, however, than are older children and adults.

1. This accumulation may be due to a lower activity in infants of an enzyme system in the liver called the cytochrome P-450 system, which is involved in caffeine break-down.
2. Because the same enzyme system is involved in alcohol metabolism, its reduced activity in infants could result in alcohol accumulation.

Effects on Early Learning In addition to the effects of maternal alcohol consumption on infant nutrition and development, experience with the sensory qualities of alcohol in the mother’ s milk may affect the infant in other important ways. Animal studies have revealed that young animals (including presumably humans) form memories based on orosensory experiences during nursing and retain these memories for a considerable time ( Molina et al.1999),

This observation is especially relevant because infants can detect the flavor of alcohol in mothers milk (Mennella 1997), Moreover, the context in which the infant experiences alcohol that is, with the mother and during breastfeeding consists of numerous elements that reinforce early learning, such as tactile stimulation, warmth, milk, and the mother’ s voice.

Studies have demonstrated that such experiences can influence the infants responses to alcohol. For example, breast-fed infants differentially responded to toys that were identical in appearance but differed in scent (Mennella and Beauchamp 1998). The investigators observed infants who had been exposed to alcohol to various degrees, as inferred from questionnaires about maternal and paternal risk for alcoholism and alcohol intake, with respect to four behaviors ( i.e.

, mouthing, looking, manipulating the toy, and vocalizing) in response to an alcohol-scented, vanilla-scented, or unscented toy. The study found infants who had more exposure to alcohol behaved differently in the presence of an alcohol-scented toy than did infants with less alcohol exposure. Specifically, infants who had more exposure to alcohol demonstrated more mouthing of the alcohol-scented toy, but not of the other toys, than did infants with less alcohol exposure.

This finding is consistent with animal studies indicating that rat pups exposed to the flavor of alcohol in milk increased their mouthing rates in response to alcohol odor and were more willing to ingest alcohol-flavored solutions (Hunt et al.1993),

These results suggest that at least some of the early learning about alcohol is based on sensory experiences and is anchored to experiences with the parents. Research on children ages 3 to 6 years also revealed that the emotional context in which parents experience alcohol, as well as their frequency of drinking, is related to children’ s liking the odor of alcohol (Mennella and Garcia 2000).

Children of a parent or parents who drank alcohol to escape problems were more likely to judge the odor of beer as unpleasant than were similarly aged children whose parents did not drink to escape. These findings are consistent with animal studies demonstrating that pups exposed to an intoxicated mother followed by pairings of alcohol odor and an arousing texture (i.e.

• Sandpaper) later demonstrated an aversion to the texture ( Molina et al.2000),
• Moreover, they concur with previous reports that elementary school-aged children of alcoholic parents were more likely to report negative expectations regarding alcohol’ s effects than were control children (Miller et al.1990; Wiers et al.1998),

Thus, together with the results of Noll and colleagues (1990), the studies by Mennella and colleagues (Mennella and Garcia 2000; Mennella and Beauchamp 1998) indicate that the child’ s learning about alcohol may be occurring at even younger ages than previously thought.

• Conclusions Because of the paucity of scientific investigations on alcohol’ s effects on breast-feeding, women, and consequently their infants, have had to rely on a rich folklore that has been passed down for generations.
• This lore relates that alcohol has galactogenic properties that facilitate milk let-down and rectify milk insufficiency as well as sedative properties that alleviate and calm the fussy infant.

The scientific study of alcohol’ s effect on the lactation process has called these assumptions into serious question, however. For example, such studies indicated that infants actually ingest less milk at the breast during the hours immediately following maternal alcohol consumption and that this diminished intake results, at least in part, from alcohol’s direct effect on the mothers milk production.

1. Furthermore, exposure to alcohol in mothers milk disrupted the infants sleep-wake pattern and motor development in ways that are contrary to the folklore.
2. Based on these scientific studies, it would seem that the recommendation for a nursing mother to drink a glass of beer or wine shortly before nursing may actually be counterproductive, even though the mother may be more relaxed after a drink.

Scientific evidence such as that discussed above should not frighten women away from breastfeeding, however. It is not known how many women stop breastfeeding because of their concern about alcohol in their breast milk, thereby depriving their infants of the best nutrition available for them.

Unlike the situation during pregnancy, when alcohol consumed at any time is passed on to the fetus, a lactating woman who drinks occasionally can limit her infant’ s exposure to alcohol by not nursing for several hours after drinking, until the alcohol has been eliminated from her body and, consequently, her milk.

Knowledge about the timing of alcohol s transfer to the milk and about the potential effects that alcohol exposure via breast milk has on the infant is crucial for lactating women and health care professionals to make the best decisions for infants. References HEIL, S.H.

; HUNGUND, B.L. ; ZHENG, Z.H. ; JEN, K.L. ; AND SUBRAMANIAN, M.G. Ethanol and lactation: Effects of milk lipids and serum constituents. Alcohol 18: 43 48, 1999. HUNT, P.S. ; KRAEBEL, K.S. ; RABINE, H. ; SPEAR, L.P. ; AND SPEAR, N.E. Enhanced ethanol intake in preweanling rats following exposure to ethanol in a nursing context.

Developmental Psychobiology 26: 133 153, 1993. KREBS, R. Making Friends Is Our Business 100 Years of Anheuser-Busch, Missouri: A-B Inc., 1953. LAWTON, M.E. Alcohol in breast milk. Australian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 25: 71 73, 1985. LITTLE, R.E.

Maternal use of alcohol and breast-fed infants. New England Journal of Medicine 322: 339, 1990. LITTLE, R.E. ; LAMBERT, M.D. ; AND WORTHINGTON ­ ROBERTS, B. Drinking and smoking at 3 months postpartum by lactation history. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 4: 290 302, 1989. LITTLE, R.E. ; ANDERSON, K.W.

; ERVIN, C.H. ; WORTHINGTON-ROBERTS, B. ; AND CLARREN, S.K. Maternal alcohol use during breast feeding and infant mental and motor development at one year. New England Journal of Medicine 321: 425 430, 1990. MENDELSON, W.B., AND HILL, S.Y. : Effects of the acute administration of ethanol on the sleep of the rat: A dose-response study.

1. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 8: 723 726, 1978.
2. MENNELLA, J.A.
3. The human infant s suckling responses to the flavor of alcohol in mother s milk.
4. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 21: 581 585, 1997.
5. MENNELLA, J.A.
6. The transfer of alcohol to human milk: Sensory implications and effects on mother-infant interaction.

In: Hannigan J.H. ; Spear, N. ; Spear, L. ; and Goodlett, C.R., eds. Alcohol and Alcoholism: Brain and Development, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1999. pp.177 198. MENNELLA, J.A., AND BEAUCHAMP, G.K. The transfer of alcohol to human milk: Effects on flavor and the infant’ s behavior.

1. New England Journal of Medicine 325: 981 985, 1991.
2. MENNELLA, J.A.
3. AND BEAUCHAMP, G.K.
4. Beer, breast feeding and folklore.
5. Developmental Psycho-biology 26: 459 466, 1993.
6. MENNELLA, J.A.
7. AND BEAUCHAMP, G.K.
8. The infant’ s response to scented toys: Effects of expo-sure.
9. Chemical Senses 23: 11 17, 1998.
10. MENNELLA, J.A.

, AND GARCIA, P.J. The child’ s hedonic response to the smell of alcohol: Effects of parental drinking habits. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 24: 1167 1171, 2000. MENNELLA, J.A., AND GERRISH, C.J. Effects of exposure to alcohol in mother s milk on infant sleep.

• Pediatrics 101( 5) : 21-25, 1998.
• MILLER, P.M.
• SMITH, G.T.
• AND GOLDMAN, M.S.
• Emergence of alcohol expectancies in childhood: A possible critical period.
• Journal of Studies on Alcohol 31: 343 349, 1990.
• MOLINA, J.C.
• DOMINGUEZ, H.D.
• LOPEZ, M.F.
• PEPINO, M.Y.
• AND FAAS, A.E.
• The role of fetal and infantile experience with alcohol in later recognition and acceptance patterns of the drug.

In: Hannigan, J.H. ; Spear, N. ; Spear, L. ; and Goodlett, C.R., eds. Alcohol and Alcoholism: Brain and Development, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1999. pp.199 228. MOLINA, J.C. ; PEPINO, M.Y. ; JOHNSON, J. ; AND SPEAR, N.E. The infant rat learns about alcohol through interaction with an intoxicated mother.

1. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 24: 428 437, 2000.
2. MULDER, E.J.H.
3. MORSSINK, L.P.
4. VAN DER SCHEE, T.
5. AND VISSER, G.H.A.
6. Acute maternal alcohol consumption disrupts behavioral state organization in the near-term fetus,
7. Pediatric Research 44: 774 779, 1998.
8. NOLL, R.B.
9. ZUCKER, R.A.
10. AND GREENBERG, G.S.

Identification of alcohol by smell among preschoolers: evidence for early socialization about drugs in the home, Child Development 61: 1520 1527, 1990. SUBRAMANIAN, M.G. Alcohol inhibits suckling-induced oxytocin release in the lactating rat. Alcohol 19: 51 55, 1999.

1. SUBRAMANIAN, M.G.
2. AND ABEL, E.L.
3. Alcohol inhibits suckling-induced prolactin release and milk yield.
4. Alcohol 5: 95 98, 1988.
5. SWIATEK; K.R.
6. DOMBROWSKI JR., G.J.
7. AND CHAO, K. -L.
8. The inefficient transfer of maternally fed alcohol to nursing rats.
9. Alcohol 3: 169 174, 1986.
10. VILAR ó, S.
11. VIÑAS, O.
12. REMESAR, X.

; AND HERRERA, E. Effects of chronic ethanol consumption on lactational performance in the rat: Mammary gland and milk composition and pups growth and metabolism. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 27: 333 339, 1987.WIERS, R.W. ; GUNNING, W.B. ; AND SERGEANT, J.A.

ALCOHOL ALERT

Can Alcohol-Associated Cognitive Deficits Hamper Recovery From Alcoholism? New findings relevant to this and other questions can be found in Alcohol Alert, the quarterly bulletin published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol Alert provides timely information on alcohol research and treatment. Each issue addresses a specific topic in alcohol research and summarizes critical findings in a brief, four-page, easy-to-read format. Cognitive Impairment and Recovery From Alcoholism (No.53) describes the nature and consequences of common alcohol-associated cognitive defects, explores the extent to which some cognitive abilities recover with abstinence, and summarizes recent research on the effects of cognitive deficits on alcoholism treatment outcome.

For a free subscription to Alcohol Alert, write to: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Attn.: Alcohol Alert, Publications Distribution Center, P.O. Box 10686, Rockville, MD 20849 0686. Fax: (202) 842 0418. Alcohol Alert is also available on NIAAA s Web site (http: / / www.niaaa.nih.gov).

Alcohol’ s Effect on Lactation

What happens if you breastfeed too soon after drinking?

Can my baby get drunk from breast milk? – If you nurse your baby too soon after drinking, your baby will consume alcohol, too. And babies cannot metabolize alcohol as quickly as adults, so they have longer exposure to it. “Your baby probably won’t become drunk from breast milk,” says Dr.

Developmental and neurological problems.Sleep problems.Trouble gaining weight.

What happens if you don’t pump and dump after drinking?

Is pumping and dumping after you’ve been drinking always necessary before breastfeeding your baby? – No. If you have one alcoholic drink and wait two hours to feed your baby, you don’t need to pump and dump. And if engorgement and milk supply are not an issue, you can just wait for the liquor to metabolize naturally.

What to Expect the First Year, 3rd edition, Heidi Murkoff.WhatToExpect.com,, July 2021.WhatToExpect.com,, July 2021.WhatToExpect.com,, July 2021.WhatToExpect.com,, April 2020.American Academy of Pediatrics,, 2022.American Academy of Pediatrics,, July 2020.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,, February 2021.La Leche League International,, March 2021.La Leche League GB,, 2020.March of Dimes,, April 2016.Mayo Clinic,, January 2018.National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,,

Was this article helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Find advice, support and good company (and some stuff just for fun). The educational health content on What To Expect is to be up-to-date and in line with the latest evidence-based medical information and accepted health guidelines, including the medically reviewed What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.

How long after 3 drinks can I breastfeed?

Can expressing/pumping breast milk after consuming alcohol reduce the alcohol in the mother’s milk? – No. The alcohol level in breast milk is essentially the same as the alcohol level in a mother’s bloodstream. Expressing or pumping milk after drinking alcohol, and then discarding it (“pumping and dumping”), does NOT reduce the amount of alcohol present in the mother’s milk more quickly.

As the mother’s alcohol blood level falls over time, the level of alcohol in her breast milk will also decrease. A mother may choose to express or pump milk after consuming alcohol to ease her physical discomfort or adhere to her milk expression schedule. If a mother decides to express or pump milk within two hours (per drink) of consuming alcohol, the mother may choose to discard the expressed milk.

If a mother has consumed more than a moderate amount of alcohol, she may choose to wait 2 hours (per drink) to breastfeed her child, or feed her infant with milk that had been previously expressed when she had not been drinking, to reduce her infant’s exposure to alcohol.

Does alcohol stay in breastmilk after 4 hours?

I’m breastfeeding. Is it OK to drink alcohol? – Answer From Elizabeth LaFleur, R.N. Breastfeeding and alcohol don’t mix well. There’s no level of alcohol in breast milk that’s considered safe for a baby to drink. When you drink alcohol, it passes into your breast milk at concentrations similar to those found in your bloodstream.

Although a breastfed baby is exposed to just a fraction of the alcohol his or her mother drinks, a newborn eliminates alcohol from his or her body at only half the rate of an adult. Research suggests that breastfed babies who are exposed to one drink a day might have impaired motor development and that alcohol can cause changes in sleep patterns.

Also, while folklore says that drinking alcohol improves milk production, studies show that alcohol actually decreases milk production and that the presence of alcohol in breast milk causes babies to drink about 20% less breast milk. If you choose to drink, avoid breastfeeding until alcohol has completely cleared your breast milk.

This typically takes 2 to 3 hours for 12 ounces (355 milliliters) of 5% beer, 5 ounces (148 milliliters) of 11% wine or 1.5 ounces (44 milliliters) of 40% liquor, depending on your body weight. If you plan to drink alcohol, consider having a drink just after breastfeeding so that the alcohol begins to clear your breast milk during the natural interval between breastfeeding sessions.

Pumping and dumping breast milk doesn’t speed the elimination of alcohol from your body. However, if you’ll be missing a breastfeeding session, pumping and dumping will help you maintain your milk supply and avoid engorgement. Remember, breastfeeding is the optimal way to feed a newborn and is recommended until a baby is at least age 1.

Is 12 hours long enough to wait to breastfeed after drinking?

Jessie James Decker Spoke Out About *That* Breastfeeding Photo. Here’s What Experts Think About Drinking Alcohol While Nursing While the message about while you’re pregnant is pretty clear—according to the (CDC), it can be seriously harmful to babies—the message about drinking alcohol while breastfeeding is less precise.

1. Drinking while nursing may not be illegal, but experts say large amounts of alcohol can be harmful to a breastfeeding baby.
2. So are smaller amounts safe? And if so, how much is too much? That’s less clear.
3. It’s definitely gray,” Catherine Herway, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist with CrystalRun Healthcare in Middletown, NY, told Health,

There just aren’t enough good-quality studies to give us the full picture, added Dr. Herway. According to the, while some evidence indicates that a baby’s growth and motor function may be negatively impacted by one drink or more daily, other studies have not confirmed these findings.

Breastfeeding parents of newborns less than three months old should be extra careful about drinking, as the baby’s brain is still developing and very vulnerable, said, a nurse practitioner at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. According to the, exposure to alcohol above moderate levels (defined as up to one standard drink per day) through breast milk could be damaging to an infant’s development, growth, and sleep patterns.

In addition, the CDC points out, that this level of alcohol consumption could impair a parent’s judgment and compromise the safety of the child. Evidence from the shows that more than two drinks daily appear to decrease the length of time that infants are breastfed.

1. A 2018 study published in found mental development issues in children who had been exposed to alcohol through breast milk: At ages 6 and 7, these children did not perform as well as other children on reasoning tests.
2. The (AAP) states that consuming alcohol of any kind may decrease the amount of milk your baby drinks.

Unfortunately, it’s an old wive’s tale that a small amount of alcohol can actually help milk letdown or the release of milk. In fact, the says that higher levels of alcohol consumption can interfere with letdown while maternal alcohol levels are high.

1. While some people believe that drinking beer will increase your milk supply, the emphasizes that drinking beer does not increase your milk supply.
2. In, researchers noted that polysaccharides from barley and hops are responsible—so non-alcoholic beer has the same effect.
3. That said, there are ways to drink responsibly without endangering your baby.

Here are three things you need to know about alcohol and nursing. Breastfeeding or not, people should not drink more than the amounts recommended by leading health organizations, said Conover. (For females, that’s one drink per day, and for males, two.) The says that not drinking alcohol is the safest option while breastfeeding.

However, moderate drinking (defined as up to one standard drink per day) is not known to be harmful to the infant, especially if you wait at least two hours after a single drink before nursing. It’s probably best not to breastfeed your baby as you’re drinking or right after drinking. “If a mom is going to drink alcohol, she should wait at least three to four hours until breastfeeding the baby,” said Dr.

Herway. (The says to wait a minimum of two hours.) “The amount of alcohol in breast milk is very similar to the amount in the woman’s blood and alcohol is a fast-acting drug,” explained Conover. “It peaks pretty fast after you drink.It moves in and out of milk.” Alcohol could take longer to peak in some people, so pay attention to how you feel in addition to how long it’s been since you finished your drink.

• If you’re still feeling woozy, it’s like the canary in the coal mine,” said Conover.
• The alcohol level is too high in the bloodstream and in the breast milk.” If you know you’re going to drink and your baby will need to eat not long after, make sure you have some stored breast milk or formula ready to go, said Conover.

If you do bottle-feed your baby after having a drink, you can “pump and dump” to alleviate breast pain that may result from skipping a feeding. “We get a lot of calls on St. Patrick’s Day and New Year’s Eve,” said Conover. “They’re calling because they’d like to still have a life and they want to take good care of their babies. Thanks for your feedback! : Jessie James Decker Spoke Out About *That* Breastfeeding Photo. Here’s What Experts Think About Drinking Alcohol While Nursing

How long after 8 drinks can I breastfeed?

Medical opinion – Dr. Jack Newman MD, FRCPC and Thomas W. Hale, R.Ph. Ph.D both believe that a mother can drink some alcohol and continue breastfeeding as she normally does. Dr. Jack Newman says this in his handout More Breastfeeding Myths : “Reasonable alcohol intake should not be discouraged at all.

• As is the case with most drugs, very little alcohol comes out in the milk.
• The mother can take some alcohol and continue breastfeeding as she normally does.
• Prohibiting alcohol is another way we make life unnecessarily restrictive for nursing mothers.” Thomas W.
• Hale, R.Ph. Ph.D.
• Says this in his book Medications and Mothers’ Milk (18th ed.): “Alcohol transfers into human milk readily, with an average plasma/ milk of about 1.

This does not necessarily mean the dose of alcohol in milk is high, only that the levels in plasma correspond closely with those in milk. The absolute amount (dose) of alcohol transferred into milk is generally low and is a function of the maternal level.

Older studies, some in animals, suggested that beer (or more likely barley) may stimulate prolactin levels. While this may be true, we now know clearly that alcohol is a profound inhibitor of oxytocin release, and inevitably reduces milk letdown and the amount of milk delivered to the infant. Thus beer should not be considered a galactagogue.

Excess levels may lead to drowsiness, deep sleep, weakness, and decreased linear growth in the infant. Maternal blood alcohol levels must attain 300 mg/dl before significant side effects are reported in the infant. Reduction of letdown is apparently dose-dependent and requires alcohol consumption of 1.5 to 1.9 gm/kg body weight.

(7) Other studies have suggested psychomotor delay in infants of moderate drinkers (2+ drinks daily). Avoid breastfeeding during and for at least 2 hours after drinking alcohol (moderate). Heavy drinkers should wait longer. Adult metabolism of alcohol is approximately 1 oz of pure ethanol in 3 hours, so mothers who ingest alcohol in moderate amounts can generally return to breastfeeding as soon as they feel neurologically normal.

A good rule is 2 hours for each drink consumed. Chronic or heavy consumers of alcohol should not breastfeed.”

Can alcohol in breastmilk damage babys liver?

How alcohol in breastmilk can affect your baby – If you drink, the level of alcohol in your breast milk will rise and fall along with the alcohol in your bloodstream.2 Babies are growing and developing rapidly. Alcohol can have a number of harmful effects, including damaging the developing brain 3 and organs such as the liver.

When should you pump and dump?

“Pump and Dump”: What Is It? Reviewed by on April 16, 2023 Some people find easy, while other new moms find it hard to accomplish. From helping your baby latch on to making sure you have a steady supply of milk, there is a lot to think about. You may have read that you should “pump and dump,” or get rid of some of your breast milk instead of feeding it to your baby.

1. Here’s what you need to know about the “pump and dump” strategy and whether it’s something you need to do.
2. Pump and dump” means exactly what it sounds like.
3. Instead of letting your baby drink the breast milk you make during a certain time, you use a to squeeze milk from your breast and collect it.
4. You then dispose of that milk, often by “dumping” it out in a sink.

There are plenty of reasons why you might choose to pump and dump. There are two common reasons why mothers choose to pump and dump. First, they may be away from their baby and/or need to get rid of milk for their own comfort. Second, they might be concerned about the contents of their breast milk.

• Some mothers produce more breast milk than their baby can eat.
• Others go to work without their babies and don’t have access to a fridge to store milk.
• However, they need to get rid of the milk somehow, because it can be very uncomfortable to wait and leave extra milk in their breasts.
• In this case, pumping and dumping the milk is their best option.

The other case is when a mother has consumed something like alcohol that may transfer to their breast milk. It’s common knowledge that alcohol is bad for infants. Some mothers take the reasonable next step of choosing caution when drinking while breastfeeding their new baby.

It’s a good idea to avoid the possibility of your baby getting any alcohol, including the alcohol in your breast milk. However, studies have not shown that pumping and dumping has any effect on the alcohol content of your breast milk. Waiting two hours after each alcoholic drink to breastfeed should allow the alcohol to leave your breast milk whether or not you pump and dump.

Whether or not to pump and dump is a personal choice. There aren’t many reasons that mean you need to pump and dump, but there also aren’t many drawbacks to the process. Benefits of Pumping and Dumping For mothers who produce more breast milk than their babies can eat, choosing to pump and dump can be helpful.

Going too long without expressing milk can cause your breasts to become engorged, which can be uncomfortable and even lead to mastitis, or the infection of the breasts. In this case, pumping and dumping can help you feel more comfortable and prevent health complications. If you want to drink alcohol while breastfeeding, you can choose to pump and dump as well.

Studies have determined that alcohol will naturally leave your breast milk as it leaves your bloodstream, so waiting two hours will ensure that the alcohol is out of your milk. However, if your breasts become uncomfortable before that time is up or you want to maintain your expression schedule, you can pump and dump to avoid feeding that milk to your baby.

1. If you take certain medications, your doctor may recommend that you pump and dump if you want to continue breastfeeding your baby afterward.
2. Many medications are safe for babies.
3. If you have concerns about any medication you take, talk to your doctor to learn whether you should breastfeed or pump and dump while on that medication.

Drawbacks of Pumping and Dumping There are few drawbacks to pumping and dumping. Some mothers find pumping and dumping uncomfortable or unpleasant. Because alcohol will naturally leave your milk as it leaves your bloodstream, there’s no need to pump and dump if it makes you uncomfortable.

Furthermore, some mothers have difficulty producing enough milk. In this case, choosing to pump and dump can cut down on your total milk supply for the day. As long as you supplement your baby’s diet with formula, however, this should not be a problem. There is a good time to pump and dump: when your breasts are too engorged and they are becoming painful.

If your baby isn’t hungry and you don’t have a place to store your extra milk for later, there’s no reason to be uncomfortable. Pump until you feel comfortable again, then dispose of the extra milk. © 2023 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved. : “Pump and Dump”: What Is It?

Can I drink coffee while breastfeeding?

HOW MUCH CAFFEINE IS SAFE TO CONSUME? Up to 200-300 mg of caffeine, or about 2-3 cups of coffee, is considered safe to consume while breastfeeding (EFSA, 2020; CDC, 2020).

How many calories does breastfeeding burn?

While breastfeeding burns about 500-700 calories extra per day to fuel milk making, this may not always contribute to weight loss postpartum – many factors like pre-pregnancy weight, diet, physical activity level, etc will impact weight loss after birth (Institute of Medicine, 2002; Dewey, 1994).

Can you breastfeed after drinking if you dont feel drunk?

‘ If you’re feeling sober enough to drive, you’re usually sober enough to breastfeed,’ Bechhold said. Some new mothers may have a lower tolerance to alcohol after abstaining from drinking during their pregnancy. They may feel the effects of even one drink more than they previously would.

How much alcohol before you have to pump and dump?

The ACOG says it’s ok to consume 0.5 g of alcohol per kg of body weight while breastfeeding. Pumping and dumping won’t make your milk safe. You must wait for the alcohol to leave your system. A good rule of thumb is to wait 2 hours to start breastfeeding but you may need to wait longer.

While it’s generally understood that avoiding alcohol is the best option for breastfeeding mothers, there’s a lot of confusion around why, and whether or not any amount is safe. According to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), alcohol consumption during breastfeeding should always be limited to 0.5 grams per kg of body weight — for example, 8 ounces of wine for a 130-pound (59 kg) person.

The ACOG also recommends waiting at least two hours after drinking before you pump or breastfeed. There are several reasons why it’s important to limit how much alcohol you drink while breastfeeding. Not only can drinking too much make you produce less milk, but it can also potentially stunt your baby’s development, according to the ACOG.

With that in mind, here’s what to know about the do’s and don’ts of drinking while you’re breastfeeding.

Can I put breast milk back in fridge after baby drinks from it?

Is It Safe to Reuse Breast Milk? Reviewed by on April 18, 2023 Many mothers choose to breastfeed their infants after birth. They often pump milk to provide bottles for other family members to feed their baby. Can you reuse breast milk once you make a ? This depends on when the breast milk was expressed, or pumped, and if it was stored in the fridge or not.

4 hours when freshly expressed4 days in the back of your refrigerator6 to 12 months in a deep freezer

Of course, consider the environmental or other factors if you are wondering whether to feed your baby expressed that’s been left at room temp for an hour without refrigerating, or was in the fridge for a few days before freezing. If you’re concerned that breast milk is bad, smell it.

As long as it doesn’t have a foul odor, it’s probably safe for your baby to drink. Keep in mind that the fat in separates over time. This creates a congealed layer near the top of the bottle. This is completely normal. It’s not something you see in store-bought milk, because that milk has been pasteurized.

Gently shake your bottles to mix the fat back in before feeding. The separation of milk fat is not a sign that your breast milk has gone bad. Guidelines for Offering Breast Milk. Breast milk does not have to be warmed to give to your baby. It can be offered cold or at room temperature.

1. Your baby may prefer warm breast milk, because the temperature of milk from your breast is warmer.
2. Try to start out by feeding your infant bottles that are closer to room temperature to see if she minds.
3. If your baby prefers warm milk, purchase a bottle warmer instead of using boiling water or a microwave to heat it up.

Bottle warmers are safer. They are specifically designed for warming a baby’s milk and provide a more consistent temperature. Test the warmth of your child’s milk on the back of your hand before offering the bottle to your baby. If it feels too warm on your wrist, it could burn their mouth.

• Use breast milk within 24 hours of thawing it from the freezer.
• Once you’ve taken breast milk out of the fridge and either warmed it up or allowed it to come to room temperature, it should be used within 2 hours.
• It is not safe to reuse breast milk that has been left out longer than 2 hours.
• Dispose of it if this is the case.

Breast milk should never be re-refrigerated or re-frozen. These guidelines are important. Bacteria can begin to grow in your breast milk if it is left out too long. Babies are much more sensitive to the dangers posed by bacteria, because their immune systems haven’t yet had the chance to build up antibodies used to fight off illness and infection.

Opportunity to Bond with Baby. There is a misconception that you cannot bond with your baby as well when offering bottles instead of milk directly from your breast. This is not true. Hold your baby close when you give bottles and make eye contact while feeding. Talk to them with a soft voice as another way to enhance the bonding experience of feeding.

Offering in bottles allows everyone in your family an opportunity to establish a connection with your baby. Encourage the father, siblings, and grandparents to hold and feed your baby with expressed breast milk in bottles. Your baby will feel more closely connected with each member of your family. © 2023 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved. : Is It Safe to Reuse Breast Milk?

Does alcohol affect breast milk?

I’m breastfeeding. Is it OK to drink alcohol? – Answer From Elizabeth LaFleur, R.N. Breastfeeding and alcohol don’t mix well. There’s no level of alcohol in breast milk that’s considered safe for a baby to drink. When you drink alcohol, it passes into your breast milk at concentrations similar to those found in your bloodstream.

Although a breastfed baby is exposed to just a fraction of the alcohol his or her mother drinks, a newborn eliminates alcohol from his or her body at only half the rate of an adult. Research suggests that breastfed babies who are exposed to one drink a day might have impaired motor development and that alcohol can cause changes in sleep patterns.

Also, while folklore says that drinking alcohol improves milk production, studies show that alcohol actually decreases milk production and that the presence of alcohol in breast milk causes babies to drink about 20% less breast milk. If you choose to drink, avoid breastfeeding until alcohol has completely cleared your breast milk.

1. This typically takes 2 to 3 hours for 12 ounces (355 milliliters) of 5% beer, 5 ounces (148 milliliters) of 11% wine or 1.5 ounces (44 milliliters) of 40% liquor, depending on your body weight.
2. If you plan to drink alcohol, consider having a drink just after breastfeeding so that the alcohol begins to clear your breast milk during the natural interval between breastfeeding sessions.

Pumping and dumping breast milk doesn’t speed the elimination of alcohol from your body. However, if you’ll be missing a breastfeeding session, pumping and dumping will help you maintain your milk supply and avoid engorgement. Remember, breastfeeding is the optimal way to feed a newborn and is recommended until a baby is at least age 1.

Can I drink milk after 4 hours of drinking beer?

Can milk be taken after consuming alcohol? Answered by: Dr Neesha Choksy | Consultant Nutritionist and Fitness Trainer, Texas, USA Q: Is it harmful to drink milk after taking alcohol at night? A: Alcohol prevents the breakdown of nutrients present in milk into usable molecules by decreasing secretion of digestive enzymes. Is it harmful to drink milk after taking alcohol at night? Alcohol increases acid in the stomach. That can result in gastritis or stomach or intestinal ulcers. If you have a family history of you may be more vulnerable to problems with alcohol. Milk, on the other hand if taken at night after it is warmed and flavoured with a small amount of ginger root, it is very nourishing to the body and also calms the mind, leading to a good night’s sleep.

It could well be that the reason warm milk helps us sleep is due to the fact that it is a food rich in the amino acid L-tryptophan. L-tryptophan helps the body produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin. Neurotransmitters are chemical nerve messengers that tell our bodies to shut down at night; as well as helping us to be fully awake during the day.

The milk, which is designed to be drunk warm as part of the bedtime routine can also be enjoyed during the day without causing drowsiness. Alcohol, on the other hand, disrupts sleep. Though a few drinks may make it easier to fall asleep initially, you may often wake up just a few hours into your sleep cycle.

Can alcohol in breastmilk make baby fussy?

Alcohol and Breastfeeding: Is it Safe to Drink While I’m Breastfeeding? But now that you are breastfeeding is it actually safe to enjoy that alcoholic beverage or will the effects of the alcohol be harmful to your baby? Most health care professionals agree that drinking small amounts of alcohol while breastfeeding won’t hurt your baby.

• Roughly 34-million women of childbearing age drink alcoholic beverages (approximately half of all lactating women in Western countries consume alcohol while breastfeeding), so, it is understandable that it has been the subject of a lot of research.
• Still, we do not know the exact way that alcohol consumption can affect babies’ and what the safe consumption amounts are.
• Does Alcohol Get Into My Breast Milk?

The short answer is yes. Alcohol is one of the most readily absorbed drugs known and alcohol does pass from your bloodstream into your milk. Alcohol levels reach their highest in breast milk about 30-60 minutes after drinking or after 30-90 minutes if you have had something to eat while you are drinking.

If you don’t have another drink, the concentration gradually falls and a couple of hours after having a single drink the alcohol will have mostly left your breast milk. Alcohol is not stored in the breast so as your liver metabolises the alcohol causing your blood alcohol level to drop, so does the alcohol level in your breastmilk.

How To DRASTICALLY Increase Breast Milk Supply | What Does & Doesn’t Work To Boost Milk Supply

Should I Pump and Dump? There is no benefit in “pumping and dumping” your breastmilk unless you are uncomfortable and need to express to relieve the discomfort. As your blood alcohol drops so will the level of alcohol in your breast milk and pumping and dumping will not speed up this process.

Any breast milk that you express during the time that it takes for your blood alcohol to drop will still contain alcohol. The alcohol will not work its way out of the milk, once outside your body, and any milk pumped while you are affected by alcohol will need to be discarded. How Long Should I Wait After Drinking Alcohol to Feed My Baby? The more drinks that you have, the longer it takes for your body to clear the alcohol from your system.

Some studies suggest that the amounts of alcohol moving into breast milk are very low compared to the alcohol consumed so that the amount of alcohol that your baby actually gets is minimal and the amount of alcohol ingested by a breastfed infant is only a small fraction of that consumed by its mother.

• What and how much you’ve eaten
• How much you weigh
• How quickly you are drinking. The time that it takes for your liver to detoxify the alcohol in your system will not be sped up by coffee, cold showers, fresh air or exercise.

Mothers who ingest alcohol in moderate amounts can generally return to breastfeeding as soon as they feel neurologically normal. As a general rule, if you are sober enough to drive you should be sober enough to breastfeed. Everybody metabolises alcohol differently and your metabolism of alcohol can vary from day-to-day.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association has a handy App to help you work out how much time you may like to wait. Download the free app for Apple and Android devices. One study suggests that the amount of alcohol that a baby will get through breast milk is approximately 5-6% of the weight-adjusted maternal dose and, even in a theoretical case of binge drinking, your baby would not be subjected to clinically relevant amounts of alcohol.

Many breastfeeding mums choose to stop drinking alcohol, however, occasional light drinking while breastfeeding has not been shown to have any adverse effects on babies. Alcohol is best avoided until your baby is over three months old and then enjoyed as an occasional treat.

Planning Ahead is Key If you do have an alcoholic drink, make sure you allow at least a couple of hours for the alcohol to go through your system before your next breastfeed. Alternatively, you could have a small drink while you’re actually breastfeeding your baby. By the time the alcohol is in your system, your baby will have finished feeding.

Or for total peace of mind, if you’re planning to have an alcoholic drink, you could beforehand and give that to your baby for their next feed. If, on a single occasion, you have a little more alcohol than you had planned to or if your baby needs to feed sooner than you had anticipated it is OK to breastfeed your baby.

A critical issue to consider is around the care of your baby if you are drinking alcohol. If you are under the influence of alcohol you may make fewer safe decisions around the attention and care of your baby. Drinking alcohol reduces the ability of the mother to be aware of her baby’s needs, whether she is breastfeeding or not.

It is crucial to plan ahead to arrange that safe sleeping arrangement have been made and never to sleep with your baby if you have been consuming alcohol. Mothers who have been drinking alcohol should never let themselves be in a situation where they might fall asleep with the baby; on a bed, chair or settee (this would also apply to other carers who have been drinking alcohol).

• Doing this has a strong association with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
• Will Drinking Alcohol Alter My Milk Supply? Studies have shown that alcohol can affect the balance of hormones that control breast milk production (prolactin and oxytocin) and can reduce your supply.
• Moderate consumption can reduce oxytocin levels affecting milk supply and let down.

Alcohol itself hinders both the milk ejection reflex (responsible for your milk letdown) and milk production, especially when taken in large amounts. But even a small amount, such as a single beer or glass of wine, can disrupt the balance of milk-producing hormones in breastfeeding women.

• While the immediate effects of alcohol on milk production and delivery last only as long as the alcohol is in your system, chronic alcohol use has the potential to lower your milk supply overall.
• But I’ve Been Told That Having Alcohol Can Increase My Breastmilk Supply? You may have heard the that drinking alcohol can help to boost your supply.

This may have been true in the past because of the way that alcohol was traditionally made and the ingredients used. The brewing process in past times differs greatly to the way that is made in modern times. In the past, not only was the alcohol content lower, the brew was also jam-packed full of grains and herbs.

1. Nowadays, due to the lack of nutritional grains and herbs and a higher alcohol concentration, rather than increasing your supply, your breastmilk volumes are more likely to be lowered by the alcohol content.
2. One study showed that breastfeeding women express nearly 10% less milk in the first two hours after moderate drinking (a little over one glass of wine or beer) and several other studies have shown that babies tend to get about 20 percent less breast milk if they nurse in the first four hours after the mother drinks alcohol.
3. How Does Drinking Alcohol Affect My Breastfed Baby?

Drinking occasional small amounts of alcohol has been shown to have minor short-term effects on your baby’s behaviour. Some babies experience increased awake times and are more irritable. A small study explains that babies slept for 25% less time after exposure to small amounts of alcohol in breast milk.

And while breastfed babies may become drowsy and fall asleep more quickly after their mother drinks alcohol, they also sleep for a shorter amount of time. Alcohol in your breast milk can also change the way that your breast milk tastes and smells and therefore may change the way that your baby feeds.

Your baby may be reluctant to or refuse to, feed while the smell and taste of your breast milk remain altered by the alcohol. Bear in mind that alcohol can temporarily reduce your milk supply. So, if you do have a drink, your baby may seem hungrier and want to feed more.

1. Studies have found that babies breastfeed more frequently, but consume less milk in the 3-4 hours after an alcoholic beverage is consumed.
2. The long-term effects of drinking alcohol while breastfeeding are less clear and further research needs to be done.
3. Regardless of this, drinking regularly or heavily while breastfeeding is not advised.

Moderate, heavy or continued drinking and may lead to drowsiness, deep sleep, weakness and decreased growth for your baby. Alcohol abuse (excessive drinking) by the mother can result in slow weight gain or failure to thrive in her baby. The let-down of a mother who abuses alcohol may be affected by her alcohol consumption, and she may not breastfeed enough.

The baby may sleep excessively, or may not suck effectively leading to decreased milk intake. The baby may even suffer from delayed motor development. Everything in Moderation So, it is possible to have a drink while you are breastfeeding – just in moderation! Remember that small amounts of alcohol move into breast milk when you drink an alcoholic beverage and as your body metabolises the alcohol the amount in your breast milk will also decrease.

Drinking small amounts of alcohol occasionally won’t affect your baby, however drinking regularly or heavily may affect your milk supply, make your baby sleepy or affect their growth and development. A little planning ahead can help you to minimise the amount of alcohol that reaches your baby and help you enjoy the occasional drink.

• Anderson, P.O. (1995). Alcohol and Breastfeeding. Journal of Human Lactation, 11(4), 321–323.
• Haastrup MB et al. Alcohol and breastfeeding. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol.2014;114(2):168-173.
• https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/system/files/ABA_Alchohol_BF%2520for%2520website.pdf
• Mennella JA. Regulation of milk intake after exposure to alcohol in mothers’ milk. Alcohol Clin Exp Res.2001;25(4):590-593
• Mennella JA. Short-term effects of maternal alcohol consumption on lactational performance. Alcohol Clin Exp Res.1998(7);22:1389-1392.
• Mennella, J.A. & Gerrish, C.J. (1998). Effects of exposure to alcohol in mother’s milk on infant sleep. Pediatrics, 101
• Newman, J. (1996). Is Alcohol So Bad for Breastfeeding Mothers? Journal of Human Lactation, 12(2), 93–93.
• Schulte, P. (1995). Minimising Alcohol Exposure of the Breastfeeding Infant. Journal of Human Lactation, 11(4), 317–319.
• Hale, Thomas., 2017 edition. Springer Publishing, 2017: 348-350.

DISCLAIMER: This information provides general information only. For specific advice about your baby or your healthcare needs, you should seek advice from your health professional. Medela does not accept any responsibility for loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information instead of seeing a health professional.