When To Pump And Dump Alcohol? - Información de la cerveza

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.

Contents

1 Should I pump and dump after drinking alcohol?
2 How many times do you have to pump and dump after drinking alcohol?
- 2.1 How much alcohol before dumping breast milk?
- 2.2 How long after 2 drinks can I breastfeed?
3 Can I keep half drunk breast milk?
- 3.1 What percentage of alcohol is OK in breastmilk?
  - 3.1.1 How does alcohol clear from breast milk?
4 Should I pump and dump?
- 4.1 How long after 3 standard drinks can I breastfeed?
5 How long should I wait to breastfeed after smoking?
- 5.1 How much alcohol is passed in breast milk?
  - 5.1.1 Can I save pumped breast milk with alcohol?

Should I pump and dump after drinking alcohol?

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 many times do you have to pump and dump after drinking alcohol?

Guidelines –

Current research says that occasional use of alcohol (1-2 drinks) does not appear to be harmful to the nursing baby, Many experts recommend against drinking more than 1-2 drinks per week.

Per Hale (2019), “mothers who ingest alcohol in moderate amounts can generally return to breastfeeding as soon as they feel neurologically normal.” The American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Breastfeeding notes: “ingestion of alcoholic beverages should be minimized and limited to an occasional intake but no more than 0.5 g alcohol per kg body weight, which for a 60 kg mother is approximately 2 oz liquor, 8 oz wine, or 2 beers. Nursing should take place 2 hours or longer after the alcohol intake to minimize its concentration in the ingested milk.”

There is no need to pump & dump milk after drinking alcohol, other than for mom’s comfort — pumping & dumping does not speed the elimination of alcohol from the milk. If you’re away from your baby, try to pump as often as baby usually nurses (this is to maintain milk supply, not because of the alcohol). At the very least, pump or hand express whenever you feel uncomfortably full – this will help you to avoid plugged ducts and mastitis. Alcohol does NOT increase milk production, and has been shown to inhibit let-down and decrease milk production (see below). Never share a bed or other sleeping surface with your baby if you have been drinking. Drinking affects your natural reflexes, and drinking and bed-sharing has an increased association with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). What if you drink too much? If you have drunk enough alcohol to make you feel disorientated or cause vomiting, do not breastfeed until you are sober. Make sure someone who is not intoxicated is present to care for your child(ren). If possible, express your milk for comfort and to help maintain your supply (milk expressed while intoxicated should not be fed to baby). Binge drinking has not been studied adequately, and is not recommended during lactation.

In general, if you are sober enough to drive, you are sober enough to breastfeed. Less than 2% of the alcohol consumed by the mother reaches her blood and milk. Alcohol peaks in mom’s blood and milk approximately 1/2-1 hour after drinking (but there is considerable variation from person to person, depending upon how much food was eaten in the same time period, mom’s body weight and percentage of body fat, etc.). Image credit: kizzzbeth on flickr CC BY 2.0 Always keep in mind the baby’s age when considering the effect of alcohol. A newborn has a very immature liver, so minute amounts of alcohol would be more of a burden. Up until around 3 months of age, infants detoxify alcohol at around half the rate of an adult.

How much alcohol before dumping 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.

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.

How long after 2 drinks can I breastfeed?

What effect does alcohol have on a breastfeeding infant? – Moderate alcohol consumption by a breastfeeding mother (up to 1 standard drink per day) is not known to be harmful to the infant, especially if the mother waits at least 2 hours before nursing.

However, higher levels of alcohol consumption can interfere with the milk ejection reflex (letdown) while maternal alcohol levels are high.
Over time, could lead to shortened breastfeeding duration due to decreased milk production.
Excessive alcohol consumption while breastfeeding could also affect the infant’s sleep patterns and early development.

Caring for an infant while intoxicated is not safe. Drinking alcohol could impair a caregiver’s judgement and his or her ability to safely care for an infant. If a caregiver drinks excessively, he or she should arrange for a sober adult to care for the infant during this time.

Can I keep half drunk breast milk?

What is the recommended method to store and serve breast milk that is leftover from a feeding? – If your baby did not finish the bottle, the leftover breast milk can still be used within 2 hours after the baby is finished feeding. After 2 hours, leftover breast milk should be thrown away.

What percentage of alcohol is OK in breastmilk?

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.

Breast milk is a complex fluid produced by the mother’s body that fulfills a similar nutritional function as does the placenta during pregnancy.
That is, it protects the infant from disease and influences certain aspects of the infant’ s behavior and physiology.
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.

In fact, this folklore was so well ingrained in American tradition that, in 1895, a major U.S.
Brewery produced Malt Nutrine, a low-alcoholic beer composed of barley malt and hops.
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),

In contrast, breast-feeding women limited their use of other drugs ( e.g., were less likely to smoke cigarettes or marijuana or to use cocaine), In the same survey approximately 10 percent of lactating women reported consuming at least one drink daily. 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.

This article reviews the existing scientific literature on alcohol s effects on lactation. 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.

These glands are present from birth, but become fully functional for milk production only during pregnancy. Several hormones regulate the development of the mammary glands as well as the initiation and maintenance of lactation. 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.

In addition to its role in mammary gland development and initiation of lactation, prolactin also is essential for the maintenance of lactation.
During each feeding session, the infant s suckling at the breast induces prolactin release from the pituitary gland.
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.

You might be interested: Where To Get Ole Smoky Moonshine?

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.

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. 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.

Furthermore, exposure to alcohol in mothers milk disrupted the infants sleep-wake pattern and motor development in ways that are contrary to the folklore.
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.
RAEBEL, 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.

Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 8: 723 726, 1978.
MENNELLA, J.A.
The human infant s suckling responses to the flavor of alcohol in mother s milk.
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 21: 581 585, 1997.
MENNELLA, J.A.
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.

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

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

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

How does alcohol clear from breast milk?

As alcohol leaves your bloodstream, it leaves your breastmilk. Since alcohol is not ‘trapped’ in breastmilk (it returns to the bloodstream as your blood alcohol level declines), pumping and dumping will not remove it.

Should I 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.

Here’s what you need to know about the “pump and dump” strategy and whether it’s something you need to do. “Pump and dump” means exactly what it sounds like. 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. 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.

You might be interested: How Much Alcohol Is In Barefoot Wine?

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.

If you take certain medications, your doctor may recommend that you pump and dump if you want to continue breastfeeding your baby afterward.
Many medications are safe for babies.
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?

How long after 3 standard drinks can I breastfeed?

Alcohol and breastfeeding What you drink your baby drinks too. When you drink, alcohol goes directly into your breast milk. Getting drunk at any time when you are parenting a small baby can put your baby in danger. The best option is to avoid alcohol altogether when you are breastfeeding.

If you do drink there are precautions you can take to protect your baby.
Breastfeeding is the best way to feed your baby; it is also good for your health.
However, when you drink alcohol it passes directly into your bloodstream and breast milk.
If you drink alcohol, wait two hours for every standard drink before breastfeeding.

Even if you feel slightly drunk or tipsy it’s better to avoid breastfeeding. The Women’s does not accept any liability to any person for the information or advice (or use of such information or advice) which is provided on the Website or incorporated into it by reference.

The Women’s provide this information on the understanding that all persons accessing it take responsibility for assessing its relevance and accuracy.
Women are encouraged to discuss their health needs with a health practitioner.
If you have concerns about your health, you should seek advice from your health care provider or if you require urgent care you should go to the nearest Emergency Dept.

: Alcohol and breastfeeding

How long should I wait to breastfeed after smoking?

Alcohol, Tobacco & Marijuana: What You Need To Know During Breastfeeding By Beth Conover, APRN, CGC, MotherToBaby Nebraska Soyou were really good during your entire pregnancy, giving up every drop of alcohol, quitting smoking tobacco, and, of course, avoiding any drug like marijuana.

You were concerned about the development of your baby, and doing everything you could to make a healthy outcome more likely.
Good job! But now here you are.you’ve had your baby, you’re giving breastfeeding your best shotdo you still need to be so careful? If you’re wondering this, you’re not alone.
It is a top question I get as a health care provider and one of the top questions we get from moms through,

I’m a mom myself and after I had my boys, I asked the same things, like “would having a glass of wine when I’m on a date with my husband be the end of the world if I’m breastfeeding?” Alas, many years later (and many published studies later), I have answers for you.

Let’s start with the facts about breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is good for you and the baby, and you should continue nursing for at least 6 months and better-yet, a year.
I think of alcohol and tobacco as ‘recreational drugs’ because there is not any medical reason to use them.
And while medical use of marijuana is becoming more widespread, for most of us the use of marijuana is not medically necessary.

We don’t want rules surrounding the use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana to be unnecessarily strict so that they discourage nursing for the optimal amount of time. But we also want nursing moms to know that each of these drugs are passed to breast milk.

Fortunately, there are often ways that we can limit the amount that baby gets. Let’s take a closer look at each one Alcohol— alcohol of all kinds (wine, beer, liquor) passes into your milk. Babies don’t like the taste of it, and, if it happens often enough, babies may show developmental delays from exposures to alcohol through breast milk.

Fortunately, waiting 2-3 hours after drinking a single alcoholic beverage results in lower amounts in milk. If you have two drinks, wait 4-6 hoursyou get the idea. You can pump for comfort and to maintain your milk supply, but be sure to throw away the milk since it likely has alcohol in it.

Chronic or heavy users of alcohol probably should not breastfeed.
Tobacco— you know that it is best for your health and that of your baby to avoid smoking tobacco, but if you cannot resist, keep the number of cigarettes as low as possible (preferably less than ½ pack per day) and never smoke around your baby.

Nicotine gets into your milk, so try to wait several hours after you smoke before nursing your baby. Second hand smoke increases your baby’s risk for ear and respiratory infections, asthma, and even sudden infant death syndrome. The immunoglobulins in your milk help to lessen those risks, which is why most experts still recommend breastfeeding even if a woman is smoking small amounts of tobacco.

Marijuana – THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, passes into breast milk. Marijuana production is not very well regulated, so there may be other dangerous contaminants. There are not many studies regarding use of marijuana and breastfeeding, but there are concerns that exposure to THC via milk might affect baby’s development.

It can also reduce your milk supply. Until more is known, it is recommended that marijuana be avoided in breastfeeding women, and that an effort also be made not to expose the infant to second hand marijuana smoke. If you happen to use marijuana, waiting 1-2 days before resuming nursing will help reduce the amount in milk.

Pump and throw away milk in the meantime for comfort and to maintain your milk supply. Bottom line, by breastfeeding, you’re already taking the first step in providing continued important nutrition for your baby. Way to go! Taking steps to make sure your breastmilk stays as healthy as possible for the entire time you breastfeed will be well worth the effort.

Stay strong, live well. Beth Conover, APRN, CGC, is a genetic counselor and pediatric nurse practitioner. She established the Nebraska Teratogen Information Service in 1986, also known as MotherToBaby Nebraska. She was also a founding board member of the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS).

In her clinical practice, Beth sees patients in General Genetics Clinic, Prenatal Clinic, and the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Clinic at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Beth has provided consultation to the FDA and CDC.
Two of her recent publications are, “The Art and Science of Teratogen Risk Communication” and “Safety Concerns Regarding Binge Drinking in Pregnancy: A Review.” is a service of OTIS, a suggested resource by many agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

If you have questions about viruses, alcohol, medications, vaccines, diseases, or other exposures, call MotherToBaby toll-FREE at 866-626-6847 or try out MotherToBaby’s new by texting questions to (855) 999-3525. You can also visit to browse a library of fact sheets, or,

How much alcohol is passed in breast milk?

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.

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

In fact, this folklore was so well ingrained in American tradition that, in 1895, a major U.S.
Brewery produced Malt Nutrine, a low-alcoholic beer composed of barley malt and hops.
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),

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.

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

This article reviews the existing scientific literature on alcohol s effects on lactation. 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.

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

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

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.

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.

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).

You might be interested: What Is Root Beer Supposed To Taste Like?

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.

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),

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.

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.

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).

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).

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.

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. Because the same enzyme system is involved in alcohol metabolism, its reduced activity in infants could result in alcohol accumulation.

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.

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.

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),

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.

Furthermore, exposure to alcohol in mothers milk disrupted the infants sleep-wake pattern and motor development in ways that are contrary to the folklore. 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.

; 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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

ALCOHOL ALERT

Alcohol’ s Effect on Lactation

Can I save pumped breast milk with 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.