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Breast feeding and alcohol: Can I drink while nursing my newborn?Many mothers who choose to breast feed often times ask the same questions, one of the most commonly asked by younger generations; is if alcohol intake can harm your child while you are breast feeding. This of course will gain a couple of responses depending on your doctor, however this mainly will depend upon how much and when you are drinking your alcoholic beverages. If your blood alcohol levels ( which reflects the level of alcohol in your milk production); will generally be highest one to one and a half hours after your last drink, although at that time and the length of the time it takes your body to break down the alcohol may vary from person to person; so should be discussed with your doctor prior to drinking anything. Generally speaking, most doctors will approve the occasional glass of wine, or even a celebratory cocktail. These of course don’t appear to harm a nursing child, or interfere with milk production in the long run. There were two known studies that were held on the effects of alcoholic intake, and breast feeding. One had found that infants who were exposed regularly (daily) to alcohol in their mother’s milk in the first three months of life, have a slight but fairly significant slowing of motor development; while the other study found no such effect so it remains unsure.
However studies have shown that a baby tends to drink less milk, if his or her mother has recently taken a drink of alcohol; and drinking large amounts of it may make your child drowsy or sluggish. This of course can interfere with the child’s suckling ability; it has also been proven that drinking daily may also affect your milk letdown ( your breasts ability to produce milk); and heavy drinking also impairs your ability to care for your child. It has also been proven in studies that infants sleep for a significantly shorter time period in a three and a half hour period after nursing if their mothers had taken in an alcoholic beverage. It is suggested that if you are planning on enjoying the occasional alcoholic beverage or having more than one drink; that you wait at least two hours per drink prior to nursing your child to allow the alcohol the chance to dissipate from your system. (A drink is considered anywhere from four ounces of wine, one beer, or one mixed drink). Since the alcohol isn’t stored in the breast milk, it makes the “pumping and dumping” technique obsolete. It is also important for yourself, to drink at least one non- alcoholic drink such as water or juice for every cocktail you down to ward off any dehydration, which can cause medical problems as well as breast milk production problems Also remember that although there is some speculation, there is no scientific evidence that a glass of beer will increase your milk supply. The best decision you can make, is to speak with your doctor to obtain the proper information on alcoholic beverages, and nursing your child. Related information topics:Matching outfits for parents & babies |
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