A woman spends 9 months during pregnancy cleansing the body and refusing strong drinks, and now that the baby is born, the question arises whether alcohol and breastfeeding can be mixed. So much conflicting information! Not surprisingly, mothers are embarrassed by the proposed glass of wine.
How much alcohol does milk get?
A number of factors affect the amount, including:
- drink strength;
- nutrition (fatty or nonfat food);
- weight of the nursing mother;
- how fast you drink.
Probably, every nursing mother asked herself such questions: does alcohol pass into breast milk, what percentage of alcohol passes into breast milk. Only 2% of alcohol passes into milk, according to other sources - 10%. It was found that after a glass of wine for half an hour the volume in the blood is 0.59%. Experts usually recommend drinking alcohol to a nursing mother no more than 1-2 glasses of wine (1-2 bottles of beer) per week.
The presence of at least one drink every day was associated in studies with a slowdown in body weight gain and a decrease in the rate of development in breast-fed infants. If you decide to breast-feed, what you eat, drink, has an effect on the baby, because everything is processed into breast milk. That is why many questions often arise when it comes to drinking alcohol.
Is it possible for lactating mother to drink alcohol?
Some researchers argue that alcohol has a negative effect; others claim that a small amount will have minimal effect on the child. After weighing the pros and cons, you can make the final decision that will make you feel most comfortable.
Beer and lactation, is there a connection?
You may have heard that beer boosts lactation. This is because the yeast used to make this drink is thought to stimulate prolactin, a hormone that helps produce more milk. Before you go out and buy a beer, it is important to note that there are no studies confirming the accuracy of the information. The only thing proven is that the best way to produce more milk is to empty the chest. Think about it. When a child is hungry and takes all the milk, your body knows what more needs to be done. There are some tricks to increase its number. It is necessary to offer both breasts during feeding.
Does alcohol pass into breast milk?
There is an opinion that if you express milk after drinking alcohol, the child will not be exposed to alcohol. But instead of wasting milk, some doctors advise just to wait. Alcohol passes into milk after 30-60 minutes. As soon as you stop drinking, the level will gradually decrease. How much alcohol passes into breast milk? According to studies, 10% of what enters the bloodstream.
How long does alcohol remain in breast milk?
It depends on how much the nursing woman has and how much alcohol she has consumed. The answer to the question whether alcohol passes into breast milk during the next feeding will be individual for each woman. For example, a girl weighing 70 kg needs about 2-3 hours to remove one beer or one glass of wine from the body.
Alcohol Precautions
If you know that you need to breastfeed after drinking alcohol when you get home, then you should plan the time. You must also consider age. Breastfeeding a newborn - every 2 hours. This means that if the child is hungry, there will be no such luxury as waiting for alcohol to be eliminated from the body.
The time after which alcohol disappears from the body depends on the amount consumed. A minimum of 3 hours is necessary for a glass of wine. In newborns, alcohol is eliminated from the body 2 times longer than in adults. So, a glass of wine will be displayed for more than 6 hours.
Wine for breastfeeding: is it possible?
Will alcohol get into breast milk when drinking a grape drink? A small amount will not hurt, but do not forget that the baby will also receive alcohol in human milk. The best advice is to avoid wine with HS shortly before feeding. Mother's milk is cleared of alcohol at a rate of about one unit (8 g) every two hours. Therefore, try to avoid drinking strong drinks before breastfeeding or express milk if you know that you will drink.
Wine with HS, especially in the amount of several glasses, is slowly excreted from the body. Red can be diagnosed in the bloodstream after 30 minutes, and champagne even faster - 10 minutes. Only 10% of the alcohol that passes into the blood of a nursing mother passes into breast milk.
How long does alcohol remain in the body during breastfeeding?
Usually, he will remain in the body for 24 hours. Sometimes up to 72 hours, depending on the amount drunk.
Interesting Facts
The use of alcohol during breastfeeding will primarily lead to the fact that milk can flow more slowly, thereby reducing the amount consumed by the baby.
The quality of the baby’s sleep may be affected.
In order not to harm the baby, wait 2 hours or more before feeding to limit the amount of alcohol in the milk and minimize any adverse effects. Thus, if you should consume alcohol, limit your intake as much as possible before breast-feeding your newborn.
Alcohol reduces the amount of milk. As a result, the amount of milk consumed by the child is reduced by 20%.
The aroma of milk can be changed by alcohol.
The amount of alcohol at which the consequences will be least felt is 1 bottle of beer, 125 ml of wine or 30 ml of liquor.
Drinking alcohol also shortens the baby's sleep cycle. Children fall asleep faster after feeding and wake up earlier than those who did not consume milk containing alcohol.
Non alcoholic beer and breastfeeding
Is it possible for a nursing mother non-alcoholic beer? It cannot be argued that this is a completely harmless product, but if there is a choice between regular beer and non-alcoholic, it is better to choose the second option. From one bottle drunk once a week immediately after feeding, there will be no harm to anyone. On the other hand, when asking a question whether it is possible for a nursing mother to have non-alcoholic beer, it is worth remembering that the yeast, which is also included in its composition, causes increased gas formation, bloating and colic.
The negative effect of alcohol on a fragile child's body
If the mother consumes alcohol while breastfeeding, the baby may experience weakness, drowsiness, lethargy, and abnormal weight gain. The health and well-being of the child should also be considered when deciding whether to drink.
Can I breastfeed after drinking alcohol? Most pediatricians recommend that mothers avoid breastfeeding their babies 2-3 hours after drinking strong drinks. There is no single decision on the degree of exposure to alcohol in children. Some studies show a negative effect on the child’s nervous system, on brain development, indicate a delay in the development of motor activity.
But as long as mom remembers moderation, alcohol is not a problem.
The most common myths
Does alcohol pass into breast milk? The statement that alcohol does not get into milk is incorrect. In the mammary glands there is no magic filter that allows you to block alcohol.
The assertion that moderate drinking is safe is largely incorrect. Moderate drinking is definitely safer than drinking a lot on a regular basis. But there is no quantity that is guaranteed to have no short-term or long-term effects on the health of the child. There is no safe way to combine breastfeeding and alcohol. All this suggests that one or two shakes a week is safer than one or two a day. The Academy of Pediatrics recommends that nursing mothers avoid drinking alcohol. Drugs and alcohol during breastfeeding "... can affect the composition of breast milk and be harmful to the baby ...".
The fact that alcohol boosts milk production is basically wrong. It is believed that some alcoholic beverages, beer, wine, in particular, can improve milk production. In fact, this has not been officially confirmed by any studies of physiological processes in the body, there is no one that works best when the level of alcohol in the blood rises. This belief can be explained either by the fact that the total fluid intake increases, which always contributes to the production of milk. Or the fact that a woman can better relax under the influence of alcohol, and it is always well suited for milk production. However, there are safer ways to increase lactation, both traditional and non-traditional. The only thing backed up by research is that alcohol slows down milk production. This leads to the fussiness of the baby at the breast, malnutrition, dehydration and weight loss, since breast milk is the only product and drink for infants. These babies want to stay longer on their chests, which can also cause pain and cracked nipples.
The claim that alcohol in breast milk improves a baby’s sleep is basically wrong. Some children will sleep better when exposed to alcohol in human milk, as well as adults. Some become restless and cannot sleep for long. This is especially true if mom’s milk production stops and the baby often wakes up from hunger. If you have a desire to drink, do it immediately after feeding to give enough time for alcohol to leave the body and clear the milk before the next feeding. This, of course, depends on the amount of alcohol consumed, but usually it should be an interval of 2-3 hours between feedings. If your child is hungry during this time, add pre-expressed milk. If the chest is very full and begins to hurt, express milk. This is the best way to minimize the effects of alcohol on your baby.
Important: keep in mind that some medicines contain alcohol. Tell your doctor that you are breast-feeding and ask for drugs that are compatible with breastfeeding.
There are many ways to show your love and devotion to children and gain their trust. Breastfeeding is the most natural. When it comes to drinking hard liquor, the choice is ultimately yours. If the worries of the baby outweigh the urge to drink, then it might be better to wait until you finish breastfeeding.