Have you had any alcohol while breastfeeding?

[Sweetkat]

I would love a half glass/ glass of wine but have not had any during pregnancy or since her birth 2 weeks ago while breastfeeding. Have any of you? I haven't expressed and am breastfeeding on demand, so I guess I can't have any?!

 

[Marie000]

It's up to you how comfortable you are with it, but I always heard that if you are sober enough to drive, you can breastfeed. So a glass or half-glass would be fine.

I don't drink often, but I have had some drinks while breastfeeding. Even sometimes quite literally while my baby was nursing. I would have looked like a horrible mom to anyone watching, but I figured the baby would be done nursing before the alcohol reaches the milk anyways.
I usually try to drink when I know she wont nurse for a while. It's much easier now that she's older. But I did drink also when she was a newborn, just not very often.

 

[Sweetkat]

Maybe i will have half a glass in a couple of weeks for my birthday . It's weird that I have not had a single drink in nearly a year . I think that as long as it has no negative effect on the baby there is no reason not to have a drink now and then . I am looking forward to my first one

 

[firsttime83]

My LO had a good latch and I was comfortable with that so introduced a bottle at 4 weeks and began to express. If I had a glass of wine as a treat I would have OH give her a bottle when she was hungry. Now that she is older she of course goes a lot longer between feeds, but I always have a stash just in case. It's definitely do-able

 

[Embo78]

I have drunk alcohol. If I have more than 1-2 (small) glasses, we give him a bottle of ebm.

 

[Janers]

I absolutely enjoy a glass of wine, sometimes 2 (gasp!), there is nothing wrong with relaxing with a drink.

 

[Larkspur]

I didn't for the first few months, I think their livers are too immature to handle any accidental intake. LO is almost one now and I'll have a glass of wine a couple of times a week after he goes to bed.

 

[babyface15]

Dr. Jack Newman is a breastfeeding expert in Canada and I read today actually that he said reasonable alcohol intake shouldn't be discouraged and by doing so it further isolates the mom. Here's the link to the lll page with a few opinions and studies cited. I think the jist is one or so drink per day is definitely fine and you can wait a few hours before nursing to be sure. I've had an odd beer here and there since she's been born usually right after nursing. I love it!!
and a few studies in there show that beer can increase milk production heh!!

https://www.lalecheleague.org/faq/alcohol.html

 

[CupcakeBaby]

I've not yet. I keep getting tempted to have a small glass of wine but then change my mind.

I know it can't hurt but DD has acid reflux and wine makes me acidy so it's more because of the acid than the alcohol that's stopping me really.

 

[Kess]

Once Ro started going more than an hour or two between feeds, I started allowing myself a glass of cider or small glass of wine, since I timed it that it would be basically gone from my milk before he needed his next feed. Wouldn't have done it when he was a newborn as he fed almost constantly.

 

[Celesse]

Yes, but only once we stopped co-sleeping.

 

[XJessicaX]

oh yes! I often have a glass of wine in the evenings!

 

[staralfur]

When she was a newborn, no. After 3 months, yes.

I still try to make sure I can go at least a few hours without feeding her if I plan on having 2-3 drinks, but if I'm just having one I'm not too worried about it.

 

[ThinkPositiv]

I have wine!! Usually during last feed or after last fees of day. The occasional margarita at lunch on a weekend.

https://biologybrain-simonsays.blogspot.ca/2008/12/alcohol-content-of-breast-milk.html

 

[katsbump]

Sure, sometimes. I think the rule is try to limit it to one to two units one or two times a week and wait two hours until breastfeeding after the drink. I often just have an expressed bottle on hand in case.

 

[Kellen]

Yes. DH often brings me a glass of cider in the evenings. Our LO sleeps from 7pm to 7:30 with a feed at 5am so I'm not worried. At first when she was waking every 2-4 hours I abstained, but now I am not so worried.

 

[MrsClark24]

I've not had a single drop since I found out I was pregnant. There's a bottle of port on the cabinet that seems to call me to it... But I am resisting! I just don't like the idea of DD getting any trace of alcohol from me, but that's just my opinion.

I wish I could be more relaxed and enjoy a small glass!

 

[Sweetkat]

I've not had a single drop since I found out I was pregnant. There's a bottle of port on the cabinet that seems to call me to it... But I am resisting! I just don't like the idea of DD getting any trace of alcohol from me, but that's just my opinion.

I wish I could be more relaxed and enjoy a small glass!

I may have a glass for my birthday and then have the occasional one once we have an established feeding pattern and once I can express . As she is asleep during the day and mostly awake at night I would also worry that after a glass of wine it would be harder for me to stay awake at night...

 

[sue_88]

Yep!! I have had champagne, wine & beer since Millie was newborn.

No harm in it, no need for bottles & no need to pump & dump milk

 

[Kaleido]

I have had about 5 glasses of wine in the 12 weeks since dd was born. the first 2 times I was so nervous about it, even tho I already had a frozen stash I could use if need be. I figured I'd be a complete light weight anyway from not drinking for 9 months so I took half a glass of pinot grigio and topped it off with seltzer so I had a nice wine spritzer of sorts. I then tested my breast milk both times using the test strips before I fed her again about 2 hrs later and there wasn't even a trace! I tried the same test on the later occasions using a full glass of wine with no seltzer but the test came back positive so my husband gave expressed in bottle. So for me I know I can have my " Spritzer" if I will be breastfeeding after and a regular glass if I want to give bottle for me to feel comfortable. the tests say they are super sensitive so I'm sure I would actually be fine with the trace that shows from the full glass, but I'm just not comfortable with that.