What? I don't even know what to think...

[Natsku]

Don't see how it is the waitresses' business either.....pumping and dumping is a waste of milk unless you're planning on getting plastered in which case you shouldn't have a child in your care, the amount of alcohol that gets into milk is extremely minimal. Safe to drive, safe to BF. If the mum was stumbling out I would understand, but the waitress sounded like a busy body who I doubt actually knew much about alcohol and BF.

Ok...i pump sometimes if im really full and my baby doesnt take a bottle that well so i usually have to "dump" it....its not a waste...im always making more.....
Just like we dont know exactly how much is safe to drink while preg im assuming the same goes for bfing....i doubt we really know how much gets into the milk...
And here in my province they advocate "DONT drink and drive....they have a "legal" limit...but i feel uneasy seeing anyone even drinking ONE drink then driving....so for me same goes for bfing...
As i would never have a drink while preg...i would never drink while bfing...
BUT i would not call the cops on someone as it really isnt my business...i just feel for the baby...

It's not the same as pregnancy, they dont know exactly what is passed in pregnancy (well they know it passes but they don't know what affect it has on the baby with small amounts thus it is better to abstain) with BF they have checked the composition in the milk and have seen in a couple drinks alcohol doesn't pass through, so there isn't any what ifs, alcohol hasn't passed into the milk thus it can't affect the baby, it's not up to debate it's been proven, I think it is the social stigma of not liking seeing a BF mum drinking alcohol more that puts people off, but the science says it's fine.

The reason they say safe to drive, safe to BF is because it's a good indication you have drunk little, it's nice to give mums confidence when all they blooming hear us "DONT DO THAT, DONT DO THIS". In reality you could drink a lot more and the alcohol won't pass, but I think the issue with drinking and BF by that point is being under the influence while taking care of a child. I also don't drive after any amount if alcohol, because I know one drink makes me tipsy, but I also know the way alcohol metabolises means one drink won't go into my milk.

It's science, you can't dispute it, if you just don't want to drink while BF that's fine, it's your decision, but it doesn't change the fact you're not really protecting your child from harm abstaining.

Disclaimer: I don't drink a lot haha, I probably sound like an alcoholic....!

Has it be proven it metabolizes the same for everyone? Just cause it doesnt get into the milk of one woman....would it be the same for another woman? Just as me having one drink causes me to get tipsy...but someone else my size and weight might be able to have two or three?
I never said ONE drink was bad....but if it gets more than that...then yes i think bfing and drinking dont mix

You are talking about tolerance which has nothing to do with how much alcohol gets into the breastmilk - the amount of alcohol in breastmilk corresponds to the blood-alcohol level which depends on how much you drink and how much you weigh and body fat percentage. When it peaks in your blood (and breastmilk) depends also on whether you've been eating or not.

 

[Pearls18]

Don't see how it is the waitresses' business either.....pumping and dumping is a waste of milk unless you're planning on getting plastered in which case you shouldn't have a child in your care, the amount of alcohol that gets into milk is extremely minimal. Safe to drive, safe to BF. If the mum was stumbling out I would understand, but the waitress sounded like a busy body who I doubt actually knew much about alcohol and BF.

Ok...i pump sometimes if im really full and my baby doesnt take a bottle that well so i usually have to "dump" it....its not a waste...im always making more.....
Just like we dont know exactly how much is safe to drink while preg im assuming the same goes for bfing....i doubt we really know how much gets into the milk...
And here in my province they advocate "DONT drink and drive....they have a "legal" limit...but i feel uneasy seeing anyone even drinking ONE drink then driving....so for me same goes for bfing...
As i would never have a drink while preg...i would never drink while bfing...
BUT i would not call the cops on someone as it really isnt my business...i just feel for the baby...

It's not the same as pregnancy, they dont know exactly what is passed in pregnancy (well they know it passes but they don't know what affect it has on the baby with small amounts thus it is better to abstain) with BF they have checked the composition in the milk and have seen in a couple drinks alcohol doesn't pass through, so there isn't any what ifs, alcohol hasn't passed into the milk thus it can't affect the baby, it's not up to debate it's been proven, I think it is the social stigma of not liking seeing a BF mum drinking alcohol more that puts people off, but the science says it's fine.

The reason they say safe to drive, safe to BF is because it's a good indication you have drunk little, it's nice to give mums confidence when all they blooming hear us "DONT DO THAT, DONT DO THIS". In reality you could drink a lot more and the alcohol won't pass, but I think the issue with drinking and BF by that point is being under the influence while taking care of a child. I also don't drive after any amount if alcohol, because I know one drink makes me tipsy, but I also know the way alcohol metabolises means one drink won't go into my milk.

It's science, you can't dispute it, if you just don't want to drink while BF that's fine, it's your decision, but it doesn't change the fact you're not really protecting your child from harm abstaining.

Disclaimer: I don't drink a lot haha, I probably sound like an alcoholic....!

Has it be proven it metabolizes the same for everyone? Just cause it doesnt get into the milk of one woman....would it be the same for another woman? Just as me having one drink causes me to get tipsy...but someone else my size and weight might be able to have two or three?
I never said ONE drink was bad....but if it gets more than that...then yes i think bfing and drinking dont mix

You are talking about tolerance which has nothing to do with how much alcohol gets into the breastmilk - the amount of alcohol in breastmilk corresponds to the blood-alcohol level which depends on how much you drink and how much you weigh and body fat percentage. When it peaks in your blood (and breastmilk) depends also on whether you've been eating or not.

Oh I am relieved

 

[meli1981]

I was just saying more alcohol might get into some womans bm than others...thats all. Unless theres a way to test your milk to see...im not sure its worth it. and im not talking about ONE drink....

 

[Natsku]

I was just saying more alcohol might get into some womans bm than others...thats all. Unless theres a way to test your milk to see...im not sure its worth it. and im not talking about ONE drink....

The only way more alcohol will get into the breastmilk is by drinking more. It has nothing to do with the individual (beyond body weight and fat percentage).

 

[meli1981]

And we dont know how many drinks this lady had....she says she had two...but the waitress says she saw several empty glasses infront of her....its really the waitresses word against the moms..

 

[Natsku]

And the waitress wasn't even there seeing if the mum drank all those drinks or not.

 

[sue_88]

For those debating the alcohol in breastmilk, have a read of this:

Spoiler

The following is from a blog by a mother who tested her milk for alcohol. Not one of those useless kits that you can buy at various stores, but tested at a toxicology laboratory. I will copy from her blog the method she used and the results. I think this puts the lie to the notion that women should not drink while breastfeeding or need to "pump and dump" (an appalling term) after having even one drink. The following is an exact quote from her blog:

Method:
First I took a sample of my milk (about 1 mL) prior to drinking any alcoholic beverage. I expressed the milk mid-nursing session to ensure I had a goodly portion of fore & hind milk. After completing the nursing session, I mixed myself an alcoholic beverage consisting of 2 oz of 80 proof (40%) vodka in 10 oz of soda (Sprite). I proceeded to drink the entire 12 oz in about 30 minutes. About 30 minutes after finishing (1 hour after beginning to drink), I expressed some milk (about 1 mL) and labeled it 'immediate'. I then waited 1 hour and expressed more milk (about 1 mL) and labeled it '2 hours'. In the 2 hours (from the beginning), I did not drink any more alcoholic beverages, drink other beverages, or eat any other foods. Another day, 1/2 of a beer (4.3% alcohol) and 2-6 oz glasses of wine were consumed within 1.5 hours. About an hour from the beginning of the last drink, a milk sample (about 1 mL) was taken. This sample was labeled '1 hour - 3 drinks'. Another sample was taken about an hour after that (2 hours after the beginning of the last drink). This sample was labeled '2 hours - 3 drinks'.

The samples were stored in the refrigerator until processing. An Agilent headspace instrument was used to run the tests. Propanol and ethanol standards were also tested to ensure the instrument was within limits. The instrument is maintained by the KSP Lab Toxicology Section and used in forensic determinations of blood and urine alcohol content.

Results:
The sample labeled as 'immediate' registered as 0.1370 mg/mL which correlates to 0.01370% alcohol in the sample. The sample labeled '2 hours' registered as 0.0000 mg/ml which correlates to 0.0000%. The sample labeled '1 hour - 3 drinks' registered as 0.3749 mg/mL which correlates to 0.03749% alcohol in the sample. The sample labeled '2 hours - 3 drinks' registered as 0.0629 mg/mL which correlates to 0.00629% alcohol in the sample.

Conclusion:
The alcohol content in breast milk immediately after drinking is equivalent to a 0.0274 proof beverage. That's like mixing 1 oz of 80 proof vodka (one shot) with 2919 oz of mixer . By the way, 2919 oz is over 70 liters. Two hours after drinking one (strong) drink the alcohol has disappeared from the sample. Completely harmless to the nursing infant. Drinking about 3 drinks in 1.5 hours resulted in higher numbers, but still negligible amounts of alcohol would be transferred to the child. One hour after imbibing in 3 drinks, the milk was the equivalent of 0.07498 proof beverage. That would be like adding 1 oz of 80 proof vodka (one shot) to 1066 oz of mixer (1066 oz is over 26 liters). Two hours after imbibing in 3 drinks, the milk was 0.01258 proof. That would be like adding 1 oz of 80 proof vodka to 3179 oz of mixer (over almost 80 liters). So, even though an infant has much less body weight, any of these percentage of alcohol in breast milk is unlikely to adversely affect the baby. Bottoms up!

So, in short, you probably could actually get plastered and technically the baby would be fine to drink breastmilk.....your ability to hold your baby may be somewhat terrible though.

I'm glad the waitress was fired, dumb bint. I think I'd have punched her in the throat if she did such thing to me.

 

[sue_88]

Oh and as for the whole empty glasses thing, just today at lunch time I sat on a free table that had empty glasses covering it as I wanted the table and it hadn't been cleared.

It's just plain stupid to ASSume the person sitting there is the drinker. Short of a few brain cells to think that for sure.

 

[meli1981]

i guess im stupid

 

[Noodlebear]

Oh and as for the whole empty glasses thing, just today at lunch time I sat on a free table that had empty glasses covering it as I wanted the table and it hadn't been cleared.

This was my first thought too. Hopefully getting fired was a massive reality check for her!!

 

[sue_88]

There was about 20/25 glass on this table, that seated four. The party before must have had a whale of a time but they didn't belong to me even though I was sat there. Honestly can't understand people even thinking / assuming they might have been mine?? Lol, it's just ridiculous.

 

[meli1981]

Im sorry...but why would anyone sit at a tsble in a restaurant woth twenty glasses on it? A bar maybe....but not a restaurant....do you not wait to be seated?

 

[sue_88]

Nope, it was a cafe/restaurant and you seat yourself. Busy places mean you see a free table and pounce whether it's cleared or not.

 

[Jes.shortcake]

I've been to restaurants where me and my party will grab a table while the previous party was standing up to leave..lol. In places like that..ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

 

[staralfur]

I think that regardless of if the empty glasses were hers or not, the waitress owes this lady an apology.

I know enough about the relationship between breastfeeding and alcohol that even if she did have three glasses of beer before she nursed, it's not worth alerting the authorities over. Obviously the waitress didn't know that at the time, but she's certainly had the opportunity to think about it now and realize that she was being a bit over the top. Having the cops called on you and being arrested is nothing to take lightly; I'd feel HORRIBLE for putting that lady through that if I were the waitress.

Unfortunately she seems to stand by what she did, which means that a) she didn't bother to find out whether or not drinking and nursing is detrimental enough to a baby's health to warrant an arrest (which of course it is not) or b) she's incredibly stubborn and ignorant. I'm guessing the latter.

 

[HBGirl]

Someone had better call the cops on me then!

 

[Gnomer]

That is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever watched. Assuming the empty glasses are hers is idiotic. I am pregnant, I don't drink alcohol at all, but I regularly sit at a table surrounded by empty pint glasses. Some of which are actually mine, they are pints of orange cordial. Unless you sit and watch what a person is drinking, you cannot know.

As for breastfeeding after having a couple of drinks, study after study has shown that there are tiny tiny amounts of alcohol passed through breast milk. Not enough to affect the babs. The only time I would consider phoning the police regarding a woman drinking and breastfeeding, is if the woman is severely drunk and unable to hold herself up, never mind the child.

 

[WelshOneEmma]

I realise they didn't want to get involved, but surely the restaurant would have a record of how many beers were served to her? Or her own waitress? to come in from a shift and assume is just stupid - wouldn't you at least ask your colleagues? I think the fact she got sacked speaks volumes.

Me personally, I didn't drink when breastfeeding, but because I'm a light weight and it wouldn't be safe for the baby as i would be wasted after one beer! Thats why I stopped drinking after DD was born (obviously didn't drink when pregnant either), because I can no longer handle it.

I know there have been cases of pregnant women in the US being arrested when drinking, but they were drinking a lot.

Why does everyone think they know better than us these days on to how to raise our kids???

 

[JASMAK]

Sounds like she drank more than just a beer. Regardless what happened (sounds like a bit of lying and cover ups are going on) I don't think its right to drink excessively and then breastfeed. One, yes. Two, stretching. Three...no way. More...well, maybe i would get concerned and call the police, i don't know.

 

[Sqwidge]

See I would be more concerned about the drinking and being able to care for the child rather than the breast feeding...because surely if you have had that many drinks where the waitress is concerned about the alcohol content of the woman's breast milk, the lady would be trashed???