Breastfeeding and drinking

[kelseybelsey]

Do you do it? If so, at what age (child) did you start? How do you time things so that baby isn't drinking too?

[marina007]

I waters until she pretty much slept longer stretches (around 7 months) bc i was a paranoid first time mom. I'd have a glass or two of wine in the evening and BF if she woke up in the middle of the night. I'm now pregnant with #2 and i thibk i'll be a bit more laid back and maybe have a glass right after she goes to bed when she's 4/5 months. It seems like the amounts of alcohol that go into the breast milk are quite minimal and it's not like I ever drink loads anyways.

[redheadk]

I was super careful at first (didn't drink during witching hour, drank a small glass of wine as soon as she finished nursing then tried to hold her off for 2 hours) but really loosened up over time. I didn't get drunk and nurse but I'd stick to a single glass of wine at a time and if she woke up and was hungry, I nursed her.

[sjh722]

My hospital serves wine. Go Catholics!

I wasn't too uptight about it. So little alcohol makes it into your milk - I went by okay to drive, okay to nurse. (And honestly, you're probably okay a little past that point too.) For a long time, though, I was so tired I only had a glass or two of wine anyway, because otherwise I'd be asleep, LOL.

[VillainV]

I only ever drink a glass of wine or maybe two. If it's just one, I don't worry about it. If it's more than one drink, I'll wait until he's asleep (he doesn't wake up MOTN till like 3:30 usually), which is plenty of time to let anything get out of my system. I don't get sloshed because I'm too old for that. But if I did I would pump and dump.

[curbsideprophet]

I was more cautious with DD. I think I waited longer overall and would wait til she was down for the night. With DS once I was off pain meds I was okay with have a drink with dinner if I so desired.

[GotWine]

I would have a glass once DD was nursing on a predictable schedule and I knew I had 3 or 4 hours until I had to feed her again. I also always had a freezer stash so if she woke up before I felt comfortable nursing her I could always give her that. Honestly, one of my parts of the evening would be nursing DD to sleep while sipping a glass of wine. It was so peaceful and relaxing. It's something I'm really looking forward to with baby #2!

[anna7602]

Before beer and wine were forbidden to me due to thrush, I drank in the evening, usually with dinner after he went down for his long stretch of the night. But if he happened to wake up, I still nursed him. The amount that passes into your breast milk from one glass of wine is not very much.

I still wouldn't go out for a crazy night of drinking at this point because I still have to deal with my children in the morning.

[marina007]

Oh, and I never pumped and dumped, even when I went to a wedding and was definitely not good to drive - I just had a bottle of pumped milk ready if she woke up, and waited to feed/pump until I was sober again.

[scribellesam]

I start having a glass of wine in the evening within the first month. I try to time it so there's an hour or so before I have to nurse again but I don't worry about it too much. If I'm having more than that I'll give a bottle at the next feed.

[Deleted]

Oct 26, 2014 15:02:54 GMT -5 redheadk said:

I was super careful at first (didn't drink during witching hour, drank a small glass of wine as soon as she finished nursing then tried to hold her off for 2 hours) but really loosened up over time. I didn't get drunk and nurse but I'd stick to a single glass of wine at a time and if she woke up and was hungry, I nursed her.

Ditto all of this. Super careful at first like how redheadk described, but loosened up over time. I never got drunk, but I would have a glass of wine with dinner and nurse right afterward. If I don't "feel it" then the baby doesn't either KWIM.

[bowies]

I think I started around 2 months. I'll have a glass of wine at his dinner time feed or after he's down for the night. Depends more on when I want it. I went basically a year and a half to two years without drinking - I want a damn drink. I waited until 2 months because DS was a small baby and I was exhausted and starving all the time.

A friend told me her rule of thumb was one drink per hour. Don't know where she got that from.

[h]

When they were newborns, I limited myself to one drink and tried to time it for just after they nursed. Once they were 3 or 4 months old, I loosened up a little but still didn't nurse if I had more than two drinks in a relatively short amount of time (which is rare for me unless we are out for the night or away from the kids).

[Stingyshark]

I was just drinking a beer while I nursed.
I don't know when I started drinking.. A few months probably. I used to be more cautious. I never get drunk, and I pretty much never have more than one beer or one glass of wine. If I do, the 2nd is after DD is in bed. Except for maybe today.. It's been a long damn weekend.

[rbp]

Yes, about two weeks old. I'll have one or two drinks. I don't worry about M's consumption of alcohol when my breast milk is ~0.02% alcohol.

[heygrey]

first drink was within 24 hours of birth. dark beer is good for helping your milk supply!

there are some really good articles about drinking while breastfeeding that @tokenhoser posted. thought i had them bookmarked, but i don't. hopefully she can pop in here with them again. the gist of it is - you're totally fine to drink and nurse, just don't get black out, raging drunk.

[MamaMaui24]

Three weeks (unintentional).

I'm not a big drinker but had half a margarita Friday night (too strong!) and a mimosa this morning.

I follow the - "if you shouldn't drive, you shouldn't nurse" rule. The best time is to have a drink while nursing since it's not in your blood/milk instantly.

[Jalapeñomel]

I'm not giving the baby booze via a bottle, so the baby isn't drinking. I am very lax about drinking and breastfeeding. I couldn't wait to have a glass of wine after giving birth.

[marie3246]

Oct 26, 2014 16:59:31 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

I'm not giving the baby booze via a bottle, so the baby isn't drinking. I am very lax about drinking and breastfeeding. I couldn't wait to have a glass of wine after giving birth.

This is exactly how I was. One of the worst parts of pregnancy was not drinking! I think I had a glass of wine here or there in the first few weeks because I was so tired and didn't want more. After that, I went by the if I can drive I can bf. 

[ngdgtco]

I had wine with dinner the second night he was home. I only drink about a half glass at a time, so I don't stress about timing.

[fortmyersbride]

I started having one drink a few nights a week once we were home from the hospital I don't often have more than 1-2 drinks anyway, but follow the "ok to drive, ok to BF" mantra.

[Deleted]

Various things to read on the subject:
www.phdinparenting.com/blog/2009/7/8/you-should-not-be-drunk-while-caring-for-your-baby.html
www.momzelle.com/blog/2010/07/gimme-a-drink/
www.babble.com/baby/how-much-alcohol-gets-into-breastmilk-really/
pandce.proboards.com/thread/231265/booze-breastmilk-science

This time around, I had my first drink in the hospital.

[Velar Fricative]

I started having one glass of wine most days once she was around a week old. I was surprised at myself that I wasn't as cautious about this but I was pretty comfortable with one glass a day. While out socializing, I stuck with two drinks max and even today, I'm not big on drinking much anymore and I haven't BFed in 4 months. My tolerance sucks now.

[water*drop]

I had a glass of champagne while nursing the first night we were home. The lactation consultant who did my breastfeeding class told us that the best time was while the baby was nursing, with the second best time being right after the baby nursed, but that as long as we were okay to drive, we were okay to nurse. I didn't drink very often at first just because I was exhausted and didn't feel like it, but I was regularly having a glass of wine in the evening by a few months in.

[huskymom]

Ditto that the best time to drink is while nursing, but I never have more than a glass or two so I don't really pay attention. With dd1, they served us a champagne breakfast the last day in the hospital. With Dd2, we came home after 24 hrs and I'm pretty sure we had wine and sushi that night.

But I also had small glasses of wine when pregnant.

[gibbinator]

Both boys were about a week old when I had my first drink. I just try to time it so I'm pouring my drink immediately after delatching the baby.

I try to wait an H between finishing my drink and nursing again but don't really stress about it. I only drink a half glass of beer or a small glass of wine anyway because it hits me so fast now.

[kelseybelsey]

Thanks all! I am now enjoying a glass of wine as I pump.

[IndiaInk]

I think people make this topic way more complicated than it needs to be. I read tokenhoser's articles before DD was born and also asked our lactation consultant about drinking while breastfeeding. The takeaway for me was that it's totally fine to drink and that hardly any alcohol makes it into the breastmilk. I don't get drunk for obvious reasons but often have a glass or two of wine at night and don't think anything of it.

[stacyb1983]

Oct 26, 2014 15:44:22 GMT -5 marina007 said:

Oh, and I never pumped and dumped, even when I went to a wedding and was definitely not good to drive - I just had a bottle of pumped milk ready if she woke up, and waited to feed/pump until I was sober again.

This is what I did too. I think I had my first beer when C was about 8-9 weeks old. She was sleeping longer stretches by then.

[sillygoosegirl]

I planning to break out the wine at the birthing center.