My friend has a 2 month old baby boy. She is breastfeeding. She never drank while she was pregnant but since she has had baby she has been drinking 3-4 times a week (that I know of). She even drank a beer while she was breast feeding...
Is this bad or does it not affect the baby..?
If it is bad, how would I tell her I'm concerned without being rude..? :confused:
Thanks in advance!

Google is your friend:
breastfeeding + alcohol - Google Search (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=breastfeeding+%2B+alcohol&btnG=Google+Search)

Hey Need, that'll be $5 for my copyrighted statement ;)

Alcohol passes into breast milk. Many women have had children taken away for this.

This is not good, she must stop this now, before the infant gets addicted to alcohol. And, yes, it can and does happen.

Hey Need, that'll be $5 for my copyrighted statement ;)Hmmmm... my research shows that I am the pioneer --> https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/search.php?searchid=949515

:D

Arrrr that's as maybe but I copyrighted it ;) ( here anyway)
Oh well looks like we may have an IP battle on our hands.

Alcohol passes into breast milk. Many women have had children taken away for this.

This is not good, she must stop this now, before the infant gets addicted to alcohol. And, yes, it can and does happen.

WOW! I had no idea! Do you know of a good way of telling her this or should I just tell her flat out? And she went to school for early childhood development, so she must know this! I guess I would rather have her mad at me then to not say anything at all. I will call her when she gets home tonight! I don't want anything bad happening to her baby. :(

You could ask her if she knows that alcohol gets into breast milk. Plain and simple. Ask her if her baby gets extra tired after feeding.

It is better to have her mad at you for explaining this than it is to have her baby taken away and then to blame you for knowing and not telling her.

Now, understand, she may be upset for quite a while, but would you rather her be mad at you or have a baby who is addicted to alcohol?

Pick one of the websites that you feel is most reputable and print it out. That way you aren't perceived as the authority on the subject and the "bad' person, you'll seem like a caring person.

You could ask her if she knows that alcohol gets into breast milk. Plain and simple. Ask her if her baby gets extra tired after feeding.

It is better to have her mad at you for explaining this than it is to have her baby taken away and then to blame you for knowing and not telling her.

Now, understand, she may be upset for quite a while, but would you rather her be mad at you or have a baby who is addicted to alcohol?

Yes... I know.. I just got off the phone with her. I told her everything. She told me she only drinks once or twice a week. And it wasn't a big deal. I told her its bad for the development of her baby and her baby can become dependent on alcohol and that someone could report her. She replied "im a great mother and my baby is fine, you are overexxagerating the situation, mind your own business!" and hung up. :mad:

So hopfeully she will get the email of the 1000 links of websites saying how bad it is.

Thanks for your help!

It is fine for your friend to have a drink while she is breastfeeding, there is nothing wrong with that. If she is getting drunk then that is a different story but to have a few drinks a few times per week is okay. She might want to really watch how many drinks because her baby is so young but other than that, No she isn't going to get her baby taken away because she breastfed and had a drink, that type of talk is what makes Mom's never breastfeed at all, to many restrictions are put on a breastfeeding Mother.

When you have one standard drink (ten grams of ethanol), the alcohol
Level in your milk is the same level as in your blood. So if you toss
That drink back all at once without food in their stomach, the milk
Alcohol level will peak at 0.02 percent. This is one two hundred and
Fiftieth the level in a standard strength (5 percent) beer. So if your
Baby has a 100 ml feed right at that peak, they'll get the equivalent of
About one ml of beer. The milk level drops right along with the blood
Level, so an hour later, it's zero again. (these are all averages of
Course). So there is never a need to pump and dump, even if you drink a
Lot, unless you really need to for comfort.

Many people use the guideline "sober enough to drive, sober enough to
breastfeed".

Here is a link to the LLL site on alcohol and breastfeeding.
LLLI | FAQ on Alcohol (http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/alcohol.html)

Dnagerous info above. You should NEVER say it is okay to drink while breastfeeding!!

It isn't something I am just throwing out there. The LLL, the AAP, Dr. Hale, Dr. Newman and many other Dr.'s say it is fine to have a drink while breastfeeding. I did state that it isn't fine to get drunk but it IS fine to have a drink.

Well, I won't argue with you, I am not here to argue, only present facts as I have seen in person many times.

Yes, I know of a doctor who said that it was okay for a woman to have a glass of wine to help with sleep.

But it is still dangerous advice to give unless it is the persons personal physician giving the advice.

You will never hear me say that it is fine to drink while pregnant or breastfeeding as I have seen the consequences of such at major hospitals in the Mid-South of the U.S. such as The Med, LeBohneur's Children's Hospital and St. Judes (yes, I know St Jude is a cancer hospital). But I have seen effects first-hand and will never say that it is okay to drink while pregnant or breastfeeding as alcohol passes through the placenta while pregnant and into the breast milk while lactating.

And that is fine. You present your facts and I present mine and let the person asking the question to make up her own mind. That is great. I would like to state for the record I NEVER said that it was fine to drink while pregnant. Alcohol crosses the placenta and goes straight to the baby unlike drinking while lactating the alcohol goes through the Mothers system and depending on how much she has drank (again a Mother should never get drunk) is in the milk at levels so minute that the baby wouldn't even be getting any alcohol what-so-ever. I was also not talking about *any ole Dr.* I am talking about the American Academy of Pediatrics that states that it is fine to have a drink while breastfeeding. It really sounds like you are stating personal feelings while I am stating facts. I came across this site from reading Google alerts and I felt compelled to join after reading the few responses that said never-no-way can't drink while breastfeeding, because that simply isn't true. I have been studying breastfeeding & lactation for over seven years and I would never state that it would be fine if it wasn't and it is fine to have a drink while breastfeeding.

Okay, have your way. But I cannot agree with you. I see this at LeBohneur's Children's Hospital. Look, I have had my drinks while pregnant, albeit before I knew I was pregnant, and I have had my drinks while breastfeeding, before my mastectomy and my last child.

Cheese 'N' Rice, it is 2:30 a.m. and I can't sleep, I am having a drink right now!! However, it is, yes In my opinion, not okay with saying it is okay to drink while lactating. You have been doing your research, I have been learning it in school. The AAP may say it is okay to have a drink once in a while while lactating, but there may be other factors involved with this lady who did not drink at all during pregnancy.

Have you considered post-partum depression? She has to realize that this can cause damage if continued and/or increased?

I am just saying that there are other factors here that we really do not know about, so it should not be okay to say that it is okay to drink while nursing. At least until we hear the actual mother's side of the story.

And that is fine. You present your facts and I present mine and let the person asking the question to make up her own mind. That is great. I would like to state for the record I NEVER said that it was fine to drink while pregnant. Alcohol crosses the placenta and goes straight to the baby unlike drinking while lactating the alcohol goes through the Mothers system and depending on how much she has drank (again a Mother should never get drunk) is in the milk at levels so minute that the baby wouldnt even be getting any alcohol what-so-ever. I was also not talking about *any ole Dr.* I am talking about the American Academy of Pediatrics that states that it is fine to have a drink while breastfeeding. It really sounds like you are stating personal feelings while I am stating facts. I came across this site from reading google alerts and I felt compelled to join after reading the few responses that said never-no-way can't drink while breastfeeding, because that simply isnt true. I have been studying breastfeeding & lactation for over seven years and I would never state that it would be fine if it wasnt and it is fine to have a drink while breastfeeding.

I will present my facts! I am a mother of a child. I drank while nursing. Not heavily mind you, but a couple of drinks per week. I thought that after nursing my baby was supposed to get sleepy, I did not realise that it was the alcohol until I mentioned something to my doctor. I told my doctor that every once in a while that my baby would sleep for long periods after I nursed her but only once in a while. I truseted my doctor, we talked. I told her that I would have a tequila sunrise every once in a while to help calm my nerves. I was a first time mohter, everything had to be perfect as far as I was concerned. Then one day a lady came and took my baby. My baby was 3 months old and was found to be suffering from alcohol addiciton.

MOS, you can say what you want, but I speak from experience. Your American Pediatrics Association speaks in general, but not real life. I am here to tell you what can happen in real life.

I have been watching this for a while and was embarrassed to say anything, but to save a child I finally had to say something. So, now I will back out.

then one day a lady came and took my baby. My baby was 3 months old and was found to be suffering from alcohol addiciton.

MOS, you can say what you want, but I speak from experience. Your American Pediatrics Association speaks in general, but not real life. I am here to tell you what can happen in real life.



A baby cannot suffer from alcohol addiction if you had a drink every once in a while! The baby would have had to have been tested within 24 hours after you drank A LOT of alcohol for it to even show up in the baby's system. I am afraid that you were lied to. A baby cannot be taken away from a Mother because she had *A drink* every once in a while, there had to be other extenuating circumstances going on. Whatever they were I am sorry that it happened to you, what a horrible ordeal you had to go through because you told your Dr. you had *a drink*. And it isn't *my* AAP like you stated, it is the United States, Also would you like the Canadian, European and other Countries position on it? Maybe you could show that so called Dr. you seen a copy of them so that the next Mother who walks in his/her door won't go through the horrid ordeal you went through.




Have you considered post-partum depression? She has to realize that this can cause damage if continued and/or increased?

PPD wasn't mentioned so I cannot assume. No one said that it would be increasing either, an increase wouldn't be good but again I am not going to assume. The poster didn't say that the Mother was getting drunk or partying, she said that she was have a drink a few times a week and all along, like I have been saying, having *a drink* while breastfeeding according to all my research will do no harm.




But it is still dangerous advice to give unless it is the persons personal physician giving the advice.

.

But isn't that what everyone here is doing? Giving their own advice and the person that asks makes their own decision based on the answers? I am NOT claiming to be a professional, I want to make that clear right now, I am a person that has done extensive research for the last seven years on the study of lactation and I am giving my opinion on what I have found, That is all. When I read someone say that a Mother cannot have a drink, cannot smoke cigarettes, cannot eat chocolate or cabbage or whatever! I find it horrible that so many Mother's think that they have to be *perfect* while lactacting, so much so that they feel that they cannot do anything wrong (or right) so they quit and switch to formula because they hear so many times that "it is just as good" and it is NOT.

Why is it that the mother cannot wait until between breastfeedings to have alcohol?

You have already stated your opinion on the matter, perhaps you should just drop it, instead of trying to make everyone else see it your way. And in my opinion, maybe them switching to formula is a blessing to the baby, rather then the baby getting alcohol from the breastmilk. And I have a question. If you absolutely MUST have a drink, what is so wrong with pumping and dumping when you have had a drink, and giving your baby formula for that one feeding, until the alcohol is out of your system? It seems to me that the well being of your child would be more important to you, then taking a chance with the little child that is completely dependent on you for protecting them. My fathers uncle use to put a very small amount of alcohol in his kids bottles at night, because he said that it made them sleepy and sleep well through the night. Now, I think most people would agree that that is awful. But what is the difference between that, and drinking while breastfeeding. If you must have a drink, I would suggest pumping and dumping till its out of your system. It won't hurt thebaby to be on formula for that small amount of time. And also, if you feel so badly for loulou having her baby taken away, why are you trying to tell her that she had her baby taken away for reasons other then stated. Obviously she is speaking from experience. I say, you've stated your opinion(which is all anyone can do on this site)now just drop the whole thing, and leave the drama for another thread.

Buggage, I have to say that was awsome!!

There are many breastfed babies who suffer from colic. When the mother re-evaluates what she eats and finds that she has been eating gassy foods, then takes those foods out of her diet, the infant is no longer colicy. Foods like garlic, broccoli, onions and the like pass through into the breastmilk, just as alcohol does.

I remember one time in particular I had roasted garlic spread on fresh baked bread. I later fed my son and lo and behold he had garlic breath. Now, if garlic can pass and cause the same reaction in the infant that it does in the mother, then why can't alcohol?

I believe what happened to LouLou was that the physician felt that she was endangering her child, I see it frequently.

And I agree that Motherofseven77 should take her rantings elsewhere rather than hurting a mother who was already hurt and only spoke up to share her story.

Thank you LouLou for sharing what had to have been a very painful story. I hope to God that all works out for you in the end.

Thanks j9. I've been watching this posting, and I couldn't keep from posting my own opinion anymore. It just seems to me that there appears to be more concern over the mother being able to have her fun, then he baby's well being here. It sounds very selfish to me. Esp. when it came to hurting another woman that was sharing her painful side of the story. I don't know her whole story, but "mother of seven" certainly doesn't either, and it was unkind to pass judgement on her as having her baby taken away for more reasons then just having an occasional drink, just so that her opinion wasn't taken as being wrong. Like I have said before, this site is meant to help people, not make people feel dumb.

this site is meant to help people, not make people feel dumb.

This is why I answer in plain english rather than in medical terms or quote textobooks, or other online references.

I don't want anyone to feel dumb. I want people here to feel like they are talking to a friend, not a reference book! :p

This is why I answer in plain english rather than in medical terms or quote textobooks, or other online references.

I don't want anyone to feel dumb. I want people here to feel like they are talking to a friend, not a reference book!!:p

Okay, I have just read everything and Im glad people have shared their stories and beliefs.
I just want to say that I now believe from reading posts here and researching this issue online that there are MANY opinions on this. Some saying drinking is OK and some saying not to drink at all.
My conclusion is if there is even the slightest possibility that even a DROP of alcohol can go into the baby it isn't worth it! Having a child means not being selfish. And if you would go all 9 months without drinking, why would you drink while breastfeeding? Isn't IT BETTER TO BE SAFE THEN SORRY?
If you need to drink so bad, use formula. But also if you need to drink so bad, maybe you have a problem with alcohol.
Clean, healthy breastmilk is way better then formula, I think anyone will agree on that. So I think my friend needs to stop being selfish and stop drinking, even a drop! I am no longer going to babysit for her baby because I don't feel comfortable giving the baby what may be alcohol laced breastmilk. And if she is still drinking a lot while breastfeeding, I WILL do something about it!
Thank you all for your advice.

I read that you spoke to her and it ended up badly. Maybe that was a wakeup call to her.

I am sorry it ended up badly, but you could recommend what Buggage said, "pump it and dump it" That way she can still have her drink if she wants one, but the baby will not get the alcohol.

Or recommend that when you are sitting you would feel more comfortable with formula.