Is It Really Safe to Drink Alcohol While Breastfeeding?
We’ve all heard the “pump and dump” method (just as the name suggests, you simply pump your breastmilk after drinking alcohol and dump it out- bye liquid gold!) and even the two-drink rule which suggests nursing moms limit themselves to two alcoholic beverages to keep breastmilk safe.
With all of the hearsay, it can be easy to let the uncertainty take over and simply forgo the glass of pinot out of fear. After all, a study published in the journal Pediatrics found that infants exposed to alcohol through breastmilk were more likely to have deficits in thinking and reasoning skills during early childhood, while the effect seemed to taper off as the children get older.
So what amount of alcohol is really safe to consume while breastfeeding?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “moderate alcohol consumption by a breastfeeding mother (up to 1 standard drink per day) is not known to be harmful to the infant, especially if the mother waits at least 2 hours after a single drink before nursing.”
The CDC then goes on to recommend, “Drinking alcoholic beverages is not an indication to stop breastfeeding; however, consuming more than one drink per day is not recommended.”
WHAT YOU CAN DRINK
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states that nursing mothers can have an occasional alcoholic drink the equivalent of a 12-ounce beer, 4-ounce glass of wine, or 1-ounce of hard liquor.
HOW TO TEST YOUR BREASTMILK FOR ALCOHOL
Say you’re a breastfeeding mom and you just had a glass of wine or met friends for a cocktail- now what? Per the CDC’s instructions, you should wait at least two hours before nursing as about 2% of the alcohol you consume will ultimately enter your bloodstream and breast milk.
If you’re unsure if your milk is free from booze, these breastmilk alcohol test strips can provide peace of mind. Recommended by lactation consultants, the test strips provide results in two minutes. You can express a small drop of milk directly onto the strip or dip it in a small amount of pumped milk.
If the strip changes color after two minutes, there is still alcohol at or above 13.1 mg/dL present in your milk. If there is no color, the alcohol content in your milk is under 13.1 mg/dL and considered safe.
NO MORE PUMP AND DUMP?
The term “pump and dump” comes from a nursing mother literally pumping her breastmilk and dumping it out after consuming alcohol or taking medication that isn’t compatible with breastfeeding. However, it is likely unnecessary and ineffective, says La Leche League International.
“As alcohol leaves your bloodstream, it leaves your breastmilk. Since alcohol is not “trapped” in breastmilk (it returns to the bloodstream as mother’s blood alcohol level declines), pumping and dumping will not remove it,” says LLL. “Pumping and dumping, drinking a lot of water, resting, or drinking coffee will not speed up the rate of the elimination of alcohol from your body.”
THE BEST SCENARIO
While the CDC recommends that drinking no alcohol is always the safest method, it is not always realistic for breastfeeding moms. Here are a few tips if mama needs a drink:
- Plan ahead. If you know you’ll be drinking alcohol, store pumped milk in your freezer to avoid hiccups in feeding schedules.
- Wait the two hours after having a drink for the alcohol to leave your system.
- Hand express or pump your milk if your breasts become full while waiting for the alcohol to clear your system. Discard the expressed milk.
- “If you are sober enough to drive, you should be sober enough to breastfeed,” says LLL.
WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH DRINKING WHILE BREASTFEEDING? TELL US BELOW!
You may also like to read about this Menu for Postpartum Recovery or What Exactly Should be in Your Prenatal Vitamins.