Breast Feeding and AlcoholWe all have heard and should know that breast feeding is the best food for a newborn. However, when it comes to whether a mother should have a drink or two there are many different opinions. There are no studies that show there is a negative impact placed on an infant when the mother has an alcoholic beverage. However, you will still hear all kinds of warnings from doctors and of course others in your family about the diverse affects of alcohol on your baby. The best thing to do in this situation is to avoid alcohol until more research is done to learn what effect alcohol has on a nursing baby. However, if you know in advance that you are going to have a drink or two at a social function, and then you can pump your breast after drinking and throw it away. Your breasts will replenish the discarded milk and your baby will receive fresh milk without any alcohol content. Wine is a totally different topic when it comes to breast feeding. Many people including doctors recommend drinking one glass of wine per day before bed. Wine stimulates the letting down of your milk and will also relax you for a more pleasurable feeding for you and baby. Alcohol passes through breast milk at about a rate of two hours per serving. If you know for sure you will not be breast feeding for a few hours, you can drink a glass of your favorite alcoholic beverage, alcohol does not stay in your breast milk, and therefore there is no need to pump the milk if you wait until the alcohol has passed through. Just remember, no one knows if alcohol can harm a breast fed baby, the best way to ensure that your baby does not receive any alcohol is to avoid drinking while you are breast feeding. Read more of our articles on breast feeding Breast Feeding Problems |