Breastfeeding and Alcohol:

Breastfeeding Myths or Facts?

Breastfeeding and alcohol --do they mix? Some moms never touch a drop during their breastfeeding career, while other moms down a drink or two with dinner every night. Here is the answer to one of your biggest breastfeeding questions--"Will drinking alcohol while I'm breastfeeding harm my baby?"

You've waited nine months (or more) to have a refreshing beer when out with friends or a glass of vintage wine with dinner. But you're committed to breastfeeding your baby. Should breastfeeding and alcohol be mixed?

Breastfeeding and alcohol can be mixed if you do it in moderation.

An occasional drink or light drinking (one drink per day) has not been proven to be harmful to breastfeeding babies.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs considers alcohol compatible with breastfeeding.1

Possible Side Effects

• drowsiness
• deep sleep
• weakness
• decrease in linear growth
• abnormal weight gain
• 1g of alcohol daily decreases milk ejection reflex (let down).1

One study also showed slower motor development at one year of age.2 Although this study was flawed in that an infant was considered breastfed even if the baby received up to 16 oz. of supplemental formula. Binge drinking was also not taken into account.

Abusing alcohol can inhibit your let down and can cause a drop in your milk production. It can result in failure to thrive and slow weight gain for the baby. The mother may not feed her baby often enough and her baby may sleep through feedings and/or have a less effective suck.3

Of course large amounts of alcohol also impair your judgment and as a mother it is up to you to keep your baby safe.

Unlike many medications, alcohol does get into your milk in the same amount that it is present in your blood. The amount of alcohol in your blood peaks about 30-60 minutes after consumption (60-90 minutes when consumed with food).4

For a small woman (120 lbs) it takes two to three hours to get rid of the alcohol from one serving of wine or beer. The more alcohol that is consumed the longer it takes for your body to eliminate it. A high alcohol drink could take as many as 13 hours (for a small-ish woman) to pass through your body.5

Remember that your baby is much smaller than you and the amount that your body can handle is a much larger amount than your baby can handle.

It used to be recommended that mothers drink a beer to help relax them and get their milk to let down. However, two studies have now shown that although babies will suck more frequently after their mother has consumed alcohol, they actually are getting less milk.6

You might want to try slow deep breathing along with a cup of Milkmaid Tea to help you relax and to help your milk let down.

Combining Breastfeeding and Alcohol

It is best to wait for about two hours after drinking to nurse your baby. So feed baby and then drink. However, if baby must eat sooner than two hours after you drink--then baby needs to eat. Provided you have not been binge drinking then your baby will be fine.

You don't have to be a saint to breastfeed. Just because you have a drink or two doesn't mean that your baby should not get the benefits of breastfeeding.

I have occasionally had a half a glass to a glass of wine with dinner. I have noticed no untoward effects on my daughter. But for the most part I choose to pass it up.

Know that alcohol does pass through your milk to your baby and that it can have harmful effects.

But, simply because you have had an alcoholic beverage is no reason not to breastfeed your baby. With this information each mother can make the decision that is best for her particular situation.

2. Little, R. et al. Maternal alcohol use during breast-feeding and infant mental and motor development at one year. N Engl J Med 1989;321:425-30.

3. The Breastfeeding Answer Book, (Schaumburg:La Leche League International, 2003),598.

4. Lawton, M. Alcohol in breast milk. Aust NZ J Obst Gyn 1985; 25(1):71-73.

5. Schulte, P. Minimizing alcohol exposure of the breastfeeding infant. J Hum Lact 11(4):317-19.

6. Mennella, J. and Beauchamp, G. Effect of beer on breast-fed infants. JAMA1993; 269(13):1637.

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