Breast Feeding And Alcohol

There are many risks to your baby if alcohol & breast milk mix and baby ingests it before it has cleared the system. Some is more serious risks than others. Here are some of the dangers to allowing baby to consume breast milk with alcohol still in mother's system.

· May reduce your milk supply and mother may have a harder time with letdown while alcohol is in system.
· Baby may drink less if the milk contains alcohol due to taste and other factors.
· Baby may fall asleep quicker but have a restless sleep.
· Many more serious risks may occur in extreme cases.

Research shows that 1-2 occasional drinks of alcohol per week are not harmful to the nursing baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs has said that Alcohol is a "Maternal Medication Usually Compatible With Breastfeeding. Of coarse this is breast feeding and alcohol use in moderation and following certain steps to ensure that your baby is safe to drink mother's breast milk. Here are some helpful tips for the breastfeeding mother regarding breast feeding and alcohol for keeping baby safe.

· 1-2 drinks of alcohol is deemed to be safe per week, so do not go overboard.
· You should wait to have a drink until right after nursing to prolong time until the baby's next feeding.
· Baby should not nurse during alcohol consumption, and should wait 2-3 hours after before letting baby nurse.
· If you do have more than 2 to 3 drinks you should wait a bit longer (6-8) hours until your baby next nurses.
· You can pump after alcohol consumption, but it is not necessary. Alcohol will dissipate after a few hours of last drink. However if your baby was to have a feeding during that time frame you should pump to keep your supply up.
·    Take a simple 2-minute test to detect if there is any alcohol left in breast milk to avoid the unnecessary risks that could affect your baby before allowing baby to nurse.  Milkscreen Breastmilk Alcohol Detection Strips are an amazing product to promote breast feeding and alcohol safety!

* "What does a positive result mean?
A positive result with Milkscreen indicates alcohol exists in the milk and you may want to seek an alternate source of food for your baby. With a positive test result, options include waiting for an hour or so and then retesting your milk, using formula, or using stored, pre-pumped milk. Note: Pumping your milk (the "pump and dump" method) does NOT eliminate alcohol from your breast milk. The only way to eliminate alcohol from your bloodstream is to wait a period of time."

As research shows it is ok for the breastfeeding mother to relax and have a glass of wine or alcohol while breastfeeding her baby as long as she follows the safety methods provided above. There is nothing better than giving your baby the best nutrition with breast milk, however it does not have to mean the mother has to give everything up all together. Breast feeding and alcohol can be safe.