Alcohol and breastfeeding

Seasonal Indulgences:
You may well get questions about alcohol at this time of year. Here is useful information –

• alcohol passes freely in and out of b/milk
• it takes 2-3 hours for alcohol in one serving of beer or wine to be eliminated from an 8.5 stone woman
• it takes 13 hours for alcohol from the end of a session of drinking to be eliminated from a 8.5 stone woman
• babies are not put off by alcoholic taste
• alcohol doesn’t make babies sleep more, it can produce changes in baby’s sleep pattern which may mean less sleep overall
• alcohol peaks in b/milk 30-60 minutes after drinking on empty stomach, peaks 60-90 minutes if drunk with food

The effects of alcohol on baby are directly related to the amount a mum consumes,
therefore the occasional drink, or regular light drinking (1 or less drinks daily) present no harm to a nursing baby. Tip for mums – consider the timing of your breastfeed: have a good b/feed, then have your drink to give time for a gap between drinking and the next nursing.
All of this information is also to be considered in relation to the age of the baby – newborns with more immature livers are more susceptible than an older baby who may go a little longer between feeds or also be on solids.
Caffeine and theobromine in chocolate (similar to caffeine in its effects) may cause symptoms of over-stimulation – wide-eyed, fussy, active, alert, but moderate consumption doesn’t usually cause any problems for b/fed babies. So do enjoy your choccy!
Nicotine is a different story, although even here you have to be a pretty heavy smoker (more than 20 daily) for this to cause significant problems for breastfeeding. So it’s always better to breastfeed than not, even if you do smoke. Nicotine does reduce prolactin levels, the milk-making hormone, which results in the creamy portion of the milk being almost 20% less in the milk of smokers. If a mum is using nicotine gum, she’s cautioned to leave 2-3 hours after using a gum product before breastfeeding because the gum produces variable levels of nicotine plasma, whereas nicotine levels are more consistently lower for patch users. Women who smoke are at greater risk of developing breast abscess.
All of this sounds a bit of a kill-joy, but don’t let it be! – enjoy the odd drink, munch on the goodies, watch out that you’re not doing too much just because it’s Christmas (always a risk for mastitis), and feed the baby!