# ? for those who drink alcohol......



## guest^ (Oct 29, 2002)

When you eat out,or around guests.....do you drink wine,beer,etc....and nurse your toddler????

I do.....and the last time I did we were at a cajunplace and I had a beer and ds wanted to nurse constantly....something he has wanted to do a LOT lately....NURSE!!!!









Well, I was getting hardcore glares from a table of younger gals(I'm in my late 30's).....I stared back and then ignored them......

WTH? It was 1 beer!!!!!!! I do usually have a glass of wine when we go out....but only lately has ds wanted to also nurse... and here I go again tonight..out to eat and I'm sure ds will want to nurse and I am going to oreder a DOS EQUIS(sp?)....some mexican beer....but I will be watching for stares.....

No judgements please.....my limit is 2!!!!!!And my doc says ok!!!!

mamapoppins


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## MamaOui (Aug 9, 2002)

mamapoppins, As a joke, my sister took a picture of me nursing ds#1 with a beer in my hand. Yep, I was nursing my ds and sipping a beer







.

I got a couple of looks last week at a restaurant when I was nursing ds#2 (a 27 puond 17 month old who looks older than he is). I don't know if because I was nursing or if it's because I was nursing AND drinkning a glass of wine:LOL


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## Mama Katrina (Aug 5, 2002)

Since I get a bit tipsy easy, I don't drink WHILE kids are up (or suppose to be up). So if they are asleep and we have guest over and I have a drink and they wake up wanting to nurse THEY DO! So far I haven't gotten to many stares














The stares I have gotten are ones LOOKING for the nursling to flash mommy ROFL!!!


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## hahamommy (Dec 18, 2001)

I, too, did my homework and felt NO guilt sipping and nursing. I'm amazed at the women who have told me *I weaned so I could drink at so and so's party* they had no idea that they didn't *have* to give up nursing just to have a couple (or even a few!) drinks. Relaxed mommy is a happy mommy.
~diana


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## TigerTail (Dec 22, 2002)

if i'm getting looks, lol, no one has had the nerve to get snippy about it enough for me to notice (usually because if i'm downing a margarita or whatever, my dh is with me, and i think people can sense not to eff with a big frightening man-person. it sucks, but the only time i've had negative nursing comments is when we were a lone nursing couple- easy to pick on a mama and baby, huh. grrr.) i wonder sometimes what people are thinking, but not enough to worry about- being armed with info helps my confidence.

suse


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## guest^ (Oct 29, 2002)

Yeah...I am wondering if the stares were from just me nursing an older(or any







) baby/toddler...or if it was from me drinking AND nursing....when I told dh that I was posting this, he said it could have been either.







:

I never did understand the- ole- excuse- to- stop -nursing-cuz - I can't-do this-or-that.....







:

I've heard women say they stopped nursing to take COLD medicine otc!!!









I just think that if it's done in light to moderation...no big deal...and especially with an older nursling!

Society is so dang wierd about anything to do with BFing...why should this be any different?







:









Like I am gonna stop having my wine for the what? 4 or more years I am willing to nurse ds? That is silly. I will not be a closet drinker.







Pasta,pizza,and happy hour at hotels during vacation just wouldn't be the same.....

mamapoppins


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## gravymommy (Feb 16, 2003)

I had my first drink (actually 3) in 4 plus years the other night. I really needed to unwind. The only thing I noticed was that DD was irritable the next two days. I guess I can abstain until she is weaned.

Don't some books suggest a beer to help milk production? I think it is much worse to smoke while pregnant (just my honest opinion...)


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## asherah (Nov 25, 2001)

I drink moderately and I nurse.
I don't think its a big deal.
And yes, I have had a drink and nursed at the same time.
And I don't care who stares.


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## owensmom (Feb 23, 2002)

I have a fond memory of sitting by the fire at Mt. Hood Brewery nursing then 4 mo old ds and sipping a stout... mmmmm... beer.

I started off drinking a tiny bit and then trying to wait to nurse him, then they got closer together, then I noticed it didn't affect him negatively (red wine does, he sleeps awful, and caffeine does too). So, drinking and nursing got a big







. Can't wait to take him to the beer fest again this summer!


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## mom3 (Sep 27, 2002)

I drink and nurse. I haven't done so in public but certainly would if I decided to have a margarita and one of my boys got hungry. I've never had a truly negative reaction to NIP and am just waiting for my turn to get up on my







.


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## mdcanon8765309 (Jan 8, 2003)

I've done it in public and would do it again if the situation presented itself. I've got another 27 pound 17 month old who looks older than he is, people stare if nurses in public regardless of my alcohol consumption!:LOL

As for breastfeeding and having a drink, I know one isn't going to hurt my kid and if anyone would like to discuss the matter with me (instead of glaring) I would be happy to.









*edited for grammar*


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## Irishmommy (Nov 19, 2001)

I'm sure I've done it, and I'm sure I will again. Nothing wrong with it. Having said that, with dd1 I didn't drink at all ttc, and none while preg, so my first beer had me sooooo drunk!! I'm a cheap date.


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## tnrsmom (Apr 8, 2002)

I fondly remember going out with my mom when dd was about a month old and I had a Strawberry daquari. Yes, while nursing my newborn. I was just waiting for someone to comment.


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## morgan's_mom (Aug 25, 2002)

Not an official EBF'er yet (will be in about 7 weeks), but yep, I've done it. Anyone who has the nerve to say anything to me will get an earful (as does anyone who makes a negative NIP comment)!


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## guest^ (Oct 29, 2002)

So, I was at the opening game of a minor league baseball game last night....

my kids and dh love baseball games, and I've been trying very hard to get into the spirit..anyway, it is pretty fun,the food, the songs,the beautiful nights,and of course the ice cold beer....

usually I stick with the healthiest food selections, but last night I ate 2 hotdogs..yk...the RED ones...and piled high withrelish,onions,and mustard!






























and you know, as I sat there with ds nursing a ton....I felt *guilty* about the hotdog I was consuming! All the grossness packed into those *things*!!!







:

mamapoppins


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## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

I don't think I ever nursed and had a beer at the same time, but I can't remember. I do remember going back to having a beer or two fairly early on, but when she was in the young months I guess I put a little distance between it and the next nursing. Although thinking about it, I think I did probably nurse right around the time I had one, figuring it hadn't hit the milk yet. The perfect time. For some reason one beer will make me buzzed if I am on an empty stomach. I heard that the alcohol goes out of your milk at the same time it leaves the rest of your system. I don't know if that is true, but basically if I was feeling the effects of it, I waited a little while which wasn't a problem from what I remember.

I have one clear memory of having a really bad sciatic attack, and was in pain just lying on the bed unmoving. My daughter was 2.5 and didn't nurse as frequently as when she was an infant. I finally racheted myself out of bed to take my muscle relaxant, but it didn't help much, since it was a weaker one that the doctor gave me because I told him I was still nursing. The instructions said not to take with alcohol, so I figured alcohol would help. I drank two glasses of wine, and some valerian tea just for good measure. LOL I was actually feeling pretty darn good with the back pain and moving around. I wondered if I was being irresponsible, but I didn't nurse her again until hours later when I no longer felt the effects of the wine.


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## cassiemommy (Jul 10, 2002)

To answer gravymom's question about beer helping milk production, yes that's was what beer was kept in the hospital pharmacies for before! Newly postpartum patients were once prescribed beer to help them with breastfeeding. However, there has been newer studies refuting this and this is not done anymore. Based on this, and the thousands of new breastfeeding mothers who were given beer, I do enjoy the occasional glass of wine or other alcoholic drink. We all deserve one now and then!


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## merpk (Dec 19, 2001)

:

What some people don't get all ridiculous about ...








:

Have nursed & had the occasional drink of wine/beer/whatever without any issues ... and have had, specifically on Passover, four large cups of wine, and each one drunk relatively quickly, too, while nursing a baby or toddler or both, every year for the last five years ... kids never seem to mind it.

Really, what's the major concern?

The only thing I'd be concerned about is if I had a newborn, or under 6mo baby, perhaps. And I don't know if that concern has a real valid medical basis or is just my neuroses coming to the fore ...

Oh, and would never sleep next to a newborn or small baby when having more-than-one. _That_ is worth worrying about.

But the actual drinking? Naah.

If anyone has info on a medical concern, please, post it ...


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## marymom (Nov 24, 2001)

maybe they were jealous of your gorgeous milk filled breasts








YOU GO GIRL!


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## nikirj (Oct 1, 2002)

I've had a drink while nursing. Usually I try to wait until after the kids go to sleep, since DS sleeps a good 6-hour stretch when he goes down, and that leaves plenty of time for me to have a non-guilty drink. I'm not a big drinker and don't ever have enough to really change my state.

A couple of times at a barbeque or something I've had a beer while DS was nursing. This has always been at family things, where my mom paved the way for me by being a rather irreverent EBFer  so nobody has ever given me problems. When we go out with the kids I don't drink, and when DH and I go out alone and I drink, nobody knows to scowl.

OH, and DH's family is nice and progressive too . MIL EBF both of her sons. Whenever we visit FIL offers me wine with dinner and doesn't mind a bit if I nurse. His wife (remarried) was a tad apalled until we asked her why; failing to come up with an answer (and with some prodding by FIL I'm sure), she was kind enough to change her mind.


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## guest^ (Oct 29, 2002)

I am so glad to see that I am no where near alone on this topic....

I mean,lately I do feel alone nursing ds in public, but do I ever give a sh#@ about what the uneducated think? Well(said lovingly), NO!!!

I am not a heavy drinker and not an irresponsible drinker. I see no big deal.

To those that stare....I will bet it is more at the fact that I nurse than it is that I am drinking and nursing...ok...maybe both...but we all know those stares come from the uninformed....








:
MP


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## guest^ (Oct 29, 2002)

I am so glad to see that I am no where near alone on this topic....

I mean,lately I do feel alone nursing ds in public, but do I ever give a sh#@ about what the uneducated think? Well(said lovingly), NO!!!

I am not a heavy drinker and not an irresponsible drinker. I see no big deal.

To those that stare....I will bet it is more at the fact that I nurse than it is that I am drinking and nursing...ok...maybe both...but we all know those stares come from the uninformed....








:
MP


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## guest^ (Oct 29, 2002)

Whoa-double post....better back off on my too many choc.chip cookies!!!!


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## MamaOui (Aug 9, 2002)

amyrpk, I have no medical concerns, but my brother-in-law, who was visiting for the week, did one time. When ds#2 was 7 months old, he was covered from head to toe in eczema. Long story short, my homeopath identified the triggers, which did not include wine (which we tested for) and ds was being treated homeopathically. Homeopathic treatment does not have the instant gratification of steriod ointment (which just makes things worse in the long run).

So... my BIL was hounding me to put cortizone on my babe and at dinner I had a glass of wine. In the middle of a big family dinner, he asked me in a condescending voice "If you are really worried about your baby's health, do you really think you should drinking alcohol?"









So of course, I took the time to educate him about the whole homeopath visit until he was bored to tears and wishing I would just shut up. Dh and I tried so hard to tolerate him, because we rarely see him. At that point, the gloves were off. When his wife told us that she was afraid of flying and that looking out at the wings bothered her, my dh said "Don't worry. Just slap some cortizone on the wings and everything will be fine" She thought it was funny, but my BIL didn't.

A bit off topic, but jsut felt like rambling.


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## kangamom (May 24, 2003)

Luckily, both my dd's pretty much stopped NIP on their own at around a year. Iris stopped earlier because she gets so distracted she won't stay latched. So I don't usually have to worry about restraunts unless my MIL is there. (We got in a big fight when dd #1 was a newborn about alcohol, so I just don't drink around her since then) I've drank beer while nursing both my dd's. I don't usually drink while actually nursing, but I'll drink and then nurse. However, I recently heard a report stating that infant livers can't process alcohol, even in the tiniest amounts. It just keeps recirculating in the bloodstream and can cause mild brain damage. I don't know if this is true or not, but it makes sense. Alcohol does pass through breastmilk. But it actually takes a few minutes so nursing while your're sipping is probably safer than drinking and then nursing. That way you have a bit more insurance of time between nursings. If I'm ever blessed with another newborn I don't think I'll be drinking until they are a year old or so.


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## Gladmom (May 15, 2002)

Yep. I will usually have just one drink, but I might rarely have two. I also nurse without any neg effects on dd.


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## mom3 (Sep 27, 2002)

I asked a friend of mine who's a very pro bfing OB/GYN and he said that the amount of alcohol in bm is much smaller than the amount present in most children's liquid medicine. If you got completely tanked on a daily basis then it would become a problem but not the normal type of social drinking being talked about here. Cheers!!


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## Nanner (Apr 12, 2002)

I am with the group on this one. I don' t think enough passes to make a difference at all. My dd is 33 mths and still nursing a lot. I only drink after she goes to bed, but I have drank while nursing her and shortly after, and honestly, even when I have had a 6 pack there are no effects at all. FTR, I usually have only 2-3 beers, after she is in bed, 1-2 times a week.
I remember having my teeth pulled when she was about a year or a year and a half old, and the pain meds made her look like a drunk, stumbling around. I felt so bad. I thought they were the same ones they gave me when she was 2 mths old (and she was fine then- okayed by the ped and all), but then I realized they were not, so I had to get the dentist to call in some weaker ones.
Off the subject, but that was the only time I ever noticed anything I ate to have an effect on dd.
Sara


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## mclayton (Jun 4, 2003)

I asked my doctor and my sons doctor and both aggreed that there is no harm in having a couple of drinks while breastfeeding.

In fact my doctor suggested doing it during breastfeeding becasue it wouldn't be in my bloodstream/milkstream until quite some time after my son was finished.

They also both told me that by the time the beer/wine is digested very little, if any alcohol even gets into the breast milk.

My sons doctor said it would take 300 drinks to make breastmilk as alcoholic as the drink I was consuming.

I think its up to each person to decide if they are comfortable with it but in my opinion have a beer and if anyone stares just show them your boob, then they'll they will forget all about what you're drinking.


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## CherP (Jan 3, 2003)

I to have the occasional glass of wine or drink. Always after DS has gone to sleep since half way through the glass I feel a little light headed. By the time it wears off I'm off to bed and he's still sleeping for a couple more hours.

Now though I'm ttc #2 so alcohol is off limits.


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## applejuice (Oct 8, 2002)

I enjoy a raspberry hard cider now and then.


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## sarahdawes (Mar 5, 2016)

The amount of alcohol that actually is transported into breast milk is so unbelievably little. I think it's something like a drop in a swimming pool for comparison purposes. 

So yes, i do have a drink every now and again, and I don't worry about it. No pumping and dumping for me!!


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## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

sarahdawes said:


> The amount of alcohol that actually is transported into breast milk is so unbelievably little. I think it's something like a drop in a swimming pool for comparison purposes.
> 
> So yes, i do have a drink every now and again, and I don't worry about it. No pumping and dumping for me!!


You breastmilk alcohol level will be the same as your blood alcohol level
http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/alcohol/

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## Alona Bondarenko (Jun 15, 2016)

I think it's very bad to drink much, specially when your baby is small. I can understand when you child is about 10 month and you wanted a little wine, but not every day.


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## Margo Dahlquist (Jul 12, 2016)

Alona Bondarenko said:


> I think it's very bad to drink much, specially when your baby is small. I can understand when you child is about 10 month and you wanted a little wine, but not every day.


I agree with you. Here's a good read about breastfeeding and alcohol.


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## sarahdawes (Mar 5, 2016)

katelove said:


> You breastmilk alcohol level will be the same as your blood alcohol level
> http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/alcohol/
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's simply not true

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/he...ejoice-you-can-drink-alcohol-christmas-or-no/


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## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

sarahdawes said:


> That's simply not true
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/he...ejoice-you-can-drink-alcohol-christmas-or-no/


This is a quote from the newspaper article you linked

"Alcohol passes easily and quickly from the mother's blood into her milk, and vice versa, so that the concentration in both liquids is the same."

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## sarahdawes (Mar 5, 2016)

katelove said:


> This is a quote from the newspaper article you linked
> 
> "Alcohol passes easily and quickly from the mother's blood into her milk, and vice versa, so that the concentration in both liquids is the same."
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yes, and then read the following paragraph:

It's easy to read this and make the quick assumption that if a mother is drinking 15 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, her milk is of a similar strength, but of course, that's not how it works. Gonzalez goes on:

"The legal driving limit in the UK is 0.08 per cent. If your alcohol level is higher than 0.15 per cent you are unmistakably drunk. If it goes above 0.55 per cent you simply drop dead. Therefore, it's absolutely impossible for breastmilk to contain more than 0.55 per cent alcohol."


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## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

That statement doesn't contradict the first one. The percentage of alcohol in the drink is not the same as the percentage of alcohol in the drinker's blood. No-one claimed it was. Neither did anyone claim that the percentage of alcohol in breastmilk would be higher than the mother's blood alcohol. If the mother's blood alcohol was 0.08% then her breastmilk alcohol would be 0.08%. If it was 0.15% then her breastmilk alcohol would also be 0.15%.


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## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

katelove said:


> That statement doesn't contradict the first one. And not does it contradict my (referenced) assertion that blood alcohol and breastmilk alcohol will be the same.
> 
> The percentage of alcohol in the drink is not the same as the percentage of alcohol in the drinker's blood. No-one claimed it was. Neither did anyone claim that the percentage of alcohol in breastmilk would be higher than the mother's blood alcohol. If the mother's blood alcohol was 0.08% then her breastmilk alcohol would be 0.08%. If it was 0.15% then her breastmilk alcohol would also be 0.15%.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## sarahdawes (Mar 5, 2016)

katelove said:


> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The point is the 0.15% is nowhere near 15%, so by a baby drinking your breastmilk means that then the actual alcohol that then passes into their own bloodstream is minimal.

It really isn't a problem for one or two drinks. I'm not advocating getting drunk while breastfeeding, but it is ok to have a couple of drinks as the effect on the baby is so small to be negligible.


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## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

sarahdawes said:


> The point is the 0.15% is nowhere near 15%, so by a baby drinking your breastmilk means that then the actual alcohol that then passes into their own bloodstream is minimal.
> 
> It really isn't a problem for one or two drinks. I'm not advocating getting drunk while breastfeeding, but it is ok to have a couple of drinks as the effect on the baby is so small to be negligible.


Yes, I agree. I'm not sure what point you though I was trying to make. I actually think the fact the blood alcohol and breastmilk alcohol are the same makes it a bit easier to manage breastfeeding and alcohol intake. Most people these days who are in the habit of drinking responsibly have a pretty good idea of what level of consumption is safe for driving. That knowledge can be used in the same way for breastfeeding.

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## celeste_mom (Aug 17, 2016)

I also think that if you have couple of drinks or a glass of wine it's nothing wrong. But when my Amy was 6 or 8 months old, and I was going for a drink or someting I always pumped and get back to breastfeeding like 8 hours after drinking. But I never got drunk when I was breastfeeding


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