Depending on your breastfeeding routine, alcohol consumption as with all aspects of your diet while breastfeeding needs to be carefully considered.
Generally it is not recommended that mothers drink alcohol while they are pregnant or during breastfeeding.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding your baby's development and nutrition is directly effected by all that you consume.
That includes absolutely everything and if you drink then alcohol impacts too.
Alcohol has been shown to have adverse effects on unborn babies even in small amounts, and there is direct transfer of alcohol to breastmilk in breastfeeding mothers.
Peaks in exchange from blood stream-breastmilk are from 30mins to 1hour post drink so it can take from 3-4hrs to clear alcohol from your system and be safe to feed again when you are breastfeeding.
During breastfeeding, breastmilk is the most critical source of fats and immune-building products your baby can get.
Keeping your own diet and health at optimum level is vital to ensure you have a great milk supply for your baby so they can thrive.
Alcohol can interfure with your breastfeeding and whether to consume alcohol while you are breastfeeding or wait until you have finished is an important decision to make.
Research advises that regular alcohol intake can reduce breastmilk production and be hazardous to your baby.
And in fact breastfeeding mothers who drink are advised not to co-sleep with their baby due to suffocation dangers.
Alcohol content in breastmilk can contribute to both overactivity and lethargy in your baby and may have unknown effects on development.
If you do choose to drink alcohol, we advise you exercise extreme caution and moderation and follow some basic guidelines to prevent problems and danger.
• Regular (daily) alcohol consumption is not recommended as it can result in a cumulative effect on your system, on breastmilk or on breastmilk production.
Medical research advises that alcohol consumption be restricted to not more than one standard drink every few days or once per week for breastfeeding mothers who choose to drink.
Where 1 standard drink = 12 oz of 4% beer, 5 oz of 12% wine.
This could be changed to metric measures as well.
• Research advises that consumption be restricted to drinks of low alcohol concentration, not more than 12% (concentration of a standard wine) and mixed with soda, or other to be a diluted alcoholic drink.
Or as an alternative, consume a large drink of water or juice after the alcoholic drink.
• Other medical recommendations include that alcoholic drinks be consumed with a meal to slow down digestion and reduce the rate of alcohol released into the blood.
It is difficult to organise to drink alcohol while you are breastfeeding, babies always demand when you least expect it and as well as its adverse effects it is widely discouraged by the medical community.
Many women do not drink alcohol while they are breastfeeding and maintain their health with an optimal diet, of 5-6 smaller meals per day and lots of water, juice, nuts and fruit, lots of treats and plenty of rest.
If you do have to drink, always give your body plenty of time (at least 3hrs) to process the alcohol before you serve breastmilk again and always follow an alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic one.
Keep in contact with your health professional while you are breastfeeding to identify any problems or discuss your concerns.
Article researched and written by Tabitha Lloyd for Jan Murray.
We hope this article has been of interest.
Generally it is not recommended that mothers drink alcohol while they are pregnant or during breastfeeding.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding your baby's development and nutrition is directly effected by all that you consume.
That includes absolutely everything and if you drink then alcohol impacts too.
Alcohol has been shown to have adverse effects on unborn babies even in small amounts, and there is direct transfer of alcohol to breastmilk in breastfeeding mothers.
Peaks in exchange from blood stream-breastmilk are from 30mins to 1hour post drink so it can take from 3-4hrs to clear alcohol from your system and be safe to feed again when you are breastfeeding.
During breastfeeding, breastmilk is the most critical source of fats and immune-building products your baby can get.
Keeping your own diet and health at optimum level is vital to ensure you have a great milk supply for your baby so they can thrive.
Alcohol can interfure with your breastfeeding and whether to consume alcohol while you are breastfeeding or wait until you have finished is an important decision to make.
Research advises that regular alcohol intake can reduce breastmilk production and be hazardous to your baby.
And in fact breastfeeding mothers who drink are advised not to co-sleep with their baby due to suffocation dangers.
Alcohol content in breastmilk can contribute to both overactivity and lethargy in your baby and may have unknown effects on development.
If you do choose to drink alcohol, we advise you exercise extreme caution and moderation and follow some basic guidelines to prevent problems and danger.
• Regular (daily) alcohol consumption is not recommended as it can result in a cumulative effect on your system, on breastmilk or on breastmilk production.
Medical research advises that alcohol consumption be restricted to not more than one standard drink every few days or once per week for breastfeeding mothers who choose to drink.
Where 1 standard drink = 12 oz of 4% beer, 5 oz of 12% wine.
This could be changed to metric measures as well.
• Research advises that consumption be restricted to drinks of low alcohol concentration, not more than 12% (concentration of a standard wine) and mixed with soda, or other to be a diluted alcoholic drink.
Or as an alternative, consume a large drink of water or juice after the alcoholic drink.
• Other medical recommendations include that alcoholic drinks be consumed with a meal to slow down digestion and reduce the rate of alcohol released into the blood.
It is difficult to organise to drink alcohol while you are breastfeeding, babies always demand when you least expect it and as well as its adverse effects it is widely discouraged by the medical community.
Many women do not drink alcohol while they are breastfeeding and maintain their health with an optimal diet, of 5-6 smaller meals per day and lots of water, juice, nuts and fruit, lots of treats and plenty of rest.
If you do have to drink, always give your body plenty of time (at least 3hrs) to process the alcohol before you serve breastmilk again and always follow an alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic one.
Keep in contact with your health professional while you are breastfeeding to identify any problems or discuss your concerns.
Article researched and written by Tabitha Lloyd for Jan Murray.
We hope this article has been of interest.
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