Alcohol and Breastfeeding

After months of abstaining from alcohol, your baby is finally here and you're ready to celebrate with a glass of wine (or two)! But you're breastfeeding - so how do you imbibe safely? What are the risks of drinking while breastfeeding? If you want to have a glass of wine or a beer, when's the best time to drink it between feedings? Mercy certified lactation consultant DeeDee Franke, RN, BSN, IBCLC, offers insights:

“The best answer is to abstain from drinking any alcohol but it is safe to have one alcohol drink a day and wait 2 hours prior to nursing the baby. The risks of drinking more than 1 alcoholic drink a day is a shorter breastfeeding duration  because it can interfere with a mom’s milk ejection reflex and decreased milk supply , damage infant development, growth ,  affect the infant’s  sleep patterns and impair a mom’s judgment and ability to safely care for her infant. One alcohol drink is considered to be:  1) 12 ounces of 5 % beer, 8ozs of malt liquor, 5ozs of wine or 1.5 ounces of liquor.  So best time to drink is end of a nursing session then wait two hours prior to nursing again.  If a mom drinks more than one drink than she needs to wait two hours per drink before breastfeeding the baby again.  This is when a mom may choose to pump and dump.  She could use previous expressed breast milk  prior to drinking or use formula to feed the baby if she drinks more than one drink.”

-Deedee Franke R.N., BSN, IBCLC

A 1981 graduate (B.S.) from the University of Maryland School of Nursing in Baltimore, Ms. Franke has worked as a certified lactation consultant since 1989. She is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Ms. Franke joined Mercy in 2010 and works part-time as the in-hospital lactation consultant, assessing physical and mental health status of new mothers who experience breast feeding problems; evaluates and counsels new families on breastfeeding issues and products to meet their individual needs such as the use of different breast pump products, building milk supply and returning to work following childbirth.

For more information for expectant and new mothers, newborn babies, pediatric patients, etc., visit The Family Childbirth and Children’s Center at Mercy.