Do you drink alcohol while BF?

As Olivia is getting a bit older I have been thinking about having a drink again but the guidelines are so mixed. The advice from the midwife at my parentcraft class was that you couldnt drink at all but in my 'Ready, steady baby' book that was given to me when I was 12 weeks pregnant states that you can drink a little when BF.

I am confused!! Is it ok to have a glass of wine? Do you a drink while BF?

If you're sober enough to drive, you're sober enough to feed. Only a tiny fraction gets into the BM and it's metabolised at the same rate as in your blood, so you don't need to pump and dump. I will occasionally have one or two glasses, but not often because it upsets my restless legs.

ETA: www.kellymom.com has good info and links to research.

UI used to have the odd glass of wine. My friend told me a glass of red wine a night helped colic - i didnt need telling twice!! ;)

And like Ladelly says, it goes out of your milk like it goes out of your blood.

yes, occasionally.

when she was feeding more frequently i limited myself to one very small glass, always with food, but now she's down to three feeds a day (with about 14 hours between the one before bed and the first the next day) i'm happy to have a few glasses during the evening if i fancy them.

I do now she's older. Once she started taking solids and wasn't wholly dependent on me I figured it was ok, in the first 6 or 7 months she would feed at least every 3 hours, sometimes much more often, so there wasn't a gap where I felt comfortable drinking until she was that bit older. I can't drink more than a glass in one evening though, it goes to my head really quickly these days.

I have and do....

Ladelley:

If you're sober enough to drive, you're sober enough to feed. Only a tiny fraction gets into the BM and it's metabolised at the same rate as in your blood, so you don't need to pump and dump. I will occasionally have one or two glasses, but not often because it upsets my restless legs.

ETA: www.kellymom.com has good info and links to research.

Thanks - will have a look at that site.

So if I have 1 small glass I shouldnt need to worry about expressing?

No you won't have to express at all.

oh yeah, baby on boob, glass in hand. I figure thats the best time to drink in terms of minimizing impact. it won't  get  to the milk in that feeding, and by thr next one 3 hours later it will mostly br gone,

my mum tells me gripe water used to have alcohol in it!

I have a glass of wine every evening, pretty much without fail.

I have the odd glass of wine and I've had a little apple or pear cider that we got from a winery in New York state.

Thanks for your replies ladies - I will not feel guilty about having a small glass of wine now.

I@m with ladelly, nowt wrong with a nice cold crisp glass of white on a day like this!

bostongirl:

oh yeah, baby on boob, glass in hand. I figure thats the best time to drink in terms of minimizing impact. it won't  get  to the milk in that feeding, and by thr next one 3 hours later it will mostly br gone,

my mum tells me gripe water used to have alcohol in it!

That would be fine but unfortunately our next feeds are rarely 3 whole hours later

I have had the odd 125 ml glass. We were told at our nct class it was ok.

hazel:

I have a glass of wine every evening, pretty much without fail.

I'm so glad you said that! Was getting really worried because I have been having a glass most evenings since he was about 8 weeks old! I do try to give it 3 hours before feeding him again, so will have it when he has gone to sleep, but sometimes he has woken up sooner than 3 hours and I have fed him I do only have 1 glass though ( had 2 glasses once but that was after a particularly stressful day!)