breastfeeding and drinking?

Ashley - posted on 08/08/2009

I'm doing the samething with my son. Formula will not make a difference to your baby, they dont start to have taste buds until around 6 months. It's always better for baby to have breast milk but formula is just as good for them. You have no worries. It's ok. And as long as you have just like 2 beers then you Can still breastfeed, my breastfeeding lady at the WIC office told me that info.

Arwen - posted on 08/08/2009

It's alright to drink and still breastfeed. =) Just don't go out and get plastered, but a drink or two--1-2 oz of the hard stuff or a couple of beers--won't hurt at all. Just nurse before you leave and as soon as you get back. You can pump one side and nurse the other right before you leave. That should hold baby over for a while.

Kattie - posted on 08/08/2009

My doctor told me it was okay to have a drink or two, but to make sure she was fed right before I started and to stretch the time. I also pump and give her bottles, and she's had formula once or twice, and it didn't really seem to matter to her. Your baby is important, but sometimes you need to take time for you, so don't feel guilty about going out with the girls. After I have had my little time away, I usually feel more refreshed and relaxedf for Mattie time. Just don't over do it, and it should be fine.

Geneva - posted on 08/08/2009

you could also do half & half - a little breastmilk, a little formula - my pedi actually recommended offering a small amount of formula early on just to introduce the taste, in the unlikely event I was ever unable to nurse or provide breastmilk for any reason. that way he wouldn't refuse it when I had no other options. We never had any issues going between breastmilk/formula. I didn't really supplement much with formula though until my son was 8-9 mos old - he got almost exclusively breastmilk up to that point with a once/month or so bottle of formula.



Also check out milkscreenmoms.com - it was a lifesaver while I was nursing!

Jodi - posted on 08/08/2009

Altough it is nice to get away from the stress of being a mom take in to consideration your baby needs you more than your friends. I have gone out with my husband and we gave the baby formula while we were out she had problems pooping for days Pumping is the way to go. Remeber drinking is bad regardless of its effects on the baby if you drink to much what good will you be to your baby while you are drunk and what about with a hange over. As a mom you need to put your kids first, they can't do without the good mom you have promised them to be.

Diana - posted on 08/08/2009

my babies did a combination of formula and breastmilk and they did fine... they never had a problem going between a bottle and nursing... and i have twins so it was double! the real thing is its up to you... do what you feel most comfortable with! if you dont mind him having formula then i would jsut do that! Target has those test strips you can use to test the alcholol in your milk! of course this is just my opinion!

Titania - posted on 08/08/2009

I have an occasianlly drink every now and then but i always make sure i eat something kinda heavy to slow down the achocol absortion plus i always feed my daughter before i start to drink

Dana - posted on 08/08/2009

he only needs 1 oz for every hour you are away. pump while he is nursing to take advantage of your let-down. pump off and on throughout the day. you should be able to pump enough, depending on how long you will be gone. if you are only going to be gone for a few hours, and not drinking too much-you should be fine with a few ounces of milk. nurse baby right before leaving, and as long as you don't drink more than a couple drinks, nurse when you get home (after waiting an hour or so). formula could really mess up baby's tummy-especially since he's been getting the good stuff. obviously, it's up to you, but i would NOT do it personally.

Dana - posted on 08/08/2009

this is from kellymom:

Breastfeeding and Alcohol

By Kelly Bonyata, IBCLC



Guidelines

Current research says that occasional use of alcohol (1-2 drinks) is not harmful to the nursing baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs classifies alcohol (ethanol) as a “Maternal Medication Usually Compatible With Breastfeeding.”

Many experts recommend against drinking more than 1-2 drinks per week.

It is recommended that nursing moms avoid breastfeeding during and for 2-3 hours after drinking (Hale 2002).

There is no need to pump & dump milk after drinking alcohol, other than for mom's comfort -- pumping & dumping does not speed the elimination of alcohol from the milk.

Alcohol does not increase milk production, and has been shown to inhibit let-down and decrease milk production (see below).

If you're away from your baby, try to pump as often as baby usually nurses (this is to maintain milk supply, not because of the alcohol). At the very least, pump or hand express whenever you feel uncomfortably full - this will help you to avoid plugged ducts and mastitis.

In general, if you are sober enough to drive, you are sober enough to breastfeed. Less than 2% of the alcohol consumed by the mother reaches her blood and milk. Alcohol peaks in mom's blood and milk approximately 1/2-1 hour after drinking (but there is considerable variation from person to person, depending upon how much food was eaten in the same time period, mom's body weight and percentage of body fat, etc.). Alcohol does not accumulate in breastmilk, but leaves the milk as it leaves the blood; so when your blood alcohol levels are back down, so are your milk alcohol levels.



Always keep in mind the baby's age when considering the effect of alcohol. A newborn has a very immature liver, so minute amounts of alcohol would be more of a burden. Up until around 3 months of age, infants detoxify alcohol at around half the rate of an adult. An older baby or toddler can metabolize the alcohol more quickly.







Effects of alcohol on breastfeeding and the breastfed baby

Alcohol does not increase milk production. In fact, babies nurse more frequently but take in less milk in the 3-4 hours after mom has had a drink, and one study showed a 23% decrease in milk volume with one drink (Mennella & Beauchamp 1991, 1993; Mennella 1997, 1999).

2+ drinks may inhibit let-down (Coiro et al 1992; Cobo 1974).

One study showed changes in the infant's sleep-wake patterning after short-term exposure to small amounts of alcohol in breastmilk -- infants whose mothers were light drinkers slept less (Mennella & Gerrish 1998).

Daily consumption of alcohol has been shown in the research to increase the risk for slow weight gain in the infant.

Daily consumption of alcohol (1+ drinks daily) has been associated with a decrease in gross motor development (Little et al 1989).

Nicolette - posted on 08/08/2009

ya he has. all he had for the first 3 weeks was breastmilk ina bottle. because he couldnt latch on.

Kayliecia - posted on 08/08/2009

Bad idea too...pump through the day, he might not like the taste or digest the formula well

Dana - posted on 08/08/2009

http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/b...

Dana - posted on 08/08/2009

bad idea! pump throughout the day today. has your baby even had a bottle of expressed breast milk yet? how long are you planning on going out for? are you going to be doing a lot of drinking?

Dana - posted on 08/08/2009

bad idea! pump throughout the day today. has your baby even had a bottle of expressed breast milk yet? how long are you planning on going out for? are you going to be doing a lot of drinking?