Expert: Sally Wendkos Olds - 5/19/2007

Question
My son is now almost eight months and I plan on going out drinking with some girlfriends. I plan to pump a bottle before I leave, but if I plan on having several drinks how long do I have to wait before he eats again? Please help?

Answer
Hi there.

First, congratulations for giving your son the best start in life by breastfeeding him!

And you're wise to pump a bottle before you leave to go out with your girlfriends. But I would suggest that instead of having several drinks, you only have one or two and nurse them through the evening. You'll be better off, and so will your son.

I'm attaching an excerpt from my book (see below) in which I talk about the effect of alcohol on a nursing baby.

Best regards,

Sally

Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.
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  Moderate amounts of alcohol -- a couple of glasses of beer or wine in a week, or a cocktail -- will probably not have any ill effects on your nursing baby. For years, nursing women have been advised to drink alcohol, especially beer, to produce more milk. However, research has contradicted this bit of folklore.
  One study showed that when nursing women drank a small amount of alcohol, their babies sucked more frequently during the first minute of the post-alcohol feedings but they consumed less milk during the next three to four hours. Since adult panelists could smell a difference in the milk produced by the alcohol-drinking mothers, it's possible that the babies didn't like the taste of the alcohol-containing milk, and therefore took in less. Also, the babies slept more fitfully when their mothers drank alcohol; they took more frequent naps during the day, but slept for shorter periods of time. They may, then, have drunk less milk because they were sleepy. Still, no permanent harm seemed to have been done to these babies.
  Heavy drinking, however, is another story altogether. It can affect your ability to care for your baby, and it can make your nursing baby drowsy by depressing the nervous system. Even daily social drinking is questionable. If, at any time while you are lactating, you expect to attend an event where you may engage in social drinking, you can minimize the effect on your baby by following the suggestions given in Box 9-4.
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BOX 9-4  MINIMIZING THE EFFECT OF ALCOHOL ON YOUR NURSING BABY

A 120-pound woman will need about 2 1/2 hours to metabolize the amount of alcohol in one drink. One drink consists of 1.5 ounces of 86-proof alcohol, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer.
  If you do drink, safeguard your baby's health by doing the following:
  *  Before drinking, express or pump and store your alcohol-free breastmilk, to feed to your baby if insufficient time has elapsed between your last drink and the baby's feeding. Express or pump your post-drinking milk and discard it until enough time has elapsed.
  * Do not drink more than your self-imposed limit.
  * Choose drinks low in alcohol (like a champagne punch or small glass of wine or beer), or those diluted with water, juice, or ice cream.
  * Drink slowly. Sip from one drink all evening.
  * Eat before and during drinking.
  * Be sure your drinks are measured when poured.
  * Order juice or a soft drink instead of taking an alcoholic drink you don't want. You can always tell friends that your baby is under the legal age for drinking. A 120-pound woman will need about 2 1/2 hours to metabolize the amount of alcohol in one drink. One drink consists of 1.5 ounces of 86-proof alcohol, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer.