One of the most frequent concerns of mothers who breastfeed their children is related to the consumption of alcohol during breastfeeding . There are occasions such as parties or celebrations in which you want to have a glass of wine or a beer, but there are fears about the effects that the baby may have.
In some cases, the continuation of breastfeeding is even considered, so we are going to clarify the doubts about whether you can drink alcohol or not if you are breastfeeding .
Not a drop in pregnancy, and during lactation?
During pregnancy, the recommendation is zero alcohol , not one drop, as it crosses the placenta and can affect the development of the baby. In the most serious cases, it can cause the so-called “fetal alcohol syndrome” responsible for fetal malformations and mental retardation in the baby.
The amount of alcohol that each woman’s body can assimilate is not known for sure, therefore it is best to avoid it completely during pregnancy.
Now, what happens after the baby is born? Do you have to follow the same recommendation?
Alcohol and breastfeeding, it is preferable to avoid it
The general recommendation is not to drink alcohol, not even while breastfeeding . It is a harmful substance that enters the bloodstream and passes into the milk that the baby drinks, therefore it is preferable to avoid it.
For its part, there is no conclusive research that links moderate alcohol consumption with a baby’s brain deterioration, therefore the recommendations regarding occasional consumption, that is, having a drink from time to time is not prohibited if some are taken into account. factors.
According to the e-lactancia website, a reference site on medicines that can be taken while breastfeeding indicates alcohol as risk level 2. That is, high risk . It is recommended not to consume or consume occasionally and very moderately .
Beer 0.0% and non-alcoholic (<1%) can be drunk while breastfeeding.
Occasional and moderate consumption
In the first place, it is necessary to differentiate what is an occasional and moderate consumption from a habitual consumption.
The occasional consumption in small amounts (0.5 grams for every kg that the mother weighs per day) is not considered harmful for the baby. To give you an idea, beer has 4 grams of alcohol per 100 cc., Wine has 12 grams per 100 cc and whiskey has 40 grams per 100 cc. Do calculations.
Yes, it is harmful if more than that amount is consumed and chronically, since it seriously damages the baby and can lead to an alcoholic coma. Acute excessive consumption can cause coma, seizures and risk of death in the infant. It also inhibits the secretion of prolactin and oxytocin, hormones responsible for the production and ejection of milk.
Control the moment of consumption
It is also important to take into account the time that has elapsed from drinking to breastfeeding. Alcohol passes quickly into the bloodstream, but its levels also drop rapidly.
It reaches its maximum level between 30 and 60 minutes after having drunk , so if you are going to have a drink, it would be convenient to do it after a drink since it will take more or less three hours until the next drink, and at that time the alcohol level will be very low or zero.
According to e-lactation:
The time needed to wait to breastfeed so that the alcohol ingested occasionally has disappeared from milk and blood (Ho 2001) depends on the weight of the mother (the lower the weight, the longer) and the amount of alcohol consumed (the higher the alcohol). , more time). Avoid breastfeeding until after two and a half hours for every 10 -12 g of alcohol consumed: a third (330 ml), 4.5% beer, a 120 ml glass of 12% wine or a 30-40 glass ml of 40-50% liquor). Guide times to wait for women weighing about 60 kg: a glass of wine: 2.5 hours, two thirds of beer: 5 hours, three glasses of liquor: 7.5 hours, etc. (ABM 2015: see table in Koren reference in Can Fam Physician. 2002).
The problem arises with newborn babies, in which the feedings are very close and several times a day, even also during the night. That is why it is usually recommended to maintain abstinence during the baby’s first three months . In that case, it will be better to wait for the child to grow up and the feedings to be more spaced.
In conclusion, alcohol is harmful and it is preferable to avoid it, but if you drink during breastfeeding, it should be a small amount of alcohol occasionally and always away from the intake .
Breastfeeding has numerous benefits for the baby, which far exceed the risks of an occasional drink, so it is in your hands to control yourself to be able to continue offering your baby the best.
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