Medical Disclaimer:
The content in this video is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
In this episode of Abbey’s Kitchen, abbey is joined by Diet Debbie who is having a hard time avoiding alcohol while breastfeeding.
Abbey doesn’t think that avoiding alcohol during pregnancy is necessary, however Debbie is concerned that the alcohol will get in her breast milk.
The evidence around this has been conflicting. Some light alcohol intake during breast milk can stimulate milk production .
While alcohol passes from the mom’s bloodstream into the placenta during pregnancy, with breastfeeding alcohol is processed differently. A comprehensive study found that the amount of alcohol an infant ingests through breast milk is SO LITTLE it’s pretty much negligible.
Even though it’s negligible, Debbie is still worried and is more comfortable with pumping and dumping. Studies have shown that the alcohol content in your blood peaks at 30-60 minutes after drinking meaning it your body will break it down which eans a decrease in alcohol concentration in your breast milk. So a good rule of thumb is to simply wait an hour before breastfeeding.
A study with 457 women found that over 60% of participants drank alcohol while breastfeeding at eight weeks and twelve months postpartum. They had less than fourteen drinks per week and researchers found NO ASSOCIATION between alcohol intake and their baby’s health status and overall development.
Debbie wants to know whether drinking alcohol can also increase her milk supply. Abbey says this effect is not yet clear. Some researchers found that alcohol may inhibit the role of oxytocin which results in a decreased overall breast milk release. However this was only found in mothers that had more than two drinks a day. Plus the shorter feeding periods were not significant enough that would lead to malnourishment, and since babies are the most in tune with their hunger cues, they will likely make up for it the next day.
Finally, Debbie wants to know whether alcohol can affect her babe’s sleep. Abbey has found some evidence that it’s true. One study One study found that breastfed infants experienced less sleep after exposure to alcohol in their mom’s milk compared to infant’s fed with regular milk. This only lasted three and a half hours after feeding time and babies compensated by sleeping more in the next twenty hours. Basically, babies have similar sleep patterns and any short term effects balance themselves out!
Abbey hopes you enjoyed this video and the bottom line is that there is still room for alcohol while breastfeeding as long as you follow the guideline of two drinks a day and ten drinks a week. So don’t overdo it and you and your babe will be alright.
For more tips on staying healthy, recipes, dieting, and information fit for consumption by foodies everywhere stop by Abbey’s blog.
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