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Mikaela
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Joined: 29 November 2006
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Topic: Alcohol/caffeine while breastfeeding? Posted: 18 May 2007 at 1:58pm |
Sorry in advance if this has already been discussed!
I'm trying to read up on the dangers (or non-dangers) of alcohol and caffeine while breastfeeding. Trouble is, there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of information out there. I'm wanting to know how much (if any) is 'allowed', and if so when, and especially what the dangers are to the baby.
What have all the mums here done? Did you abstain completely while BF, did you have a small amount at certain times, did you just go nuts and have whatever you felt like? I'd love to hear everyone's opinions on this.
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busymum
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Joined: 01 January 1900
Location: New Zealand
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Posted: 18 May 2007 at 2:11pm |
Hi Mikaela, the trouble is that there is not enough exact research out there. 'They' know that alcohol and caffeine can affect babies but they don't know what the safe limits are. So it very much comes down to personal choice. It's like when you're pregnant really.
It's pretty easy to surmise that if you have an addiction that that will pass onto the baby (and then withdrawal when s/he is weaned), but no one really knows where to draw the line below that.
Personally for me, I abstained from all alcohol and caffeine (wasn't much of a drinker of either anyway) for the whole of my pg #1, but after Hannah was 6 weeks old I introduced them slowly, and never more than a drink per day. I figured if she was to have a reaction or something that I'd be able to see now that she was born.
With pg #3 I actually kept forgetting I was pg  (I thought I couldn't get pg for a few months so had completely convinced myself, to avoid disappointment lol) and I did have a couple of wines in the first trimester. But again, never more than one a day. Now it's just a matter of habit and when I drink coffee/wine, it's only one a day at most.
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Andie
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Joined: 01 January 1900
Location: New Zealand
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Posted: 18 May 2007 at 2:12pm |
I've read that the level of alcohol in your breastmilk is the same as the level in your bloodstream. As a general rule, I don't think it's a good idea to have a drink then breastfeed (though I've been known to have a wine or beer with dinner and feed Ella again that evening). I think once your baby sleeps through the night, or even just for a decent length of time, drinkies after their bedtime are fine, as by their next feed, there'll be nothing naughty left in your milk. A book I read said that even if you want a proper night on the turps, by your baby's breakfast time you may be poisoned (hungover) but not poisonous.
Caffeine? Kind of depends on the baby. My midwife said tea is fine but coffee really messes with their sleep/wake cycles. In Ella's case though, I it doesn't make a bean of difference (maybe it's hereditary? Coffee keeps me awake for hours, but DH can have one at bedtime and be fine). Lots of caffeine isn't a great idea as I know in adults it stops your absorption of iron and depletes calcium stores, but some I think is perfectly fine. I drink coffee every day, and have a wine with dinner or after Ella's in bed every few nights.
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Andie
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Lulu
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Posted: 18 May 2007 at 3:03pm |
Here is a website that explains about alcohol and feeding - apparently you can have a glass of wine, you don't need to express as long as you won't be feeding in the next couple of hours.
http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html
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Bizzy
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Posted: 18 May 2007 at 3:21pm |
i still drank coffee, but only in small amounts, maybe a cup or two a day. but i did the same while pregnant too. alcohol tho i didnt touch at all for ages. not till they were sleeping thru the night maybe and then it might have been a glass at night after their last feed. that way i figured the alcohol would have a chance to dissipate and not affect my milk. but i certainly wouldnt drink when they were feeding every couple of hours.
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Kellz
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Location: Gisborne
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Posted: 18 May 2007 at 3:45pm |
I didnt drink any alcohol or coffee or tea while preg. Only missed the alcohol
I have ocaasionally had a glass (lol not really more like 1/4 glass)of wine whil breast feeding, but I get real drunk real quick now! I dont drink coffee at home, but have one maybe every week or so when out- but not cos im worried about its effect on bf.
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aimeejoy
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Posted: 18 May 2007 at 8:56pm |
I never drink tea/coffee anyway, so that never changed, tho I did stop drinking V once I got pg and havent had any again. Alcohol, when Han was 9 weeks old at New Year I planned to have a couple of glasses once she went to bed (sleeping through tho) but could only manage a few sips - it tasted vile. It want until Hannah was around one that wine started to taste nice again and not like turps. So insummary (!) I agree with the others, that alcohol inmoderation is fine, but once they are a little older and sleeping through.
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Aimee
Hannah 22/10/05
Greer 11/02/08
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meow
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Posted: 18 May 2007 at 10:03pm |
Definately drank tea, became a tea drinker after Ella was born, due to the lack of sleep lol.. don't drink coffee. Drank alcohol sometimes but only after the night feed - when she was sleeping most of the night.
One thing I found out was - some people drink, then "pump and dump" the breastmilk after they've had alcohol. There is no need to do that as it all goes out of your system after a certain period of time anyway.
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Rachael21
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Posted: 19 May 2007 at 10:23am |
I went out about 3 times and drunk a wee bit and expressed enough milk for a feed just in case. I was told to wait 8 hours between your last drink and your next feed and if your sober enough to drive your sober enough to bfeed.
With caffeine i stayed away from coke and coffee (but had never been a big drinker anyway) but kept eating choc and he was fine with that. Id say have a try and if it doesn't effect bubs sleeping then it should be ok.
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Lisa209237
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Joined: 01 June 2016
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Posted: 13 June 2016 at 7:33am |
Breast-feeding and alcohol don't mix well. There's no level of alcohol in breast milk that's considered safe for a baby to drink. For info about alcohol and breastfeeding please visit http://motherhow.com/alcohol-and-breastfeeding-how-much-can-you-drink/
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