How to Deal with Drinking While Breastfeeding
Drinking while breastfeeding is a tricky and touchy subject. The bottom line is that alcohol does enter the breastmilk. It is up to you to choose whether or not you will have no drink, one drink, or ten drinks. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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If you are going to have a drink with dinner: Sip--don't guzzle. Enjoy your glass of wine (one serving equals five ounces) or your beer. Remember, women lose between 300-500 calories a day breastfeeding. Do you want to gain those calories back?
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If you have a party to go to and want to feel like you are socializing, and "having a few," enjoy one drink. Then, keep refilling your cup with ice cold water. Add a stirring straw and lime!
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If you want to get drunk, rethink it. If you are exclusively breastfeeding, make sure there is a trustworthy person around to watch your baby. Make sure you have stored breastmilk in the freezer and ask yourself if your baby will even drink from a bottle. How much are you planning on drinking? "Pumping and dumping" does not get rid of the breastmilk with alcohol in it. All it does is help you get rid of milk from your breasts so that more can come in. Remember, depending on how much you drink (see chart in Resources below), you might have to pump and dump again.
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Tips & Warnings
You will feel much better at the end of the night that you can breastfeed your baby if you choose to not drink or just have one.
Keep drinking water at a party. It makes you feel like you are drinking like everyone else because you are!
You will see how ridiculous drunk people are and begin to love your breasts more than ever!
Signs your baby had alcohol from your breastmilk (see below in resources)
Drinking any amount of alcohol does enter the breastmilk
Drinking alcohol in any amount does impair your ability to act as you would if sober
Drinking alcohol lowers amount of breastmilk produced
Resources
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