Drinking and Breastfeeding

helen_roberts_2

Hi, My little one is 16weeks and ive got a big girls night out on friday. I will be drunk thats for certain.

So am i right in thinking that as long as i dont breastfeed drunk then thats ok?

If I feed her myself at 7.30pm ish just before i leave
My hubby will give her 5oz of expressed milk at about 11pm
Then she will most likely sleep til about 3 -3:30 am so although ill be well back by then I will need to have a second 5oz expressed bottle to give her as will be a bit squiffy.
Then she will prob be asleep til bout 7am then.

At 7am ill be ok to breastfeed her myself then wont I?

This is my third baby but I dont think i had a night out when breastfeeding the others.

Just wanted to check
Cheers

Chakani

To be honest, if you've not been drinking while pregnant or breastfeeding, you probably won't need a huge amount of alcohol to really feel the effects, so I'd think you'd be fine by the morning. You could always have a third bottle ready just in case.

Tigsteroonie

I'm sure, if you were to google, you might find a scientific answer. Problem for us to advise you is that we have no idea how much you intend drinking - one person's squiffy is another person's paralytic.

Will you be hungover at 7 in the morning? Do you think you would be remotely safe to drive? I certainly wouldn't suggest breastfeeding if there is still any alcohol in your system at that point.

eta. Just googled and the Drinkaware site suggests waiting 12 hours after the end of drinking, as that gives your body a chance to recover.

Rainmaker_uk

I think that you might be wise to have some extra expressed milk for the morning - better safe than sorry

The main thing is to remember to express again in the morning as the milk will already have absorbed the alcohol and will not be very nice...

Enjoy your evening and drinks - remember happy parents = happy children :beer:

clairec79

I've always gone on the basis that wait 1 hour per unit after you stop drinking - so if I had say 10 units (and if you haven't drunk for a year you'll probably be close to vomiting at that point) and had the last drink at 11pm, I would next feed at 9am ish.

In all likelihood though I'd only end up with two or three drinks and be fine by the 3am feed but then I'm a lightweight anyway now that's without not drinking for months

You don't need to express and discard afterwards though, once it's out of your blood it's also out of your milk

helen_roberts_2

I have never still been drunk and unsafe to drive when i wake up, ill prob have my last drink around midnight.

Im pretty sure you dont have to dump expressed milk the following but thanks for help ladies

Hotspur

Alcohol will take an hour per unit to go through your system plus 1 hour. A unit equates to half a pint of standard strength beer, a small 100ml glass of wine (175 is often served as standard) or a single shot of standard strength spirit. So, if you drink 10 units it will take at least 11 hours to pass through. Stop at midnight Friday and it should be ok by midday Saturday.

Many people are over the limit when they drive the next morning after a session! Take care of yourself and little one.

Counting_Pennies_2

I would express at the times you would normally have fed and throw that away, that way you will start pumping the alcohol out of your body, so it will stand the chance of getting the taste out.

Also be prepared your little one might be a little upset in the tummy, as this isn't a substance you normally consume. Anything new tastes different, and just like antibiotics, it might have an adverse effect.

Remember to drink lots of water, try to drink one water in between each alcoholic drink to keep you hydrated.

hth

Dormouse

helen_roberts wrote: »

I have never still been drunk and unsafe to drive when i wake up, ill prob have my last drink around midnight.

Im pretty sure you dont have to dump expressed milk the following but thanks for help ladies

You're right, there is no need to "pump and dump" the morning after

The general rule of thumb is that if you are safe to drive, you should be safe to breastfeed. If you have your last drink around midnight, I would say you'll be fine by 7am.

Enjoy your night out :j

onlyroz

General advice I was given is that if you're too drunk to drive then you're too drunk to breastfeed. So figure out if you'd be under the drink-drive limit by 7 AM...

helen_roberts_2

Thanks. Everyone needs a little reassurance sometimes.

you always get one person who thinks it ok to be rude. I just dont understand that.