Is it possible for a nursing mother to drink vodka? The effects of alcohol on breast milk. How much alcohol is removed from milk

Medicine has scientifically proven that drinking alcohol affects not only the body of a pregnant woman, but also the developing fetus. Harmful toxins entering an incompletely formed embryo cause the development of various pathologies. But breastfeeding and alcohol are not a well-studied process. That is why every woman needs to know what she is exposing her baby to by drinking alcohol.

In medical practice, there are often cases when mothers of newborn babies say that they want to drink a little wine or beer, literally a few days after giving birth. Ethanol, the main product of most alcoholic drinks, easily penetrates into any part of the human body. Also, this poison, harmful to the body, enters the mammary glands. Based on this fact, we can answer positively the most popular question among young mothers, does alcohol pass into breast milk?

You should know that the concentration of alcohol in the circulatory system becomes maximum approximately forty minutes after the last use. According to medical data, ethanol does not accumulate in milk, and its content in it depends on the amount of alcohol in the mother’s circulatory system.

This means that only a small part of those harmful substances that are breakdown products of alcohol-containing liquid is transmitted to the child. Doctors say that about fifteen percent of the liquid drunk enters the child’s body along with milk. But you should understand that there is a big difference in drinks and doses. For example, fifteen percent of a glass of beer will have much less consequences than fifteen percent of five hundred grams of vodka.

It's a little difficult to talk about how long it takes for alcohol to leave breast milk. It is necessary to take into account indicators such as:

• strength of the drink;
• dosage;
• metabolic rate;
• the presence of chronic diseases of the kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract.

On average, with normal functioning of internal organs, the concentration of alcohol in the circulatory system decreases by twenty milligrams every sixty minutes.

Can a nursing mother drink alcohol? This is a question that is also difficult to answer. Before using it, you must be aware of all the possible consequences, and the dosage should be no more than one glass of wine or beer. It is important to know that after drinking alcohol, you should not breastfeed for some time. When the baby is under one year of age, it is best to express milk before drinking alcohol. This measure is necessary primarily because the intervals between feedings at this age are about two hours. During this time, alcohol simply does not have time to disappear from the body.

But it is worth noting that the pumping procedure is not always necessary. If the child is more than one year old, the intervals between feedings are three hours. Alcohol during breastfeeding, in an amount equal to a glass of wine, disappears from the body on average in two and a half hours. It is important to remember that an increase in blood alcohol content contributes to its passage into milk. The process associated with a decrease in the concentration of alcohol-containing substances in the circulatory system and breast milk occurs in exactly the same way.

Alcohol during breastfeeding is the main reason for blocking the production of such a beneficial hormone as oxytocin by the pituitary gland. This means that the milk separation process begins and becomes more difficult. Under the influence of alcohol, certain flows are blocked, as a result of which the baby cannot get enough. In some women, such cases lead to a decrease in the amount of milk produced by twenty percent. And this is far from the most critical moment. In the presence of certain chronic diseases, it is alcohol that can become a decisive factor in the reasons associated with the complete cessation of oxytocin production.

Only the woman herself can decide whether to drink alcohol. According to statistics, more than seventy percent of young mothers consume such products in small doses. In addition, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, small amounts of alcohol are acceptable for consumption during this period. But it is worth remembering that all the consequences of taking alcoholic products during the lactation period are still unstudied.

On a note

Alcohol during breastfeeding freely penetrates through the mammary glands and enters the child’s body. Due to this fact, the maximum daily dosage should be no more than three hundred milligrams of light beer, one hundred and fifty milliliters of wine or fifty milliliters of liquor.

Alcohol stays in breast milk for about two hours. It is during this time that one serving of such drinks completely disintegrates in the body of the average woman. It must be remembered that the alcohol concentration in milk decreases only after the alcohol begins to disintegrate in the circulatory system.

At this time, you should under no circumstances express milk, as harmful substances from such milk will not disappear anywhere. Also remember that the maximum concentration in breast milk is an hour after you drink alcohol.

Unfortunately, there are no effective measures to speed up this process. Drinking plenty of fluids, strength training, and even pumping have no effect on the rate at which toxins are broken down.

In addition, during lactation it is necessary to carefully approach the issue of taking medications containing ethanol. It is these medications that can increase the alcohol content in the blood, albeit in a small concentration.

When you are planning to go to an event and you know that you will drink a small amount of alcoholic beverages there, you need to express milk in advance. Using such a measure will protect the child from the harmful effects of ethanol.

Myths and facts

1. Myth one: The effects of alcohol and many medications do not affect the fetus for more than three months.
   Fact: According to medicine, the formation of many internal organs occurs closer to the fourteenth week. The brain of the unborn baby is formed throughout the entire period of gestation, as well as after its birth. It is the intake of alcohol that can aggravate this process and cause mental disorders in the future.
2. Myth two: Beer helps increase the amount of milk produced during lactation.
   Fact: Science has proven that if the mother drinks alcohol during this period, the baby receives a much smaller amount of milk. Alcohol has the ability to penetrate every cell of the human body and have a certain effect on its functioning. This is precisely related to the fact that the consumption of any products containing a component such as ethanol leads to a decrease in milk production.
3. Myth three: Even a small amount of alcohol taken during pregnancy can harm the unborn child.
   Fact: In fact, no medical specialist can say how dangerous drinking alcohol during pregnancy is. It is unlikely that a single consumption of such products in acceptable quantities can harm the development of the fetus. Very often, women continue to drink alcohol, not even suspecting that a new life is being born inside them. However, when you know you are pregnant, it is best to avoid drinking such drinks completely.
4. Myth four: Alcohol helps babies sleep well.
   Fact: The answer to this question is quite ambiguous. In fact, alcohol actually helps your child fall asleep faster. However, its effect in the infant’s body causes a deficiency of deep sleep. This means that such a dream cannot lead to complete relaxation of the body and the child does not fully rest. There are disturbances in the rhythms of sleep and alertness, which means that the child will sleep much less. This situation can cause nervousness and irritability.

Conclusion

A young mother needs to remember that alcohol disappears from the body over a long period of time. How long after drinking alcohol you can feed your baby can be calculated using special tables. But it is best, a few hours before taking it, to express several portions of milk and feed the baby with it. Such a measure will best protect the health and nerves of a growing organism.

There is a lot of information about how alcohol consumption affects a child in the womb. Research has been conducted on this topic and the opinion of experts here is clear. As for the extent of harm caused by drinking alcohol while breastfeeding, there is much less information. And, as you know, where there is less data, there are more guesses, conjectures and myths. The result is that some adhere to excessively strict limits, while others, out of ignorance or mistaken opinion, on the contrary, take unforgivable liberties.

Alcohol and breast milk

It is necessary to note the proven fact that absolutely any type of alcohol freely penetrates into mother’s milk, and, therefore, into the child’s body. Its highest concentration is observed in milk approximately half an hour or an hour after it enters the mother’s body. It depends on the individual characteristics of the body to absorb substances into the blood, the type of alcoholic drink that the nursing mother consumed, its quality and quantity.

By the way, if an alcoholic drink was drunk on an empty stomach, then after thirty or forty minutes it is maximally concentrated both in the milk and in the blood of the woman herself. If it was a drink accompanied by a light snack, so to speak, a snack, then the maximum dose of degrees gets into the milk within an hour. But if, for example, a woman has eaten a hearty meal after drinking a glass of wine (preferably the first hot dish, for example, soup, hodgepodge or borscht), then the strongest concentration of alcohol will be observed in her breast milk only after an hour and a half.

Alcohol neutralization occurs in the liver, which is no secret to anyone. But the speed of this process depends entirely on the condition of this organ and, accordingly, on the woman’s weight. If a young lady, for example, is quite petite and weighs no more than fifty kilograms, then her liver will take three and a half hours to cope with alcohol. The organ will spend this time processing weak alcohol, for example, a three-hundred-gram glass of beer or half that volume of wine. If a nursing mother drank up to fifty grams of cognac, then her body will process and eliminate alcohol in just over half a day. Therefore, doctors and pediatricians strongly advise nursing mothers not to drink strong alcoholic drinks - vodka, whiskey, cognac and rum - in their pure form, but at least dilute them.

The effect of alcohol on a child

Since alcohol passes into the milk during breastfeeding, and, therefore, into the child’s body, it is reasonable to say that alcohol has a certain effect on the fragile little body. Doctors agree that if a nursing mother sometimes, but not often, drinks a little alcoholic beverages, then there is no particular harm in this fact for her child. But by small doses, each means something different, and therefore, in fact, it is necessary to clarify that we are talking about the volume of cognac within 45 g. Regarding wine, an acceptable dose should not exceed one and a half hundred grams, and should be approximately twice as much in the case of beer. This dose is called the daily dose, that is, the norm should not be exceeded within 24 hours. But this does not mean that alcohol must be included in your daily diet. If the mother, for example, has low blood pressure or vegetative-vascular dystonia, then a small glass of red wine saves her from headaches caused by vasospasm. But this is not a reason to “treat” yourself in this way every day.

When a nursing mother consumes a reasonable dose of alcohol once, the child experiences the following symptoms:

1. Drowsiness.
2. Apathy.
3. Lack of appetite and long breaks between feedings.

But if we are talking about the fact that drinks with a degree are consumed and, therefore, enter breast milk regularly or in larger quantities than conventionally acceptable, then the symptoms will be much deeper and more serious.

In this case, we are talking about the following signs:

1. The child is underweight.
2. His psychomotor skills are inhibited or delayed in development.
3. The sucking reflex is slow.
4. The child's appetite is poor.

Read also

It goes without saying that the less the child weighs, and the greater the dose of alcohol that he consumed along with mother’s milk, the more pronounced all these symptoms are. Then the second will be added to the first list of symptoms, and all together already poses serious problems for the health of the little person.

When any dose of “degree” enters a child’s body, the contraction frequency of the small heart increases sharply, but blood pressure decreases. Frequently changing the pace of the heart artificially can cause the development of arrhythmias in the future.

It often happens that after tasting mother’s milk after she has drunk alcohol, the child does not fall asleep, but, on the contrary, cries. The fact is that the ethyl alcohol contained in such “graded” milk strongly irritates the stomach and then the intestines, causing a burning sensation. In children, the digestive system is already problematic, because the flora is not established: there are colics, pain from gas formation, and other things of the same kind. And alcohol makes such troubles worse. In addition, alcohol greatly reduces the main function of the intestines: absorbing everything useful. And therefore, in fact, the vitamins and minerals that are so necessary for a growing and developing body will bypass the child. This is also fraught with a decrease in the natural protective barrier, that is, immunity, which, as is known, fundamentally depends on the functions of the intestine.

Most antenatal clinics, as well as children's clinics, do not require mothers to completely abstain from alcohol for the entire period of lactation. If the dose of a graduated drink is small and alcohol is not a frequent guest on the nursing mother’s table, but only on special occasions and holidays, then, in principle, doctors do not see much harm from mother’s milk for the baby.

How to minimize the consequences of drinking alcohol by a nursing mother and avoid harm to the baby?

Since the newborn’s liver is not sufficiently developed, it copes with any intoxication, including alcohol, more slowly and worse. Therefore, drinking alcohol by a nursing mother should still be avoided. In a child under six months of age, the liver cannot cope with such loads at all. Many mothers believe that expressing milk after drinking alcohol will reduce the amount of alcohol in it. But this is a myth, because the concentration of this substance in mother’s milk decreases in proportion to how it decreases in the mother’s blood. Breast milk production is a continuous process and is directly related to blood circulation.

Alcohol itself does not reduce or increase the amount of milk produced; this is also a mistaken opinion. We are only talking about the fact that drinking a glass of beer complicates the passage of the milk itself through the nipple, which means that it is more difficult for the baby to get it. Excessively tired, the baby may well fall asleep half-starved, but soon wake up again and try to finish his quota.

If, for one reason or another, it happens that the nursing mother drank more than what should be followed in a healthy manner, then breastfeeding the child until she is completely sober is not only not recommended, but is strictly prohibited. And milk must be expressed, only so that it does not stagnate and cause heaviness, pain and even mastopathy. The latter disease is difficult to treat, using antibiotic injections, and in advanced cases, surgical methods. Alternatively, if you do not express milk on time, lactostasis may occur, which is a hardening of the area on the breast, or rather, inside it, which causes severe, sometimes cutting pain if you touch it. The milk ducts in the breast are released by the same pumping and application to the baby's breast.

If the mother drank alcohol, then it is better for her to spend the time until she sobers up alone, and not next to the child. Due to poor coordination, she can accidentally injure the baby, or injure him while sleeping together, since a person who has drunk a fair amount is definitely not sensitive. This should be understood, because a drunk person rarely adequately assesses the degree of his alcohol intoxication.

In general, alcohol can be replaced in most cases with a high-quality non-alcoholic drink. For example, non-alcoholic beer in its taste is no different from regular beer - graduated. A mother should remember that while continuing the process of breastfeeding, she has a huge responsibility for the life and health of her child.

Before deciding for yourself the question of whether alcohol is allowed while breastfeeding, you should understand that the liver perceives any alcohol as poison. Small doses of ethanol entering the body along with a moderate amount of high-quality alcohol or medicinal tinctures do not cause harm to health solely because the liver neutralizes dangerous substances that are formed after the breakdown of ethyl alcohol.

But a newborn’s liver is not able to cope with even microscopic portions of alcohol. Ethanol, which enters the stomach of a baby under the age of three months with mother's milk, enters the blood, permeates the baby's tissues and is excreted twice as slowly as in an adult. Alcohol intoxication occurs.

Is it possible to drink alcohol during lactation?

It is difficult for a person living in society to behave contrary to traditions. Sometimes it is difficult for nursing mothers to resist drinking alcohol during the holidays, and sometimes there is simply an urgent desire to drink a sip of beer or wine.

Especially for such cases, specialists from the international organization La Leche League, which promotes breastfeeding, have developed a table of the relationship between a woman’s weight, the amount of alcohol consumed and the time required to remove alcohol from breast milk.

Time for alcohol removal from mother's blood and milk (hours: minutes)

Amount of pure alcohol (grams) Body mass mothers, kg

15

30

45

60

75

90

105

120

135

150

165

180

40.8

2:50

5:40

8:30

11:20

14:10

17:00

19:51

22:41

43.1

2:46

5:32

8:19

11:05

13:52

16:38

19:25

22:11

45.4

2:42

5:25

8:08

10:51

13:34

16:17

19:00

21:43

47.6

2:39

5:19

7:58

10:38

13:18

15:57

18:37

21:16

23:56

49.9

2:36

5:12

7:49

10:25

13:01

15:38

18:14

20:50

23:27

52.2

2:33

5:06

7:39

10:12

12:46

15:19

17:52

20:25

22:59

54.4

2:30

5:00

7:30

10:00

12:31

15:01

17:31

20:01

22:32

56.7

2:27

4:54

7:22

9:49

12:16

14:44

17:11

19:38

22:06

59.0

2:24

4:49

7:13

9:38

12:03

14:27

16:52

19:16

21:41

61.2

2:21

4:43

7:05

9:27

11.49

14:11

16:33

18:55

21:17

23.39

63.5

2:19

4:38

6:58

9:17

11:37

13:56

16:15

18:35

20:54

23:14

65.8

2:16

4:33

6:50

9:07

11:24

13:41

15:58

18:15

20:32

22:49

68.0

2:14

4:29

6:43

8:58

11:12

13:27

15:41

17:56

20:10

22:25

70.3

2:12

4:24

6:36

8:48

11:01

13:13

15:25

17:37

19:49

22:02

72.6

2:10

4:20

6:30

8:40

10:50

13:00

15:10

17:20

19:30

21:40

23:50

74.8

2:07

4:15

6:23

8:31

10:39

12:47

14:54

17:02

19:10

21:18

23.50

77.1

2:05

4:11

6:17

8:23

10:28

12:34

14:40

16:46

18:51

20:57

23:03

79.3

2:03

4:07

6:11

8:14

10:18

12:22

14:26

16:29

18:33

20:37

22:40

81.6

2:01

4:03

6:05

8:07

10:08

12:10

14:12

16:14

18:15

20:17

22:19

83.9

1:59

3:59

5:59

7:59

9:59

11:59

13:59

15:59

17:58

19:58

21:58

23:58

86.2

1:58

3:56

5:54

7:52

9:50

11:48

13:46

15:44

17:42

19:40

21:38

23:36

88.5

1:56

3:52

5:48

7:44

9:41

11:37

13:33

15:29

17:26

19:22

21:18

23:14

90.7

1:54

3:49

5:43

7:38

9:32

11:27

13:21

15:16

17:10

19:05

20:59

22:54

93.0

1:52

3:45

5:38

7:31

9:24

11:17

13:09

15:02

16:55

18:48

20:41

22:34

95.3

1:51

3:42

5:33

7:24

9:16

11:07

12:58

14:49

16:41

18:32

20:23

22:14

The data given in the table are calculated for pure ethanol.

15 ml of ethyl alcohol is equivalent to:

• 35 ml of vodka, cognac, tequila or other alcoholic drink with a strength of 40 degrees;
• 100–130 ml of natural dry wine or 90–100 ml of Cahors;
• 300 ml beer with 5% strength.

It is recommended that a breastfeeding mother who is about to drink alcohol:

• pre-feed the baby or express milk intended for the next feeding and put it in the refrigerator (where it will not lose its properties for at least a day);
• the amount of alcohol consumed should be equivalent to no more than 15 ml, in extreme cases - 30 ml of ethanol. This means that you should drink a glass of beer or wine in small sips and try to stretch it out throughout the evening;
• Using the table, determine the time required to remove ethanol from the body, and add another one to two hours to it for insurance. During this time, you can feed the baby either milk expressed in advance or formula;
• Alcohol does not accumulate in breast milk, so milk should be expressed and discarded only if the woman experiences discomfort. Upon expiration of the period,
• indicated in the table, the milk will be cleared and will again be safe for the baby.

The influence of various alcoholic beverages on the health of a nursing mother and child

There is an opinion that nursing mothers should not drink vodka, but wine and beer are even beneficial. Let's try to figure out if this is so.

In addition to the fact that alcohol disrupts metabolic processes in the body, a dose of 30 ml of ethanol suppresses the ability of breast tissue to respond to the hormone oxytocin (oxytocin reflex). As a result, the outflow of milk becomes significantly more difficult. Feeding after alcohol becomes much more difficult: the baby does not have the strength to suck out milk, and he receives 20–23% less food than under normal conditions.

We must not forget that beer and wine are the same fermentation products as hard cheeses or pickled vegetables. Eating these products can cause rashes and other allergic reactions in your baby.

Wine while breastfeeding

There is a myth that the baby will sleep better if the mother drinks a glass of wine before breastfeeding. In fact, a child who receives alcohol through breast milk will become intoxicated, and the symptoms will be the same as in an adult.

First, the baby will experience a surge of strength and euphoria, then he will really quickly fall asleep, but not in a deep, healthy sleep, but in a restless one. The baby will often wake up, be nervous, and cry.

Beer while breastfeeding

Another misconception: beer supposedly makes you more milk. However, it has been proven that beer, like other types of alcohol, can only suppress the oxytocin reflex. Therefore, it is allowed to drink it with the same precautions as wine: occasionally and long before feeding.

But even if these conditions are met, it is better to drink some live beer than pasteurized one. Bottled and canned beer contains a whole “bouquet” of dyes and preservatives, which are removed from the blood and milk much more slowly than ethanol.

Giving a child a “cocktail” of carcinogens is not a good idea. For the same reasons, nursing mothers are prohibited from taking energy drinks.

Frequency of drinking alcohol during lactation

American pediatrician Jack Newman, a prominent figure in the La Leche League, promotes the idea that a woman during lactation should not strictly limit her intake of alcohol. Allegedly, a small amount of alcohol drunk by the mother (one or two glasses of wine or beer several times a week) will not harm the baby, since the ethanol content in breast milk is calculated in hundredths of a percent.

Even a non-specialist can see the error in the logical constructions of the American professor. The baby's body weight is too small, and the body is not yet adapted to combat the effects of ethanol breakdown products. In addition, the scientist monitored only the physical condition of babies whose mothers drank alcohol little by little during breastfeeding. But the scientist did not trace the fate of the participants in the experiment after its completion.

It has been proven that if a child periodically receives ethanol with mother’s milk, then:

• the baby experiences sudden mood swings: from euphoria to complete apathy;
• there is a delay in the development of psychomotor skills;
• in especially severe cases, alcohol intoxication in infants is accompanied by vomiting and stomach cramps, and metabolic disorders are possible;
• the heartbeat increases, which provokes weakness and suffocation;
• As they grow older, such people often develop an irresistible craving for alcohol.

Therefore, nursing mothers can drink alcohol only in extreme cases, a maximum of 2-3 times during the entire lactation period. It is allowed to put the baby on the breast only after the breakdown products of ethanol have been completely removed from the blood and milk. It is not advisable to drink alcohol before the child is 3 months old. And the most sensible thing for a nursing mother is not to risk the health of her baby and completely give up alcohol.

Stormy celebrations of the birth of a baby, numerous weddings of friends and relatives, anniversaries and anniversaries - all this is fraught with hidden danger for a nursing mother. And it lies in drinking alcohol.

Can a woman who is breastfeeding afford a small glass of wine or is it better to avoid drinking alcohol during this period?

The answer from doctors is clear - refuse! Why? Judge for yourself:

Alcohol passes freely into breast milk, while its concentration in human milk reaches its maximum level approximately 30–60 minutes after consumption on an empty stomach or after 60–90 minutes if consumed with food. According to research, up to 10% of the alcohol consumed by a woman is present unchanged in her milk, and if the mother continues to breastfeed her baby while intoxicated, the same alcohol can easily enter the baby’s body!

Before you decide to drink a glass of wine, remember the following indisputable facts: firstly, alcohol appears in breast milk very quickly; secondly, the baby’s body is not able to resist the toxic effects of alcohol.

That is why a nursing mother should consider alcohol as a toxic substance that can damage the baby’s tissues and organs. Most often, the brain suffers from its negative effects.

Unfortunately, some erroneous stereotypes associated with drinking alcohol by a nursing woman are firmly rooted in the popular consciousness.

Thus, it is generally accepted that beer promotes lactation. This opinion is absolutely wrong! Numerous medical studies prove that alcohol suppresses lactation, and the higher the dose, the stronger the effect. Animal studies have shown that alcohol reduces the amount of milk produced and may give it an unpleasant taste. Therefore, do not be surprised if the baby refuses to drink “spoiled” milk containing alcohol impurities.

Does alcohol help you sleep well?

Another common stereotype is the belief that small doses of alcohol contribute to a child’s good sleep. To understand that this is not so, consider the process of the effect of alcohol-containing drinks on the nervous system.

In a healthy person, a single dose of alcohol causes a state of euphoria, which is then replaced by depression of the central nervous system. The period of falling asleep is reduced, but sleep is characterized by a more rapid change of stages, and a deficit of deep sleep occurs. As a result, a person who took alcohol before bed cannot rest fully.

That is why the opinion that a baby whose mother drank alcohol and then breastfed him will sleep better is a misconception: the child will indeed fall asleep quickly, but his sleep will be restless, the baby will often wake up and cry.

The influence of alcohol on the baby’s gastrointestinal tract is also unsafe. As a result of damage to the protective layer by ethanol, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the esophagus, stomach, and intestines (esophagitis, gastritis, enteritis), which is accompanied by abdominal pain, nausea, and lack of appetite, may develop; The baby may experience colic. Alcohol easily damages the villi of the small intestine, as a result of which the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, microelements, and water is impaired.

Small doses of alcohol cause a decrease in blood pressure, an increase in heart rate, and the development of general weakness.

Drinking alcohol during breastfeeding can negatively affect the development of a child's motor skills, and the effect is greater, the larger and more regular the dose of alcohol consumed.

In addition, it is important to note that expressing milk after a woman has consumed alcohol does not make sense. Alcohol passes freely from the milk back into the bloodstream of the mother's body, and from the bloodstream again penetrates into breast milk. The alcohol concentration in milk decreases only as it decreases in the blood. Since the alcohol is not “fixed” in the milk, pumping is useless. In addition, pumping, drinking plenty of water, resting, or drinking coffee do not help eliminate alcohol from your body faster. Everything depends solely on the speed of metabolic processes, additional stimulation of which not only does not make sense, but can also cause additional harm to the baby.

In such a situation, it is better to be guided by a simple and reliable rule: “You cannot breastfeed a child until the mother is completely sober!” As a rule, it occurs 5–7 hours after drinking alcohol. For this reason, mothers should refrain from drinking alcohol while breastfeeding and do not feed the baby earlier than 5 hours after drinking alcoholic beverages!

Alcohol and adequacy

It should also be noted that the mother’s state of intoxication is dangerous for the child not only from the point of view of alcohol getting into the milk. A drunk mother (like any other drunk person looking after a child) may have inappropriate behavior, may not be able to give the child appropriate attention, and may accidentally injure or maim the child due to poor coordination of movements.

If you still couldn’t deprive yourself of the pleasure of drinking a glass or two, ask reliable and sober relatives and friends to look after the baby. And before you decide to drink another glass, ask yourself what is more valuable to you: a few hours of dubious pleasure or the life of a little loved one? I think the conclusion is obvious...

Alcohol while breastfeeding - is it possible or not, in what quantity, what drink exactly, when can you breastfeed, if you drank alcohol? All these questions are asked by a young, breastfeeding mother. In order to answer them, it is necessary to understand the mechanism of action of alcohol, its effect on the body of a woman and baby, the timing of elimination and myths about breastfeeding when drinking alcohol-containing drinks.

Ethyl alcohol (ethanol, C 2 H 5 OH) is found in all alcoholic drinks, the only difference is in concentration. But regardless of the quantitative content, it has a detrimental effect on the female body.

1 Ethanol is poison, the processing of which takes a large amount of water from the body. Dehydration worsens the condition of the skin, wrinkles appear earlier, and the complexion acquires an unhealthy yellow tint. Lack of water also reduces the amount of breast milk. As a result, the baby may lose weight.

2 Alcohol is very high in calories, and at the same time, a huge amount of human resources is spent on removing it from the body, so the consequences of frequent use can be a sharp weight gain or, conversely, unhealthy thinness.

3 After the familiar relaxed state, fun and feeling of euphoria, anxiety, overexcitement, postpartum depression will increase. Sleep patterns and quality are disrupted. This is very dangerous for a young woman; concentration decreases, she becomes irritable and reacts sharply to the scream or cry of a child. In medicine, there are cases of injury or even death of infants at the hands of their own mother, against the background of progressive depression and alcohol consumption.

4 Ethyl alcohol is highly soluble in water, therefore it has the most destructive effect on organs and tissues, in which blood circulation is most intense. The brain is 80% water, and ethyl alcohol “hits” it first. Intoxication is the numbness and subsequent death of brain cells. In connection with this phenomenon, mental dependence arises, to which women are more susceptible than men. Lightness, good mood, relaxed state - it’s easy to get used to, and it’s difficult to return to the gray, monotonous everyday life. Caring for a baby, lack of sleep, and lack of free time depress a woman, and a bottle can become an antidepressant.

5 Under the influence of ethanol, the digestive and central nervous systems are damaged, and neural connections are destroyed. Vessels and vital organs - liver, kidneys, lungs, heart - suffer no less. The destruction that occurs under the influence of ethyl alcohol is irreparable. To eliminate even a small dose of alcohol, they need to work for about a day in a grueling regime.

Foreign doctors do not prohibit the consumption of high-quality alcohol-containing drinks in recommended doses

Despite the obvious disadvantages, foreign doctors do not prohibit breastfeeding women from drinking alcohol during breastfeeding. The quality of the alcoholic beverage plays a big role.

In addition to ethyl alcohol, a cheap analogue of wine contains impurities in the form of methanol, various aldehydes and ethers. According to their chemical formula and meaning, these substances are poisonous and cause various pathologies, such as blindness, chemical poisoning, and in extreme cases, death.

Natural wine contains nothing but grapes and an extremely low sugar content if the wine is dry (table). If a nursing mother decides to drink, you must carefully read the composition of the drink you drink and you should not skimp.

How does “drunk milk” affect a baby?

If you breastfeed after drinking alcohol, despite the ban, you can cause irreparable harm to the baby’s body.

A newborn child under the age of four months is most susceptible to the influence of alcohol. But even after the baby reaches this age, the harmful effects of alcoholic beverages do not go away.

The influence of alcoholic drinks is as follows:

• The baby's unformed liver is destroyed beyond repair.
• The gastrointestinal tract does not digest ethyl alcohol, colic, constipation, increased gas formation occur, and in older age, progressive gastritis may occur.
• The brain and other organs are unable to develop and grow correctly, neural connections are disrupted, and the risk of mental retardation increases.
• Due to underweight, the child lags behind in physical development.
• Immunity decreases, chronic diseases develop (bronchitis, otitis media, asthma).

In this regard, according to doctors, alcohol while breastfeeding is prohibited.

Peak alcohol content in breast milk

When it enters a woman’s body, alcohol is absorbed into the blood within 20 minutes and, accordingly, into breast milk.

It's better to say no to alcohol than to regret it for the rest of your life.

It is important to know that alcohol does not accumulate in breast milk, and expressing it once will not help get rid of it. Ethanol will “dissipate” from the breast only after it is completely removed from the mother’s body.

Therefore, a shower, strong tea or coffee will not help you start breastfeeding faster without harm to the baby.

The maximum concentration of ethanol in milk is observed 30-60 minutes after drinking, if the alcoholic drink was drunk along with a meal - after 60-80 minutes.

Metabolism of alcoholic beverages by type or rate of elimination from a woman’s body

The metabolic process depends on gender, age, weight, chronic diseases and the amount of drink.

Men eliminate alcohol faster than women.

The strength of the drink and the frequency of consumption also affect the metabolic rate.

Alcohol is excreted from the body during breastfeeding in the same way as in non-breastfeeding women.

Human weight/ Type of alcohol					Volume of alcohol consumed, grams
Beer
Champagne
Wine
Vodka
Cognac

When the milk becomes “clean” and you can resume feeding

When calculating the time during which you should not feed your child after drinking alcohol, you need to take the time in the table and add 10-15 minutes of reserve.

Before the feast, it is advisable to express milk for 2-3 or more feedings. This way the child will not be stressed without his usual food.

Monitoring the condition and health of the breast is also necessary. If a woman has this, she should definitely see a doctor. These symptoms are not good.

If milk is overfilled, you need to express it to avoid lactostasis or mastitis.

This milk should not be stored or offered to a child.

After the required time, feeding the baby will be safe and without harm to the baby.

Which alcoholic drinks are acceptable during breastfeeding, and which are strictly prohibited?

Despite the complete ban by Russian doctors on the use of alcohol by a nursing woman, abroad it is not considered inappropriate or harmful to the child if a mother allows herself a glass of red wine a couple of times a week or a glass of beer on Friday evening.

It is considered much more dangerous to abstain from the usual joys of life; this can aggravate postpartum depression.

5 rules for safe use if a woman is breastfeeding

Give up the bad influence of bad company, spend more time outdoors with your baby

1. Do not drink for the first 4 months after giving birth.
2. You should not drink on an empty stomach, because alcohol will enter the bloodstream in maximum concentration.
3. It is necessary to express milk in advance for 2-3 feedings.
4. The maximum dose is 300 grams of wine or beer, and after 6-7 hours you can feed the child.
5. Choose only high-quality drinks, giving preference to homemade wine without alcohol.

But what should a nursing mother do at the holiday table so as not to feel like a black sheep?

• Alternative to alcoholic drinks - non-alcoholic beer or wine. Such beer is even healthy - hops, malt, and B vitamins will not harm a nursing woman or baby. Alcohol-free wine is similar in composition to juice, but has a more tart taste. You can treat yourself during the breastfeeding period at dinner or lunch.
• Change company. Very often, a young mother is subjected to pressure from the team, while experiencing negative emotions and a feeling of guilt in front of the child. To exclude such cases, you should try to avoid celebrations with alcoholic beverages, or try to talk with friends about the “prohibition” at home during breastfeeding.
• A healthy lifestyle is now in trend, and by giving up alcohol, a woman only benefits.

5 misconceptions about drinking strong drinks during lactation

To get an answer to the questions of whether it is possible to drink strong drinks and how long after drinking alcohol, a woman asks for advice from friends or female figures.

The most popular myths about alcohol during breastfeeding:

And alcohol increases milk production. Ethyl alcohol in the body of a nursing mother reduces the production of the hormones prolactin and oxytocin, due to which the amount of milk decreases. The child asks for the breast more often and does not eat enough. The advice “drink a glass of beer - there will be more milk” can only be given by a person incompetent in this matter.

If you feed after the mother has drunk a glass of wine, the baby will sleep more soundly. In fact, the baby will get tired earlier, will be lethargic and lethargic, will fall asleep ahead of time, sleep will be superficial and disturbing, because it is caused by poisoning of the body with ethanol.

And alcohol will help a nursing mother relax. On the contrary, alcohol consumption increases postpartum depression, increases excitability and irritability.

Expressing will help get rid of alcohol in breast milk. In fact, alcohol does not accumulate or accumulate; it is found in milk just as much as in the blood. To safely feed, you need to wait a while. If a mother needs to interrupt lactation, then the information will help answer this question.

Red wine increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood of a nursing mother and child. The most absurd myth. To increase its level, special medications help, but not alcohol.

A healthy lifestyle will only benefit both mother and little person for many years

conclusions

When asked whether alcohol can be consumed while breastfeeding, 99% of Russian doctors will answer “no.” European therapists, gynecologists and pediatricians will say that infrequent consumption of small doses of weak drinks (wine, beer) will not harm either mother or baby. Whether breastfeeding is compatible with alcohol, a nursing mother must decide for herself.