We review the evidence on drinking alcohol while breastfeeding to determine if it will harm your baby or milk supply.
Coffee isn’t the only thing that keeps me sane these days. As a mom and business owner, my life can get a bit overwhelming, which means that I occasionally reach for a glass (or two) of wine to help me unwind after a long day. I’m past my breastfeeding days, but I didn’t completely forgo alcohol during that time either. Whether it was with my husband, out with friends, or just some well deserved me-time, I drank guilt-free knowing that my milk stayed safe and nourishing for my baby. I know I’m not alone here, ladies! Approximately half of women in Western countries consume alcohol while breastfeeding, and 20% of women in Canada do so as well.
What we’ve heard about the relationship between alcohol and breastfeeding has been…somewhat of a rollercoaster. Some encourage light alcohol intake during breastfeeding, claiming that it stimulates more milk production for the baby, while others choose to follow the “pump and dump” method, which is exactly what it sounds like. After drinking alcohol, the belief is you must “pump” your milk out, and then “dump” it down the drain because apparently the alcohol seeps into your breast milk and is harmful to babe. To say the least, us women have received a ton of mixed messages on the topic, not to mention a lot of shaming if we choose to indulge. A recent review found that 10% of women were warned against drinking alcohol while breastfeeding by healthcare professionals, while 43% were told it was beneficial. Confused yet?
Rest assured that I’m here today, with a drink in hand, to gather and present some evidence that dispels the myths and gets past the “taboo act” of drinking alcohol while breastfeeding.
Alcohol During Pregnancy vs. Alcohol While Breastfeeding
So first and foremost: why the stigma? A lot of the confusion comes from the tendency to treat drinking alcohol while breastfeeding as the same as drinking during pregnancy. This has historically been the case with word-of-mouth advice, and even in some studies where they blend these two life stages together when studying the effect of alcohol. The underlying physiology during breastfeeding is totally different from pregnancy – so comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges. It doesn’t make sense.
In pregnant women, the alcohol passes straight from mom’s bloodstream into the placenta and ultimately can do damage in excess, so it’s definitely recommended to limit or avoid it (click here for a list of other pregnancy foods to avoid). However, when breastfeeding, the metabolism of alcohol and its transfer into the breast milk is a different process.
So what happens? Is it drinking alcohol while breastfeeding harmful? Let’s jump in and find out.
Does Drinking Alcohol While Breastfeeding Harm your Baby?
Before we talk about the health impacts, let’s talk about how much alcohol your baby actually gets through breast milk. To ease your mind before we get into the details, the short answer is: very, very little.
A comprehensive review of forty one studies found that that the average amount of alcohol infants ingest through breast milk is so little that it’s pretty much negligible. When you treat yourself to a drink, alcohol passes into your breast milk in the same concentration that is found in your blood.
Let’s say you were to go full “treat yourself” mode and down four margaritas at the next BBQ. Your blood alcohol concentration would be, on average let’s say, at 0.08%, meaning your breast milk will only contain 0.08% alcohol. To compare, that’s less than some fruit juices, which can contain up to 0.1% alcohol from fermentation! Be careful not to confuse alcohol content in breast milk with your baby’s bloodstream. Just because your milk has 0.08% alcohol doesn’t mean your baby’s blood alcohol concentration will be that amount too. Using the same scenario, if you were to breastfeed 4 oz at your tipsiest state after the margaritas, the baby’s blood alcohol concentration would just be 0.005%. He would have so little alcohol in his bloodstream that it would be clinically insignificant. This is a fancy way of saying it’ll have minimal impact on babe.
Even if you’re still not comfortable with the presence of alcohol in your breast milk, there’s no need to pump and dump. Studies show that the alcohol content in blood peaks at 30-60 mins after drinking, and then as your body breaks it down, it will decrease in concentration in the milk. So even if you’re really concerned, you can simply wait a bit before feeding. No need to waste good milk! That’s liquid gold as far as I’m concerned.
What The Research Says
This study of 457 women found that over 60% of participants drank alcohol while breastfeeding at eight weeks and twelve months postpartum. They mostly kept it easy and stuck to less than three drinks per occasion, and less than fourteen drinks per week. That’s still probably more than a lot of woman, nursing or not, drink. Researchers found no association to the baby’s health status and overall development.
The Effect of Alcohol on Lactation
So we know that drinking alcohol during breastfeeding is not directly harmful to the baby, however, some research indicates that it is associated with shorter feeding periods. This study specifically looked at how and why babies drink less – they concluded it’s not a change in the milk flavour, but rather, the mom is simply secreting less. Why is this so?
Us lactating moms have two major hormones to help us: prolactin to stimulate milk production, and oxytocin to release milk. These two work synonymously, like two peas in a pod (sorry, bad mom joke). Studies, like this one, suggest that alcohol inhibits the role of oxytocin in the mom, resulting in a decreased overall breast milk release. However, it’s important to note that it could be related to the amount of drinks, as these researchers found this effect only when mothers had more than 2 drinks a day.
Another study also emphasized that the energy and nutrient content of the milk remained the same, regardless of alcohol in mama or not. Milk’s still good, people! Though the babies drank less right after mom had some drinks in her, they may have compensated for it at later feeding periods. We’re all born with internal hunger cues, and babies are actually the most responsive to them. What they don’t drink today, they will most likely make up for tomorrow.
I also want to emphasize these studies concluded it was still safe to drink alcohol. It was also emphasized that special recommendations aimed at lactating moms are unnecessary. Yes, the feeding periods were shorter, but definitely not to any significant amount that would lead to malnourishment.
The Effect of Alcohol on Baby’s Sleep
When you talk to new parents, the topic of sleep is guaranteed to come up. Sometimes it seems like my whole life schedule revolves around when and how long my son snoozes!
So does post-alcohol breast milk affect baby’s sleep?
Research is saying yes, but only to a certain degree. This study found that breast-fed infants experienced less sleep after exposure to alcohol in their mom’s milk, compared to infants with regular milk. However, this effect only lasted for three and a half hours after feeding time. It’s important to note that the babies compensated by sleeping more in the next twenty hours. At the end of the day, all babies have similar sleep patterns, and any short-term effects balance themselves out!
So go ahead and drink away ladies. Just because your sleep suffers as a new mom, doesn’t mean your baby’s sleep has to.
Bottom Line on Drinking Alcohol While Breastfeeding
I must note that these studies were generally short-term. There’s currently minimal studies on the long-term effects of drinking alcohol while breastfeeding, so I really can’t speak to that. What I will say though, is that the research we examined today did very, very thorough investigations into this topic. We concluded that no specialized drinking guidelines were needed for lactating women.
So what does this all mean?
It means us moms are just like regular people, so we can follow the regular people guideline of two drinks a day and ten drinks a week, guilt-free. You might notice some small differences afterwards. Such as shorter periods of feeding and shorter sleep times right after feeding, but it’s really nothing to worry about! Your baby will go through cycles of these anyway, and they’ll make up for it another time.
Even though the literature to date suggests that drinking alcohol while breastfeeding is ultimately safe, you still don’t want to overdo it. Getting drunk and handling your baby increases the risk of falls and other accidents. You also want to make sure to never bed share with your baby when you’ve had anything to drink. It may impair your ability to judge your surroundings and keep baby safe in bed.
Look, I’m not here to push alcohol on anybody. I’m all for listening to your body and eating and drinking what you like. If alcohol is not part of your palate, that’s totally cool. Today my goal was to dispel the myths and remove the unnecessary and problematic shame that some may feel when they choose to drink alcohol while breastfeeding. With this in mind, feel free to kick back and relax with a drink in hand! I know I will be.
Contribution by RD2BE Trista Chan
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Want more breastfeeding nutrition tips? Check out these articles.
- Keto While Breastfeeding | Is it safe and how does it affect breastmilk?
- Can I have coffee while breastfeeding? How much is safe?
- Things to Avoid While Breastfeeding and Pregnant
- Colic in Babies and Dairy – Should breastfeeding moms go dairy-free?
Now I want to here from you: do you drink alcohol while breastfeeding? Did you or your babe experience side effects? Let me know!
Updated on August 8th, 2023
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Gili says
Hi Abby, i was feeling really anxious, i have a 3week old and decided to have a beer today, thought one is fine…she cried and i bfed her while drinking the beer… afterwards thought nabe i shouldn’t have? Mabe i caused her damage?…i am suffering fm anxiety due to ppdepresion…started eeading online and got even more scared cause all i saw was wait 3/4 hrs after a drink and fong drink till baby is 8 weeks old…id love to see reaserches wich show alcohol level and more references to sett my mind at ese…and thank u…i was abt to have an anxiaty attack…
Abbey Sharp says
I’ve been there! I would not worry!! One beer is not going to do harm according to dr Newman.
You got this mama!!!
J says
Loved this article. I’m a first time mama and very paranoid about… well… everything! Haha, I have a light beer a day, sometimes 2. But my nugget is only 3 weeks old. I have been enjoying these daily drinks since he was 2 weeks of age. Do you think the same rules apply?
Abbey Sharp says
yep!
Nicole says
Thank you for this article! I agree there is so much conflicting information online. I have a 1 month old and I enjoy a couple glasses of wine each night to relax, and baby is doing perfect! Development is ahead and she is gaining weight on target. Thanks for giving another perspective!
Abbey Sharp says
Awesome! Happy to hear.
Hope White says
Thank you!!! I have a 7 week old and probably have 3 drinks a week. I do wait about 1.5hours to feed after just it make myself feel better lol. Everytime I drink a beer my milk supply increases! Wine I see a slight decrease, but beer has helped my supply!
Abbey Sharp says
glad its helped!
Jenny says
I have a 5-month-old and drink 1-2 a night, slowly. I follow Jack Newman’s advice:) I sometimes feel guilty, but these articles always make me feel better. Thanks for writing it!
Abbey Sharp says
My pleasure! I am glad it was helpful, and I can totally relate to the mom guilt
Rachel says
Thankyou for writing this article- I have a young baby that’s 6 months old now but have been having a few glasses of wine every other week for a few months now. Every time I do I find myself feeling guilty and referring back to this article to give me some piece of mind. It’s so silly that we feel guilty which in fact the evidence points towards it not having harmful affects on the babe!
Thankyou for writing this article and shedding some light on this really murky topic.
Abbey Sharp says
Totally. I’m with you Rachel. Thanks for your comment
Steve says
Worst article I’ve ever read. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Using an example of fermented fruit to say other things have more alcohol in them therefore it’s ok. You admit no long term studies have been conducted but yet you say go ahead and drink away?
What about the babies propensity toward alcoholism as an adult?
What about long term effects on the babies liver and kidneys?
Sound like a bias opinion to justify your own lifestyle.
Abbey Sharp says
Thanks for your comment Steve. This article solely presented the current evidence available.
Mel says
Something tells me that you are in no position to comment on this topic given that you are neither a nursing infant or a breastfeeding mother, Steve.
Daniel says
Mel/Tracy- Abby stated at The Bottom Line, “Now I want to hear from your guys!” Just because males aren’t mothers, doesn’t mean they aren’t parents.
I’m a father, and I love my little blessings. I understand being a mother is a challenge men can not fully comprehend, but we can try!
My wife has long days/nights, and deserves relief, as do I. Though, I am concerned with our 3 month old’s ability to sleep, also the short and long term affects, as my wife consumes wine more nights than not. She’s a great mom, and I know she’s done enough research to feel fine with her decisions. I, on other hand still feel uncomfortable, so I’m conducting my own research.
Pro-drinking while breastfeeding articles are by far the minority as far as I’ve found. So as a skeptic, it would be really helpful to offer resources as to where these “studies” came from.
I don’t know what is right or wrong to this point, but I do know that I’m not sold on the evidence I’ve found to date. Not to take anything away from this article and the time put into it, but I’ve created a narrative in my head (I’m trying to erase it!) prior to reading, “if you really want to find out that something society views as bad for you, to be not bad for you for your own pleasure, it can be found on the internet.
My wife and I will be talking tonight about “feelings.” I for one believe the risk far outweighs the reward, only time will tell. Hope this goes well! Thanks for the info and opinions!
Mrsshaikh says
Lol!!!
tracey says
Steve – a man commenting….RICH. You know, the gender that has to actually deal and live with everything, right?
Bobby says
Steve when you have a baby from your body you can weigh in
Violetta says
Bobby, Steve is concerned about the baby’s health. Who cares whicH body it came from? We live in alcoholic society, drinking is a norm and we are trying to justify drinking while breastfeeding. I am breastfeeding and I was drinking, I stopped after doing extensive research . I think it’s dumb of me putting my own pleasure seeking behavior before the my child’s mental and physical health
Fiona says
Omg Steve, are you a doctor?! Have you conducted your own research?! No you say?! Then please sit down!! We do t want your opinion thank you!!
Kindal says
This was so informative and gives me so much peace of mind! I have a 1 month old and haven’t had a drink, even though I’ve wanted one, because of the information out there on the internet. Thank you!
Abbey Sharp says
Aw so happy to help! Thank you
Angela Cardamone @marathonsandmotivation.com says
This is a very informative post! I remember having concerns about this when I was nursing and had a hard time finding info…great resource here!!
Abbey Sharp says
Yes, there’s been so much more research recently. Thanks love
Brittni Stoiku says
Thank you for this article. I have myself done a lot of research on the topic, as I do engage in the occasional drink while breastfeeding with my third. With my first I exclusively breastfed for six months, no alcohol before supplementing with formula and having my first drink. After a few months of breastfeeding with my second I had my first drink, noticed a decrease in my milk so started formula feeding. Now, with three children under five, I have found myself engaging in the occasional drink. I do worry about long term effects, but to know the short term effects are minimal is reassuring. People are entitled to their opinions, but I think it’s easy to give an opinion opposing it when you’re not the one responsible for doing it.
Abbey Sharp says
thanks Brittni! Im glad this was helpful
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
I wasn’t sure whether it was a good idea or not, but I’m so glad it’s ok! I’m looking forward to some wine after these babies come out!! 🙂
Abbey Sharp says
yes!! totally.
Laura says
Fellow dietitian here, exclusively breastfeeding a 5 month old, and I have a glass of wine most nights. Maybe even 2 with hubby on the weekends ????
Abbey Sharp says
Love it! Thanks for sharing Laura
Pam says
Breastfed and drank 1-2 drinks a day! Baby boy is 85 percentile.. Walking at 12 months, chattering And sleeps through the night.
I went by the whole “if you can drive, you can nurse” philosophy, ?would try and nurse him right before a drink or as soon after, just in case! 🙂
Emily @Sinful Nutrition says
Such a great topic Abbey! Love how informative this is!
Abbey Sharp says
Thanks Emily!
Kelly says
What a great topic to dive into. I’m sure a lot of people will be happy with your findings!
Abbey Sharp says
I think so too!
Kmama says
I drink while breastfeeding! Whatever Dr Jack Newman says, goes (in my opinion).
He says the bigger issue with drinking is your ability to parent.
It’s a nice break from pregnancy, imagine having 4-5 kids spaced out every 2 years – you’d otherwise have to be sober for a decade!
Abbey Sharp says
Thanks for sharing!
Deborah Brooks says
I am sure this is quite a controversial topic which I know nothing about. Good to get people looking at it though
Abbey Sharp says
Yes, definitely!
Jill says
Thanks for this article! There’s so much conflicting info out there and I always feel guilty even after the smallest amount of alcohol. Thanks for putting it all together, I can enjoy my glass of wine guilt-free!
Abbey Sharp says
Of course! Thanks love