Drank too much while breastfeeding

[Anonymous]

Accidentally drank too much at a BBQ last night. Didn’t have a chance to eat dinner which was (I think) the reason. I feel terrible and now am up worrying about my baby (5 weeks). She is asleep and seems fine, but I am a mess. Has this happened to anyone before? Was baby ok? What exactly are the risks from one night of drinking too much and breastfeeding? Anything I should do now?
Thanks!

[Anonymous]

2-3 hours per drink before breastfeeding again is what I followed. This is just one time, baby will be fine!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2-3 hours per drink before breastfeeding again is what I followed. This is just one time, baby will be fine!

Thanks. I have no idea what I was thinking! I nursed him 3 times when I should NOT have been driving. Feel like the absolute worst parent on the world right now…

[Anonymous]

Op here again. Baby woke up to nurse at 6. Seems fine, but she did sleep longer than usual. How would I know if she was affected by last night? What are the continued risks? Or is she probably ok?
We were at a neighborhood (outdoor) gathering, so driving wasn’t an issue. And it was so nice to be outside in good weather and see our neighbors. But I probably had 4 cocktails over 5 hours? Maybe even 5. And I nursed her throughout that time without a thought.
I am a basket case and so upset with myself. What was I thinking?!

[Anonymous]

its going to be ok.

for real.

its going to be ok.

one time i was so happy to be out. DS was maybe 8weeks? met friends at Beck's. Got a seafood tower. Raw oysters, lobsters, the whole 9. had a class of champagne. nursed baby. didn't want to leave, bc i was having such a nice time with my friends.

12 hours later he had electric green poop from the raw bar! totally ok. he's a super energetic and bright four year old now.

PP, its gonna be ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:its going to be ok.

for real.

its going to be ok.

one time i was so happy to be out. DS was maybe 8weeks? met friends at Beck's. Got a seafood tower. Raw oysters, lobsters, the whole 9. had a class of champagne. nursed baby. didn't want to leave, bc i was having such a nice time with my friends.

12 hours later he had electric green poop from the raw bar! totally ok. he's a super energetic and bright four year old now.

PP, its gonna be ok.

I just wish I knew the risks of what I did. Is it that she could get brain damage? Is it that she would stop breathing after nursing milk that has a lot of alcohol in it? Is it bad for her liver? Will her stomach be upset? I’m just sitting here holding her. I love this baby so much it hurts. How could I have been so irresponsible?

If anyone else has accidentally gotten drunk and nursed, I would really appreciate hearing how your baby reacted

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry but you didn’t get drunk “accidentally”—you had 4 or 5 cocktails, nobody poured them down your throat and you knew what you were doing for at least 3 of those drinks.

You can’t rewind the past, but you can control the future. You know now that you need to stick to one drink until you stop nursing. And if that means switching to formula earlier than planned, that is fine. Make sure to eat healthfully and stay hydrated in general. Stop wallowing about last night and just tighten up and do better next time.

[Anonymous]

Fetal alcohol syndrome

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry but you didn’t get drunk “accidentally”—you had 4 or 5 cocktails, nobody poured them down your throat and you knew what you were doing for at least 3 of those drinks.

You can’t rewind the past, but you can control the future. You know now that you need to stick to one drink until you stop nursing. And if that means switching to formula earlier than planned, that is fine. Make sure to eat healthfully and stay hydrated in general. Stop wallowing about last night and just tighten up and do better next time.

And I’m not trying to be mean, though I know it came off that way. I think this is your “come to Jesus” moment. You’re a parent now and have to make choices differently than you did before.

I do think you should introduce formula sooner than later; even if you still breastfeed.

[Anonymous]

Ugh OP ignore these fools. The amount of alcohol that ends up in breast milk is really miniscule. Did you know fruit juice contains small amounts of alcohol? You gave you baby fruit juice, not a glass of wine.

[Anonymous]

I think the baby is fine here but I also think you have a drinking problem. You can’t “accidentally” drink five drinks instead of two. You were nursing the baby the whole time. You DO know “what you were thinking.” You just don’t want to say it. It’s not some mystery.

[Anonymous]

From one night the risk is basically nothing. Don’t do it again though. Next time, feed formula or previously pumped milk until you sober up.

Over time, excessive alcohol consumption could lead to shortened breastfeeding duration due to decreased milk production. Excessive alcohol consumption while breastfeeding could also affect the infant’s sleep patterns and early development.
https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-special-circumstances/vaccinations-medications-drugs/alcohol.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:its going to be ok.

for real.

its going to be ok.

one time i was so happy to be out. DS was maybe 8weeks? met friends at Beck's. Got a seafood tower. Raw oysters, lobsters, the whole 9. had a class of champagne. nursed baby. didn't want to leave, bc i was having such a nice time with my friends.

12 hours later he had electric green poop from the raw bar! totally ok. he's a super energetic and bright four year old now.

PP, its gonna be ok.

I just wish I knew the risks of what I did. Is it that she could get brain damage? Is it that she would stop breathing after nursing milk that has a lot of alcohol in it? Is it bad for her liver? Will her stomach be upset? I’m just sitting here holding her. I love this baby so much it hurts. How could I have been so irresponsible?

If anyone else has accidentally gotten drunk and nursed, I would really appreciate hearing how your baby reacted

You are delusional. This wasn’t an accident. This was you! You were there. You know exactly what you were thinking.

[Anonymous]

Drinking while nursing is not nearly the same as drinking while pregnant.

But even if you’ve refilled your glass a few times, there is very, very little alcohol in your milk—and very little ingested by your baby. If a 150-pound nursing mom downs four alcoholic drinks—say, four 5-ounce glasses of table wine—and then breast-feeds her 13-pound baby 4 ounces of milk when she’s at her tipsiest, her baby will end up with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.0038 percent—the same blood alcohol concentration her mom would have after consuming a mere 1.5 ounces of Bud Light (one-eighth of a 12-ounce bottle). Babies break down alcohol more slowly than adults do, but since they consume so little alcohol from breast milk in the first place, this difference “should have no clinical significance,” researchers concluded in a recent research review on the topic. Ultimately, there is a higher concentration of alcohol in some fruit juices—which can contain up to 0.1 percent alcohol due to fermentation of the sugars—than there is in the breast milk of a tipsy nursing mom. (Importantly, though, don’t confuse drinking while nursing with drinking while pregnant. Alcohol goes straight from an expectant mom’s bloodstream through her placenta. A fetus will have the same blood alcohol concentration as her mother. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have a drink while pregnant, but it’s a different calculation.)

https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/12/breast-feeding-and-alcohol-its-fine-to-drink-while-nursing.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Accidentally drank too much at a BBQ last night. Didn’t have a chance to eat dinner which was (I think) the reason. I feel terrible and now am up worrying about my baby (5 weeks). She is asleep and seems fine, but I am a mess. Has this happened to anyone before? Was baby ok? What exactly are the risks from one night of drinking too much and breastfeeding? Anything I should do now?
Thanks!

It’s completely fine. Your baby won’t have anything happen to her as a result, now or in the future. You can relax.