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Updated on 2 August 2024.
This is one of the most popular topics I share across my channels – a large percentage of breastfeeding mothers enjoy an occasional drink! (and it’s important to clarify, that’s absolutely fine).
What we’ll discuss in this blog is how alcohol enters breast milk and if you do plan to breastfeed your baby, how long you will have to wait to do it safely – time is the only thing that will clear alcohol from your breast milk. Most families are often shocked at how long it actually takes for your breastmilk to be alcohol-free. We’ll also discuss all the other possible complications of alcohol intake, like decreased milk supply.
If you plan to drink alcohol, the key is to plan ahead so that your baby can have breastmilk that is free from alcohol.
Alcohol does enter your breastmilk
The amount of alcohol in your blood is the same as the amount of alcohol in your breastmilk.
It is generally safe to enjoy the occasional glass of alcohol but there are a few factors to take into consideration, including:
- your weight,
- your food intake,
- alcohol strength,
- volume consumed,
- timing of breastfeeds
Alcohol will appear in your blood 30-60 minutes after you begin drinking, so if you do wish to enjoy an alcoholic drink, it is safest to do so immediately after a feed.
Pumping and dumping will not speed up the process
There is no need to pump and throw away your breast milk (pump and dump) as this does not speed up the elimination of alcohol from the milk.
If you have to wait a significant amount of time to feed your baby, you may need to pump to avoid breastfeeding complications (from delaying or missing a feed), including maintaining supply, mastitis or engorgement. This milk should be discarded and not fed to your baby.
The only thing that will reduce the alcohol in your milk is time
REMEMBER: The only thing that will reduce the amount of alcohol in your breastmilk is time.
The length of time it takes for your blood alcohol levels to drop down is the same time it will take for your milk alcohol levels to drop.
The feedsafe app will let you know when it’s safe to feed
Is it safe to drink alcohol while breastfeeding? The answer is yes, it can be – but you need to do it safely.
If you plan to have a drink, the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) has a great app, Feed Safe, that uses a calculation based on your weight and the time of alcohol consumption, to dictate how long you need to wait to breastfeed.
The key with this app is to always know what a standard drink is – measurement is key.
Given your blood can also measure the alcohol in your breast milk – if you have a breathalyser at home this will also give you an indication of when you can feed – just like driving on your Ps, the aim is to be 0.00% when you breastfeed.
What counts as a standard drink?
An Australian standard drink contains 10g of alcohol, 12.5 mL of pure alcohol (1)
- an average glass of white wine or champagne 12% (150mls) has 1.4 standard drinks – 7.1 standard drinks per bottle
- an average glass of red wine 13% (150 mL) has 1.6 standard drinks. – 8 standard drinks per bottle
- 30 mL shot glass (nip) of high strength spirit 40% is 1 standard drink
- a 375 mL can of full-strength 4.8% beer is around 1.4 standard drinks
- 330 mL of pre mixed spirits a full strength 5% is 1.2 standard drinks; a high strength 7% 1.8 standard drinks
It’s important to remember a typical alcoholic beverage served to us is frequently higher than a standard drink and this needs to be accounted for in your calculations.
How long will it take my breastmilk to be alcohol free?
As a general rule, it takes 2 hours for an average woman to metabolise (be free of) the alcohol from 1 standard alcoholic drink and therefore 4 hours for 2 drinks, 6 hours for 3 drinks, etc. If you’re smaller than average it may take longer, if you’re larger than average it may take less time.
The time is taken from the start of drinking alcoholic beverages. The Feed Safe app can help you work out these times more accurately.
What can often catch mothers off-guard is that often 2 glasses of champagne or white wine are nearly 3 standard drinks, meaning it’s nearly 6 hours before you can safely feed again.
The amount of alcohol presented to nursing infants through breast milk is approximately 5–6% of the weight-adjusted maternal dose (2).
Can I breastfeed after 1 drink?
The short answer is yes …but it’s probably about a 2 hour wait. Check the feedsafe app and make sure you’re aware of what a standard drink is. A glass of white wine or champagne is often at least 1.4 standard drinks.
Other things to keep in mind:
Not trying formula or a bottle for the first time in a stressful situation
This is one of the key reasons why planning ahead is so important. If you have a small baby, you’re usually on a 3-4 hours feeding cycle – which means for most women there’s only realistically time for one standard drink to clear your system before you start the next feed. If you have had too much to drink and can’t feed your baby safely, it can be very stressful if you don’t have expressed breast milk ready to go or if you’ve never tried formula before. A screaming, hungry baby that you can’t feed is exceptionally stressful – where possible avoid this situation and plan ahead.
Alcohol can decrease your supply
Consuming alcohol can interfere with your levels of prolactin, a hormone that helps produce milk (2); alcohol has also been reported to reduce milk volume and inhibit oxytocin, the hormone necessary to create milk let-downs. Decreased milk intake may lead to an increase in unsettled behaviour and less sleep. If you’re having supply issues, you may want to consider avoiding alcohol completely until your supply matches your baby’s demand.
Avoid contact napping and co-sleeping
If you have consumed alcohol, ensure you don’t contact-nap or co-sleep with your baby, because of the increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation. Alcohol also can affect the ability to safely care for a baby.
What happens if a baby drinks breast milk with alcohol?
If a baby consumes their mother’s milk while it contains alcohol, they will indeed be drinking some of this alcohol. While theoretically, it’s problematic for all babies, it’s of much more concern for smaller babies who take a lot longer to metabolise the alcohol themselves.
Any long-term consequences for the children of alcohol-abusing mothers are yet unknown, but occasional drinking while breastfeeding has not been convincingly shown to adversely affect nursing infants (2). The regular exposure to too much alcohol via human milk is thought to affect a baby’s growth and development. Regular alcohol consumed via breast milk can have harmful effects on babies, including damaging the developing brain and organs such as the liver. Your baby might seem drowsy and weak and have unhealthy weight gain.
In my opinion, recommendations aimed at maternal alcohol consumption to not drink alcohol are not warranted. Instead, lactating women should simply follow standard recommendations and timing on alcohol consumption.
There’s a common misconception that alcohol consumed in breast milk will cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) – this condition is only in relation to alcohol consumed while pregnant. Prenatal alcohol exposure is not recommended – the advice now is to consume no alcohol during pregnancy.
Jillian holds the gold standard qualification of International Board Certified Lactation Consultant ( IBCLC). She has over 10 year’s experience working closely with new mothers in the Maternity Unit setting as well as providing private consultations to new mothers in the comfort of their homes. She is also a Registered Nurse and Midwife. Jillian provides private lactation consultations in your home or – for those living outside Melbourne’s metropolitan area, Victoria or Australia – via Zoom/Facetime meetings.
All my sleep programs are breastfeeding friendly and contain modules on breastfeeding support.
Extra Resources:
- Every Moment Matters: aims to raise awareness of the risks of alcohol consumption while pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding.
- If you find you can’t stop drinking alcohol the NATIONAL ALCOHOL & OTHER DRUG HOTLINE:1800 250 015 may be helpful
- The Australian Breastfeeding Association Helpline: (1800 686 268) Free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
