Baby Parenting Guide

how often should you pump your breasts when drinking alcohol and breast feeding?

I am breast feeding and wanted to drink alot this weekend cuz i just turned 19.. i was wondering how long im supposed to pump for? ok to the girl who told me to grow up?...i live in canada...19 is the legal age :P...just thought id let you all know too... and i have a baby sitter and enough milk for him...i just want to know how long after should i pump? thanks:)

Public Response to how often should you pump your breasts when drinking alcohol and breast feeding?

1. huh? just dont drink..
2. u should make sure u pump for about what the baby would normally be drinking if they fed 2 times at night then pump twice at the normal time for about how much u think they would drink. make sure u have lots of milk for the baby to drink while u r drinking and the next day when you will hungover lol have fun
3. i have no idea..but if you have a child..don't be immature and get wasted this weekend..especially if your not even a legal age to drink alcohol in the first place..your a mother now...GROW UP!
4. well the best thing is to not drink which i'm sure you know, but if you want to celebrate your birthday i would pump enough milk for the entire weekend and freeze it and then thaw it for the day i was going to use it and throw it out when the shelf life is up. you'd have to feed it through a bottle of course so if your baby never bottle feeds i would reccomend not drinking at all unless your'e going to start after the baby goes to bed. but that is considering your baby sleeps all night long and wont need to feed during the night. when drinking large quantities it's really best to pump for 12 hours to be sure it's gone. one drink is nothing. you just pump 2 hours later and throw it out but your best bet is to either not drink or try to feed with a bottle and pump beforehand.
5. If you must, a good rule of thumb is for every drink you have, wait one hour and pump & dump the breast milk. Freezing you breast milk before you drink will ensure an adequate supply while you're dumping the rest.
6. well technically you are not supposed to drink and breast feed . its not good for your child. you have to remmeber when breastfeeding the child is still getting everthing you take i your body into his/hers so put your child first. trust me i know how it is i just turned 21 and wanted to party but my baby comes 1st.
7. I'd pump like you normally would, but throw the milk out. Make sure you have enough stored in the freezer for your baby for the time you are drinking, as well as the next 12-18 hours to make sure it's fully out of your system. You can never be too careful or too safe. Have fun and store up!
8. You don't. As long as you are not intoxicated(don't feel buzzed or tipsy), you are fine to nurse. It take around an hour for your body to process 1 alcoholic beverage(1 shot, 1 glass of wine, or 1 beer). If you have 1 drink per hour and drink lots of water(because alcohol is a diuretic and will dehydrate you), you should be ok. Even if you do get drunk, there is no need to pump and dump. The alcohol does not linger in the breastmilk, it processes the same. So, if you DO get FUBAR, when you are sober, you can breastfeed again. If you need to pump because you will be away from baby for an extended period, pump(and dump) every 3 hours to keep your milk supply up.
9. This is straight from the La Leche League website and according to them it looks like you don't have to pump and dumb. Hope that helps. La Leche League's THE BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK (pp. 597-598) says: Alcohol passes freely into mother's milk and has been found to peak about 30 to 60 minutes after consumption, 60 to 90 minutes when taken with food. Alcohol also freely passes out of a mother's milk and her system. It takes a 120 pound woman about two to three hours to eliminate from her body the alcohol in one serving of beer or wine...the more alcohol that is consumed, the longer it takes for it to be eliminated. It takes up to 13 hours for a 120 pound woman to eliminate the alcohol from one high-alcohol drink. The effects of alcohol on the breastfeeding baby are directly related to the amount the mother consumes.
10. As long as your feeling tipsy dont breastfeed. When your blood alcohol is low so is the alcohol in your milk. You should pump every 4 hours to keep your supply up. Happy birthday and have fun. Im happy for you that you chose to BF. I drink occasionally and give expressed milk as well. As long as your babies safe and being watched I dont think there's anything wrong with going out occasionally. As long as its not a problem. Take care and have fun.