On a day as important as today, World No Alcohol Day, It still surprises us more that some of you ask us about whether you can consume alcohol while breastfeeding. In this sense we mean that everyone is responsible for the decisions they make, but Consuming alcohol during pregnancy and breastfeeding carries significant risks.
We are talking about continued consumption, which has important consequences for the infant. But a glass of wine or beer, which are not recommended either, you can afford by following some guidelines and tips.
Negative effects of alcohol on the mother and infant
It is convenient that during lactation you do not take no alcohol. Especially in first three months of the child's life, since the shots are very close. Once this time has passed, you can drink, if you feel like it, small amounts, sporadic and far from the intakes. We talk about a beer or a glass of white or red wine, it is indifferent, once or twice a week is a tolerable amount. If we tell you if you feel like it, because it is also very likely that your body will no longer tolerate alcohol in the same way and even one beer is too much for you.
In some cases of daily and abundant consumption, without becoming excessive, it has been proven that alcohol consumption can cause sedation, impairment, irritability, and psychomotor retardation in the infant. And in the most serious cases coma, seizures and even the death of the baby.
Regarding whether alcohol consumption causes more or less milk to be produced, there is controversy. On the one hand, it discreetly increases prolactin levels, it also sedates the infant, thereby simultaneously inhibits the mother's oxytocin secretion. Therefore milk production can be reduced.
El smell of your milk It will also be affected, if you take one or two glasses, it will become stronger. So you run the risk of your son or daughter rejecting it outright.
How long should it take before I breastfeed if I have drunk?
The highest concentration of alcohol in blood and therefore also in milk occurs between 30 and 60 minutes after its ingestion if it has been done on an empty stomach. So if after breastfeeding your child for three months, and once the feedings are more widely spaced, you want to drink a beer, it is recommended that you do so after their feeding. It is recommended that spend 3 or 4 hours until the next feeding. So the alcohol level will be low or zero.
As a guideline, since it also depends on the weight of the mother, a woman of about 60 kilos should wait two and a half hours if she drinks a glass of wine, five hours if she has drunk two thirds of beer and seven and a half hours if she drinks three glasses of liquor.
Does beer make you have more milk?
The first myth we want to discard is that beer increases milk production. What we do have to say in his favor is that 0,0% beer and non-alcoholic beer (<1%) can be drunk while breastfeeding, and there has even been an increase in antioxidant in the milk of women who consume it with certain periodicity.
The thing about this idea of beer and increased milk is that certain studies showed that the sugars found in the barley, as long as the beer is made with this cereal, they are capable of inducing the secretion of prolactin. This is the hormone responsible for the production of breast milk. So it is the barley, but not the alcohol, that can help you produce more milk.
El Barley water can be an option to beer. Obtained directly from grains, it is very rich in fiber, which helps reduce cholesterol and alleviates constipation problems. It will also provide your milk with proteins, minerals and vitamins. And due to its relaxing qualities, it will help you to give your baby a better mother, especially in the first days.
En this article You have information about the consequences of consuming alcohol during pregnancy.