Family & Education

Danger: Alcohol And Breastfeeding!

You'd like to toast the birth of your new baby, too, but you're breast-feeding. You don't want a drunk newborn, but you really want that glass of Champagne. What REALLY happens if you drink while breast-feeding? Enlarge

Danger: Alcohol And Breastfeeding!

You'd like to toast the birth of your new baby, too, but you're breast-feeding. You don't want a drunk newborn, but you really want that glass of Champagne. What REALLY happens if you drink while breast-feeding?

Step 1: Best Case

Drink up! Pretty much everyone, from La Leche League to the American Academy of Pediatrics agrees that you won't harm your baby if you have an occasional glass of wine or beer, especially if you wait 3 hours before nursing.

Step 2: Worst Case

Don't get carried away! An occasional drink is one thing, but too much alcohol can reduce milk production and make your baby fussy or sluggish. It can also affect your baby's motor development and disturb sleep cycles. In addition, too much alcohol can make you unsteady, which can affect your ability to nurse your baby properly.

Toast yourself and then stop after one. According to the experts, a drink a day or less is probably okay, but heavier alcohol use could cause problems. You have the facts, now you make the call.