News di Alcologia

Breastfeeding and alcohol use

There are no safe levels of alcohol while pregnant. After the birth of the baby, it is best to avoid alcohol while breastfeeding.

Usually alcohol is not trapped in breast milk. However, it can lead to several complications. A mother who has had a drink before breastfeeding may note sleeping problems as well as sucking problems in the baby.

Infants whose mothers had alcohol in their milk spent less time sleeping during the subsequent 3.5 hours compared to those not exposed to alcohol in breast milk.

In addition to effects of alcohol on sleep, it gives a noticeable smell to the breast milk. This has been seen to stimulate initial sucking but overall the total milk intake is lower during a feeding.

If at all a drink is taken, a breastfeeding woman is advised to refrain from breastfeeding for at least 2 to 3 hours after the drink. This allows the alcohol level in the breast milk to drop.

The alcohol taken by the mother reaches the blood stream from which it reaches the milk. The peak levels of alcohol achieved in the milk occur at approximately 30-60 minutes after ingestion on an empty stomach and 60-90 minutes after ingestion on a full stomach.

As the level of alcohol in the blood falls, the levels in breast milk also falls. Women who have taken large amounts of alcohol are advised not to breastfeed.

It has been known from evidence that beer may act as a stimulant to breast milk production. This may be due to its ability to increase the secretion of the hormone prolactin in men and non-lactating women. This is caused by the various B vitamins or Brewer's yeast present in beer.

However, it is known that alcohol can inhibit the milk let down reflex or the milk ejection reflex in breastfeeding mothers. This has been seen at doses of 1gm/kg of absolute alcohol.

Studies have shown that if mothers are chronic alcoholics who take in an average of 50 cans of beer per week and other alcoholic beverages, they are likely to cause hormonal damages in the infant. The baby may develop a pseudo-Cushing syndrome with features of obesity, moon-face (round face) and short stature.

Tratto da: "Breastfeeding: Smoking, Drugs and Alcohol"

(Articolo pubblicato dal CUFRAD sul sito www.alcolnews.it)