During pregnancy, alcoholic beverages are prohibited. But this period is already behind … The baby is growing, and the young mother is increasingly beginning to think - is it possible to drink beer while breastfeeding?
A lot of legends go about a hop drink: beer helps increase lactation, contains nutrients and vitamins, and consists of natural ingredients. How true are these claims?
After the successful resolution of the burden, sometimes I so want to please myself with a glass of amber beer! How to combine this drink and breastfeeding?
Alcohol while breastfeeding
Breastfeeding imposes obligations and limitations on the young mother. Sometimes you really want to relax, have a glass of beer or sip a glass of wine at a common table at the table … Is it possible to drink alcohol during lactation? Can I drink beer while breastfeeding?
The intestines of the newborn are susceptible to changes in diet. The microbes necessary for its normal functioning enter the baby with mother's milk. Therefore, alcohol abuse is strictly contraindicated in breastfeeding. In the body of the baby there are no special enzymes that contribute to the breakdown of alcohol. Even a small dose can damage the health of the child.
Can I have a glass of beer during lactation? This issue causes lively debate among doctors, scientists. They have so far failed to reach consensus. Some argue that a glass of beer is acceptable for breastfeeding. Others claim that even non-alcoholic can lead to a delay in the psychomotor development of the child. Is beer acceptable for breastfeeding?
Drinking alcohol
After drinking beer, it from the digestive tract first enters the stomach, then into the intestines. It is in the intestine, in its upper section, that the absorption of alcohol begins. In the blood, it is detected in the time period from 30 to 90 minutes. It depends on whether you had a drink with food or on an empty stomach.
The field of how the alcohol will be in the blood, it manifests itself in the mother’s milk. And after the breakdown of ethanol products, blood and milk are purified. The process of removing alcohol from the body depends on the height and weight of the woman, on the strength of the drink.
Milk alcohol content
When drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, alcohol appears in milk after 30-60 minutes. If mom took a drink with food, then alcohol will get into milk in 60–90 minutes.
One serving of alcohol is eliminated from the body within 2-3 hours. This is if the weight of a nursing woman is from 50 to 55 kg. It should be borne in mind that one serving of wine is 150 ml, and beer - 330 ml. Strong alcoholic drinks (cognac, whiskey, vodka, brandy) are eliminated from the body much more slowly (up to 13 hours).
Is it worth it to drink beer while breastfeeding? Doctors recommend minimizing alcohol consumption during lactation. The occasional use of low alcohol drinks is allowed. But the dosage that is safe for the baby is unknown to modern science - a lot depends on the individual characteristics of mom and baby.
Non-alcoholic beer while breastfeeding
There is a belief that non-alcoholic beer cannot harm a baby. There is no alcohol in it, which means that its use is possible with lactation.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that in different varieties, brands of beer, the presence of alcohol from 0.1 to 2% is allowed. Even such an insignificant part of alcohol can cause digestive upset, a child’s sleep disturbance. Is it worth risking his health if, in severe cases, epilepsy or the death of a newborn is possible?
In addition, preservatives and additives are used for long-term storage of non-alcoholic beer. So is it possible to non-alcoholic beer while breastfeeding?
Drinking a glass of beer without ethanol is allowed occasionally. In this case, you need to pay attention to the quality of the drink. Artificial dyes, preservatives can provoke an allergic reaction in a newborn.
Beer while breastfeeding
Nursing mothers claim that beer affects lactation. As if after a glass of drink, a rush of milk is felt, the child eats more actively and sleeps well. Is this statement true? Can I drink beer while breastfeeding?
Ethyl alcohol contained in beer tends to lower the level of oxytocin. This hormone is responsible for the production of milk. After drinking beer, the level of oxytocin in the blood decreases, the flow of milk into the chest is blocked. It becomes harder to suck the baby. The child does not eat up and falls asleep tightly under the influence of alcohol.
It seems to a woman that her glands are filled with milk. In fact, beer accumulates in the tissues, leading to their swelling. The rush of milk is in fact only self-hypnosis.
Beer inhibits lactation, as well as the baby’s nervous system. Up to three months of age, the child’s body is vulnerable, it is not able to filter harmful substances. Fusel oils and other impurities can affect the further development of the child.
Decantation will not help get rid of the presence of alcohol in milk. Only after his blood level drops will he disappear from milk. Therefore, the question of whether or not you can drink beer while breastfeeding remains on the conscience of a young mother.
Benefit or harm?
Incompetent mothers claim that “live” beer contains many vitamins. And it is they that enter the baby's body. Indeed, unfiltered beer contains useful minerals and trace elements. But the action of fusel oils and ethyl alcohol will nullify all the beneficial properties of the drink. In beer intended for long-term storage, useful substances are practically absent. Instead of them, flavors and preservatives.
In addition, beer during breastfeeding, getting into the body of a child, can cause a violation of the heart rhythm and breathing, cause intestinal colic.
The constant intake of alcoholic beverages will lead to:
- to weight loss of the baby;
- to disorders in the nervous system;
- to a stop of development (physical, mental);
- to inflammation of the digestive system.
Why beer?
Beer, due to its bread smell, reminds lactating mothers of B vitamins. They are necessary during lactation, as they improve metabolism, increase the tone of the skin and blood vessels, and stimulate the nervous system. Vitamin D, found in brewer's yeast, strengthens the bones, teeth of the baby and his mother.
Therefore, the smell of a hoppy drink makes you want to drink a glass. In fact, it is better to revise your diet by adding the necessary components to it.
Dairy products, whole grain bread, green vegetables, bran, liver, nuts, seeds are sources of B vitamins.
Vitamin D can be found in seafood (mackerel, herring, cod liver and halibut), dairy products, oatmeal, parsley.
Why drink beer while breastfeeding, if the necessary vitamins can be found in foods? Why put a child’s health at risk?
Age
Before you allow yourself a glass of beer, you should consider that babies under 3 months old have an immature liver. Their nervous system is very sensitive to alcohol. Therefore, until the child is 3 months old, it is strictly forbidden to take any alcoholic beverages.
In specialized works of foreign authors there is a statement that beer can be breastfed after a child reaches 6 months. A single dose of low-alcohol drinks once a week will not cause harm. The decision to take beer or wine is left to the nursing mother.
Getting older, the child more and more develops the space: actively crawls, tries on the tongue all kinds of toys and little things. Care and supervision of a fidget requires increased attention. Dull mother’s reactions to alcohol can lead to injuries to the baby.
Komarovsky about beer
Excited mothers often ask Dr. Komarovsky the question: “Is it possible to breastfeed?” Evgeny Olegovich assures that there is no ban on beer. And there are cons and pros of this drink.
Pros:
- natural ingredients (hops, barley, brewer's yeast);
- the presence of vitamins of group B.
Minuses:
the presence of alcohol, preservatives and other harmful substances.
Dr. Komarovsky confirms that increased lactation after drinking beer is a myth. A graduated drink has no effect on milk production.
A glass of beer will not bring devastating effects on the child's body. But experimenting during lactation is not worth it. Therefore, Dr. Komarovsky offers such an optimal option: if you really want beer, you can use non-alcoholic. Not a can, in which there are many preservatives, but a bottle. But even in this case, it should be limited to a one-time reception.
Alcohol bans
If a nursing woman has decided to allow herself several glasses of this drink, then the following rules must be remembered.
- Do not feed the child intoxicated.
- After drinking alcohol, do not take the baby to bed.
- Do not drink alcohol on an empty stomach.
- Take into account your weight (in overweight women, decay products are excreted faster).
You should be aware that ethyl alcohol changes the taste of milk. Therefore, the baby may refuse to feed. In addition, in milk with alcohol there is a minimum of useful substances. This means that the child will not receive the necessary trace elements and vitamins.
