Is it okay to drink alcohol while breastfeeding?
A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Aug 4, 2017 at 12:26pm PDT
When Beyoncé shared a picture of herself enjoying a glass of wine over the weekend, she was quickly targeted by online trolls accusing her of being irresponsible for consuming alcohol while (they presume) breastfeeding. While it's absolutely no one else's business but the mother concerned - plus, we don't actually know if she's breastfeeding or not - that didn't seem to stop Instagram users from starting a fierce debate in the comments section alongside the picture.
"You feed your children with your breast, so why do you drink?!" one person wrote, while another added; "Beyoncé please don't be drinking too much."
Others took the picture as 'proof' that the singer is in fact feeding twins Rumi and Carter using formula, which they also chastised her for. "I guess she's not breastfeeding," assumed one user.
But, regardless of Beyoncé's choices and her naysayers, what are the recommended guidelines for drinking alcohol while breastfeeding? Registered nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed breaks it down:
"For those mothers who are wanting to have a few drinks after a nine-month stint alcohol free, but are breastfeeding, there are some pointers that are useful to know," she tells us.
A post shared by Gisele Bündchen (@gisele) on Dec 10, 2013 at 8:00am PST
Current recommendations by the NHS suggest that drinking more than two units a day on a regular basis while breastfeeding may affect your baby's development, but "any less than this is unlikely to cause harm," she says.
Although alcohol levels will enter your breast milk if you have alcohol in your blood - only around 2% of the alcohol consumed will make it into a mother's milk.
"As long as there is alcohol in your blood, it will reach your milk - albeit a tiny amount - but for this reason if you choose to drink, it's a good idea to time your alcohol consumption to minimise your baby's intake," advises Stirling-Reed
Approximately 30-60 minutes after drinking alcohol, the levels in a mother's blood and breast milk will be at their highest, according to Drink Aware. Additionally, it takes 1-2 hours for a unit of alcohol to clear from your system.
"The NHS recommends that breastfeeding mothers consume no more than one or two units, once or twice a week," she adds. "Two units equates to roughly one glass of wine and therefore if a mother chooses to have a glass, it's a good idea to wait between 2 and 4 hours (2 units) before you next feed your baby."
My drinking buddy. #neverunderestimatethepowerofawoman
A post shared by Olivia Wilde (@oliviawilde) on Oct 24, 2016 at 3:12pm PDT
"Finally, for practical reasons, there is always the option of expressing milk for baby in advance, if you know you might be having a few drinks one evening," she advises. "Remember that alcohol is not stored in breast milk and will clear a few hours after consumption."
To summarise, having a glass of wine while breastfeeding is totally fine, and everyone should give Beyoncé a break.
For more from Charlotte Stirling-Reed follow her on Twitter and Facebook, or visit her website, srnutrition.co.uk.
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