How Long To Wait To Breastfeed After Drinking 5 Beers?

October 17, 2022 Stacey Stewart

Drinking alcohol is not completely forbidden if you’re breastfeeding.

But alcohol DOES get into your breast milk.

In order to breastfeed safely, you need to know when you can resume nursing again after drinking.

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How much alcohol gets into breast milk?

At whatever time you breastfeed or pump, the same amount of alcohol that’s present in your bloodstream is also in your breast milk.

If you choose to drink alcohol while breastfeeding, it’s best to try to avoid nursing again until the alcohol has completely cleared from your breast milk.

The more you drink, the longer it takes the alcohol to clear from your milk.

The level peaks about 30-60 minutes after drinking and then gradually falls as your body works to clear it from your system.

Consider the strength and volume of how much you’re consuming.

One drink of alcohol is:

12 ounces (355 milliliters) of 5% beer
5 ounces (148 milliliters) of 11% wine
1.5 ounces (44 milliliters) of 40% liquor

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How long should I wait to breastfeed after drinking?

You should wait AT LEAST 2 hours for every standard drink you consume before breastfeeding again.

So if you drink 5 standard beers, you should wait at least 10 hours before you drink again. (This is a rough estimate without factoring in your weight.)

To see how long you should wait to breastfeed after drinking 5 beers, click here for a free alcohol and breastfeeding calculator.

DID YOU KNOW?

Food delays alcohol metabolization.

So you may need to wait even longer if you're eating and drinking at the same time. To be extra safe, use alcohol test strips before breastfeeding again to make sure the alcohol has left your bloodstream

Should I pump and dump my breast milk?

Pumping and dumping (which is expressing milk and throwing it away) will not speed up the process to clear alcohol from your bloodstream and breast milk. Time, and nothing else, will do that.

Pumping and dumping CAN be helpful when you’re drinking over a long period of time or if you’ve consumed multiple drinks.

If you’ll be missing breastfeeding sessions while drinking, pumping and dumping will help you maintain your milk supply and avoid engorgement. You should throw away this breast milk, however, because it’s not safe for baby to consume.

Tips for Drinking Alcohol While breastfeeding

PRO-TIP #1:
Having a stash of breast milk in your freezer is perfect in case you ever drink more than you expect and can’t breastfeed your baby safely.

PRO-TIP #2:
If you know you’ll be drinking, pre-pump your breast milk beforehand and refrigerate it ahead of time.

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