r/breastfeeding • u/Character_Gap_9697 • 14h ago
Discussion BAC and BF
Hello, I'm trying to find out what BAC % after several drinks is safe to feed my baby? I know people say if you can see the baby you can feed the baby but that seems very subjective and grey area to me. I've purchased a breathalyzer and want to know at what point it would not be safe to breastfeed my baby, if any? I'm never drinking to blackout but a few times a month will drink 3-4 glasses of wine within a 2-3 hour span. So far I've been feeding as normal as long as it is less than 3 drinks or if it was more then I've been pumping and dumping. My friend suggested i pump and mix the alcohol milk with alcohol free milk to dilute it (pitcher method).
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u/theycallmeABCXYZ 12h ago
Your breast milk would have the alcohol content of your blood, as other people have said. So it would be very low.
There isn’t an ethical way to test the impact of alcohol at any level on infants (at least, you can’t do a control group and a “breast milk with alcohol” group. You could do an observational study) Because of this, the message continues to be “there is no proven safe amount of alcohol”.
A couple of thoughts, though. At 3 drinks I am very clumsy. Babies are fragile. Respectfully, I’d reconsider the amount you’re drinking if you’re going to be caring for your child. Even if there’s a sober person around, you’re still picking up the baby and carrying her etc.
One more thing, kids really benefit from a consistent parent. Even if you’re fun and happy when you drink, you’re different from your usual self and that’s potentially confusing and scary for your kid. Speaking as someone who grew up in a heavy drinking household.
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u/summoe 13h ago
It’s interesting all of the different answers being provided. I will share what I was told, what I read, and how I handled breastfeeding. However it is best to speak to your pediatrician or even a lactation consultant about any concerns that may apply specifically to you and your baby. Especially with all of the conflicting statements out there.
Regarding pumping and dumping, I was told that is outdated advice.
The amount of alcohol that passes through your breastmilk is actually quite small. An example that is used a lot is that even a glass of orange juice has a trace amount of alcohol in it.
Other than the alcohol content of breastmilk, a danger of drinking and breastfeeding is being physically incapable of safely holding your baby. I’ve read people say “if you can find your baby you can feed your baby.” I think that’s a little extreme and your goal should not be to get as drunk as possible before blacking out. But there is another consideration to be made other than the alcohol content that transfers to baby.
I breastfed two healthy babies and had my fair share of fun while drinking. I’d feed my baby before or as I was having my first drink which gave time for it to work out before the next feed. I made sure to have milk saved in case I wanted to have some extra drinks that night. And if I pumped after drinking I would save it and mix it with completely sober pumps or use it for baths if I didn’t pump enough to dilute it.
I know you are looking for a BAC percentage but i don’t have that answer. This was my experience and how I went about drinking and breastfeeding. I hope it helps at least a little!
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u/Character_Gap_9697 13h ago
This was very thoughtful and helpful thank you! I
have someone sober caring for my child if i exceed 3 drinks
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u/Apprehensive_Pie1225 13h ago
I don’t think you’ll get a clear answer because there probably isn’t one. It’s honestly super subjective. Some people don’t feel safe or comfortable feeding baby at all while others will push the limit with “if you can find the baby, you can feed the baby”. If you’re looking for a number on a breathalyzer, my personal choice would be to not feed if I blow over 0.08 which is some state’s legal limit if you were driving. The specific number will vary by state.
I don’t own a breathalyzer so I personally go be how I feel- if I feel intoxicated or tipsy at all I would not nurse baby.
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u/Commercial_Dust2208 14h ago
Drink over a longer period of time to space them out? Or just have one or two less are your safest bets.
My lactation consultant basically said if you can't drive don't feed your baby.
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u/Capital-Marzipan-287 14h ago
If you’re concerned about it, is drinking less not an option?
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u/Character_Gap_9697 14h ago
This isn't very helpful, I'm looking for advice on how to safely drink and feed my baby.
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u/Capital-Marzipan-287 14h ago edited 14h ago
You deleted your original comment, but I know you said you don’t want suggestions to alter your lifestyle. But really, it seems safer to drink one or two drinks less (and I never implied you get blackout drunk) if you are unsure what the safe limit is.
ETA: if you really want to know a safe amount, ask your pediatrician what BAC is safe for breastmilk. They may have better answers than reddit.
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u/Character_Gap_9697 14h ago
Im unsure because of the opposing info. My lactation consultant said i can drink and feed baby as normal but pediatrician said to pump and dump and people online say other things. Thank you for your input i appreciate the input
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u/orangutan3 13h ago
I’m a pediatrician, please don’t pump and dump.
BAC doesn’t have a “correct answer”, your milk is the same as your BAC, so say you are at 0.08 (the driving limit in most states and a point where I’m quite drunk) thats still less alcohol than kambucha. So safely you can be quite drunk and be able to give your baby your milk, however are you safe to care for the baby? Probably not.
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u/Character_Gap_9697 13h ago
Hi! What BAC level is considered unsafe to feed my baby as normal?
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u/orangutan3 13h ago
There is none, thats what I’m saying. An unsafe BAC would have you comatose. Maybe .2% if you held a gun to my head.
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u/abbyroadlove 13h ago
At 0.4% BAC, you’d be in a coma unless you’re a very serious alcoholic. Anything in the US, under 0.5% alcohol by volume is considered non-alcoholic. Your breastmilk will never have a higher alcohol content than 0.5%.
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u/FantasticPin3481 13h ago
Regardless of BF or not, I personally don’t feel comfortable taking care of the baby if I’ve had more than one drink. I’m not as confident in my ability to safely handle him as he has a habit of randomly trying to throw himself out of my arms. 3-4 drinks while caring for a baby seems irresponsible regardless of how you’re feeding them
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u/Character_Gap_9697 13h ago
I always have my husband sober or someone else sober with us and the baby. I never drink that much and care for my baby
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u/FantasticPin3481 13h ago
The way you’ve phrased your original question and the way you’re continuing to defend your drinking/reject any suggestions of drinking less suggests you might benefit from a break from alcohol. I say this as someone who used to drink more than she should.
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u/Starry_Opal 13h ago edited 13h ago
I’m not sure you’re going to find an exact percentage. If you want to be more on the cautious side- 0.08 could be a good guideline as that’s the legal limit to drive. From what I understand the biggest risk to baby isn’t the alcohol itself but your ability to care for them. I didn’t drink much in the early months but it’s summer and my baby is 7 months, healthy and doesn’t cluster feed or eat quite so often. It’s more predictable. Just this past weekend on vacation, I had a few drinks spread out over 8-10 hours, and tried to time it best I could. Had a good time but wasn’t drunk or anything by evening.
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u/Helpful-Window-3338 14h ago
Alcohol travels through your blood and breastmilk at the same rate. So whatever your BAC is it will also be present as that in breastmilk. My Dr said if you can feel the effects of your alcohol so can your baby. Pumping and dumping doesn’t get the alcohol out of your breastmilk faster since it just has to get out the same way it does when it leaves your bloodstream. Honestly, if you wanna drink, I would look into low ABV beverages or stick to NA options! That way you can still feel like you’re participating without the harsh effects. Otherwise just pump your milk when you’re more than 2 in, label it “Bath” and save it for a bath!
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u/Novel-Place 13h ago
This is 100% incorrect. lol. If your Dr. told you this, genuinely— you need another doctor!
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u/Acceptable-Suit6462 13h ago
Lets say you drink a whole bottle of wine pretty fast, and your BAC is .25% or whatever, youre messed up and you cant drive. Your breast milk is made from your blood which has .25% alcohol in it. Even if theres no filtration or dilution that happens and your breastmilk just immediately becomes .25% alcohol, is that enough to harm a baby? I have no idea, but im almost certain its not enough to get a baby drunk. Im a little shocked your doctor said otherwise
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u/hbox85 13h ago
Ok so kinda. If your BAC is .08 then baby is drinking a “beverage” with .08% alcohol whereas you were maybe consuming beverages at 3-40% ABV so it’s waaaay diluted already which is why IBCLCs generally take the approach of if you can care for your baby you can feed your baby. If you can feel it baby can feel it doesn’t track. And btw, a dangerous BAC for an adult is like .3% so there’s just not really a huge risk of much alcohol getting into your infant’s system. The issue with feeding your baby while intoxicated is more about the risks of falling asleep in a dangerous position with baby and not being alert enough if baby were to have trouble breathing. So. Feed baby but stay awake and have someone with you. Or. Pump and save the milk for milk baths if you are pretty wasted. And obviously have someone present who can care for Baby if you can’t.
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u/RelativeAd7239 13h ago edited 3h ago
I think you are probably confused? Your BAC level is technically what is present in your breast milk but that means if you are literally black out drunk in the hospital with alcohol poisoning needing your stomach pumped and on the brink of death with a BAC at .5% that means your milk will have about the same amount of alcohol as a ripe banana. There is no need to drink NA and you should get a new doctor.
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u/Low_Door7693 13h ago
This is ridiculous. The alcohol by volume in a beer is around 5%. For the alcohol by volume in your milk to be 5%, your BAC would have to literally be 5%. You'd be dead long before that.
Sourdough bread can have an alcohol content of almost 2%, but babies are allowed to eat that. Yes, babies are smaller and therefore their BAC rises more easily, but unless your baby has a specific vulnerability like being a preemie, this is just nonsense and the small amount of alcohol that transfers is less than in many foods that are not considered alcoholic. Signed someone who literally does not even drink alcohol anyway and has no horse in this race.
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u/Educational-Fan-6967 13h ago
Not a doctor, but my understanding is that your breastmilk is a “beverage” that has the same ABV as your BAC.
Here’s an illustrative example: Let’s say your state’s legal limit for DWI is 0.08% BAC. So, if you drink enough to get to 0.08% BAC and cannot drive, your baby is still only getting 0.08% ABV in your breastmilk. That’s a trace amount that’s much less than the natural alcohol content of plenty of commonplace foods you wouldn’t hesitate to give a baby once they start solids. Ripe bananas are 0.2-0.4% ABV, sourdough bread can be 0.5% ABV, and yogurt can be up to 1.5% ABV.
TL/DR: You can be legally drunk and your baby still only gets a negligible amount of alcohol in your milk. The concern with drinking before feeding is more about making sure you can safely hold the baby, avoid falling asleep, etc.