Do I have to throw away my breastmilk?

[joannek]

so if one gets food poisoning like salmonella or e.coli, it doesn't go thru into the breastmilk?

re: alcohol, during the 16mths that i was breastfeeding, i had 2 episodes having too much alcohol, one time i had a bottle or 2 of champagne during 4hours, the other time, i had 1/3 bottle of whisky during 4-5 hours. how long was i supposed to wait for the alcohol to get out of my system? i waited 12 hours (i had a hang over for the next 3 days!!)

 

[LLL_Sarah]

So if one gets food poisoning like salmonella or e.coli, it doesn't go thru into the breast milk?

Correct.

Taken from Breastfeeding Answer Book, Third Revised Edition (2003) page 537

If a mother has food poisoning breastfeeding can continue.

When a mother eats a food that is contaminated with specific bacteria or toxins, she may develop “food poisoning” which can cause vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea. Food poisoning may be caused by botulism, listeriosis, salmonella, shigella, cigutera, e. coli or other bacteria.

In the vast majority of cases, food poisoning remits within a few days causing no further problems. It poses no danger to the breastfeeding baby, although the breastfeeding mother with diarrhoea and vomiting should be encouraged to drink enough liquids to maintain her fluid balance and avoid dehydration.

Some mothers may contract such a serve case of food poisoning that antibiotics are needed, most of which are considered compatible with breastfeeding. Depending upon which bacteria are involved, other precautions may be recommended to prevent airborne or direct-contact transition between mother and baby, such as careful hand-washing and wearing a mask while breastfeeding (Lawrence and Lawrence, pp 564-66)

I also read a research report about introducing the salmonella bacteria to newborn calves. It took the cows around two hours to start producing the antibodies to salmonella in their milk. (I’m sure you can understand why we can’t repeat this experiment with human newborns.)

Best wishes,
SARAH

 

[LLL_Sarah]

Alcohol

The question of how much alcohol your body can mange and how much actually gets through into the milk is very individual and depends on many things including the amount you drink, the space of time you drink it in, how much you weigh, how much muscle mass you have and if you drink it alone or with other foods.

As I said earlier small quantities of alcohol are compatible with breastfeeding, however, large quantities are not. But let us remember that large quantities of alcohol are not compatible with parenting a baby whether you are breastfeeding or not.

The following is taken from Medications in Mothers Milk (Twelfth Edition) 2006 by Thomas W. Hale, PhD, pages 322 & 323

Ethanol

Trade Name: Alcohol
Uses: Depressant
AAP: Maternal Medication Usually Compatible with Breastfeeding

Significant amounts of alcohol are secreted into breast milk although it is not considered harmful to the infant if the amount and duration are limited. The absolute amount of alcohol transferred into milk is generally low. Beer, but not ethanol, has been reported in a number of studies to stimulate prolactin levels and breast milk production. Thus it is presumed that the polysaccharide from barley may be the prolactin-stimulating component of beer. Non-alcohol beer is equally effective.

In a study of twelve breastfeeding mothers who ingested 0.3 g/kg of ethanol in orange juice (equivalent to 1 can of beer for the average woman), the mean maximum concentration of ethanol in milk was 320 mg/L. This report suggested a 23% reduction (156 to 120 mL) in breast milk production following ingestion of beer and an increase in milk odor as a function of ethanol content.

Excess levels may lead to drowsiness, deep sleep, weakness and decreased linear growth in infant. Maternal blood alcohol levels must attain 300 mg/dl before significant side effects are reported in the infant. Reduction of letdown is apparently dose-dependent and requires alcohol consumption of 1.5 to 1.9 g/Kg body weight. Other studies have suggested psychomotor delay in infants of moderate drinkers (2+ drinks daily). Avoid breastfeeding during and for 2-3 hours after drinking alcohol.

In an interesting study of the effect of alcohol on milk ingestion by infants, the rate of milk consumption by infants during the 4 hours immediately after exposure to alcohol (0.3 g/Kg) in 12 mothers was significantly less. Compensatory increases in intake were then observed during the 8-16 hours after exposure when mothers refrained from drinking.

Adult metabolism of alcohol is approximately 1 oz in 3 hours so mothers who ingest alcohol in moderate amounts can generally return too breastfeeding as soon as they feel neurologically normal. Chronic or heavy consumers of alcohol should not breastfeed.

Pregnancy Risk = D
There is positive evidence of human fetal risk, but the benefits from use in pregnant women may be acceptable despite the risk (e.g. if the drug is needed in a life-threatening situation.)

Lactation Risk = L3 – MODERATELY SAFE
Controlled studies show only minimal non-threatening adverse effects. Drugs should only be given if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the infant.

(If you want the references to this please contact me at [email protected])

From Breastfeeding Answer Book, Third Revised Edition (2003), page 598

Alcohol passes freely into the mother’s milk and has been found to peak about 30 to 60 minutes after consumption (Lawton 1985). Alcohol also passes freely out of the mother’s milk and her system. It takes a 120 pound woman about two to three hours to eliminate from her body the alcohol in one serving of beer or wine (Schulte 1995).

However, the more alcohol that is consumed, the longer it takes for it to be eliminated. It takes up to 13 hours for a 120 pound woman to eliminate the alcohol from one high-alcohol drink. The effects of alcohol on the breastfeeding baby are directly related to the amount the mother consumes.

In your case it may be that stopping breastfeeding for 12 hours was a very sensible thing to do. Do remember that having a hangover doesn’t necessarily mean that you still have alcohol in your system it could mean that your body is dehydrated.

Best wishes,
SARAH

 

[joannek]

thanks a lot, Sarah. thank you very much for taking the time to clarify these points.

yes, and i totally agree that drinking a large amt of alcohol is defintely not compatible with parenting!!

 

[nikimom]

learnt so much, thanks alot to all.
so i finally gave the milk to my daughter and she is fine and happy, no sign of food poisoning and i'm also happy that i dont have to throw away my milk

thanks again