in January 2025 Babies 🇬🇧

Alcohol and BF vent

Feel the need to vent and wondering if any other BF mums are feeling like me in that drinking alcohol is just not worth the hassle anymore. Spent 9 months seriously looking forward to my first drink. Don't get me wrong I don't drink to get drunk but cracking open a bottle of nice red wine with my husband over dinner or enjoying an ice cold beer on a hot day are things that used to make me so happy! Anyway here we are 3 months postpartum and feeling like the joy has been dampened. The endless pumping (to get sometimes measley amounts) the bottle cleaning & sanitising, the actual bottle feeding itself (which seems to take waaaaay longer than the breast), the waking up with engorged boobs, cleaning of pumps, resentment of husband able to enjoy a drink whenever he wants without having to plan/think about it. Blah blah blah. Just starting to question if it's really worth it these days. How does everyone else get on? Enjoying alcohol was quite a big part of my life pre baby but maybe my attitude needs to change here and I need to start enjoying the sober road!

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I’ve never been a big drinker but enjoyed the odd glass here and there. Had my first and only one glass of wine which I was looking forward to one month post partum only for it to completely wreck my sleep that evening. Because of that I’ve not drank since as I’m scared it’s going to affect my sleep. It really does suck so I get it love. I’ve been wanting an Aperol spritz and a margarita but just think it’s not worth the hassle

Thankyou @Izzy nice to hear that you get it 💕

I tend to have a glass whilst I’m feeding her then it should theoretically be out the system by her next feed. deffo not quite the nice enjoyable share a bottle I had in mind but it’s something

You don’t need to pump to drink alcohol. It’s like throwing a shot of vodka in a swimming pool the amounts that could get into milk is next to nothing. It’s only not recommended because if you’re drunk you could suffocate them they are at more risk of harm.

Yep what @Aimee said is true. You’d need to have a lot for it to have affect on baby. Also please don’t ever pump and dump. Use it for the bath etc if you have had a few drinks

I’ve been told the best time to have a drink is whilst you’re feeding however the actual amount that goes through is trace amounts. The main reason people say don’t drink is your capacity to care for your baby.

Agree with the others, one drink isn't going to cause a problem, but it's up to you what you're happy to do. I haven't had a drink in over a year now, but my husband doesn't drink so it's actually not been something I felt I've missed out on. Except maybe when we were on holiday with family last summer. We're going to a wedding today and I'll probably have the toast champagne at that

Thanks all for sharing. X I think I'm just being overly cautious being a FTM.

I was the same and my boy won’t take a bottle so even more hassle, I’ve since done more reading on it and decided I’m comfortable having 2 glasses of wine and feeding still. I’ve done that maybe 3 times now and he’s been absolutely fine, no notable change in him from it and it’s enough for me to feel ever so slightly tipsy but certainly not enough to stop me being safe caring for him.

I used to love a glass of wine or a beer but exclusively breastfeeding. I will have one and feed at the same time as it should be out your system for next feed. But I 100% know what you mean- one doesn’t always do it and I’d like 2 maybe but can’t have a second so sometimes I’d rather not have any. Also I don’t like to pump as it caused me to get so engorged that using milk from the freezer means my boobs will be engorged anyway 😆 can’t win. I’m going to reassess at 6 months with breastfeeding so just accepting it for now x