What are the dangers of alcohol and breastfeeding?

Alcohol is okay in moderation, but it is not suggested at all when it comes to breastfeeding. It is well known that you need to intake a lot of liquid and fluid when it comes to breast feeding, but if you drink a lot of alcohol you are in fact going to put your child at risk by feeding it your breast milk.

Drinking alcohol can be dangerous when you have a child as it can cause many problems not only to your health but the childs as well. When breastfeeding it is strongly recommended that you do not drink alcohol. Breastfeeding requires a different and balanced diet which enables your child to get the best out of your breast milk. However if you mix alcohol you can make it not only an unpleasant situation for you, but more importantly for your child also. It is extremely important that you do not drink alcohol during this upbringing period, here is why.

By exposing your child to your breast milk that contains traces of alcohol you will in effect giving it a certain amount of alcohol, it will only be a small amount but it all compiles in your breast milk and by feeding it to your child you could cause your child serious damage. Alcohol can in effect a young baby much differently to a full grown adult. You see, alcohol can damage a childs brain even in small doses, and I am sure that you do not want anything bad to happen to your child.

So when you put your hands round a bottle of alcohol, think twice before drinking it, it may seem like it will make no effect to you, but by allowing it to be stored as part of your breast milk it can make the milk taste not only disgusting but it can also leave a baby vulnerable if you were to feed it with this particular breast milk. If you feed your child regular breast milk via breastfeeding then you will not want to upset the balance since it could leave you without breast milk for your child which then means you would have to seek an alternative.

Depending on how much alcohol you drink you will find that it can alter the effect on your breast milk. It is common that if you drink less alcohol it will often make the breast milk distasteful and sometimes even sour. It's always important to be giving your child the best intake of food, so take some responsibility and do not drink.

If you do have alcohol problems and are planning to have a baby, I strongly recommend that you sort out your problems before hand and then proceed. At the end of the day it is your responsibility to look after your child, and by drinking alcohol you are in effect being selfish and giving a certain percentage to the baby which as discussed above can lead to devastating results. What may seem alright for you may not be alright for your baby, think before you drink.