Dear Chanita,

The alcohol peaks approximately 0.5-1 hour after the woman stops
drinking (for example a glass of wine) and by 3-4 hours it's out of
the milk.  However, if she drinks for longer periods of time or drinks
a lot of alcohol, this time course may be altered.

Alcohol is not stored in the breast so a woman doesn't have to pump
the milk; the alcohol will diffuse back to the bloodstream and be
eliminated.  Refer to New England Journal of Medicine 1991; 325:
981-5).

Some of our recent work suggests that infants may be sensitive even to
small amounts of alcohol in their mother's milk.  But unlike that
which occurs during pregnancy, a nursing mother can limit her infant's
exposure by timing her breast feeds in relation to her drinking.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Julie
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Julie Mennella
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