"Alcohol Use During Lactation: The Folklore Versus the Science" by Julie A.
Mennella, PhD in Current Issues in Clinical Lactation - 2002.
ISBN:0-7637-1822-X.  Jones & Bartlett  www.jbpub.com
"Abstract:
For centuries, alcohol has been recommended to breastfeeding mothers as an
aid to lactation.  Folklore related that drinking a small quantity of
alcohol shortly before breastfeeding increased milk yield, facilitated milk
letdown, and relaxed both mother and infant.  Our study found that these
beliefs continue to be ingrained in current-day medical practice.  We
surveyed 410 lactating women living in the Delaware Valley about the type of
advice, if any, that they received about alcohol use during pregnancy and
lactation.  Twenty-five percent of the women reported that a health
professional encouraged them to drink alcohol; approximately half the women
(54%) reported receiving no advice at all; and the remainder (nearly 21%)
was advised to refrain from drinking.  Of particular interest is the finding
that 23% of the women whose health professional discouraged them from
drinking alcohol while they were pregnant  were encouraged to drink when
they began lactating.  In this article, I review the research, albeit
limited, on the transfer of alcohol into human milk and its effect on the
nursing mother and her  suckling  infant.  Based on this science, the
recommendation for a breastfeeding mother to drink a glass of beer or wine
shortly before nursing may be counterproductive.  While mothers may be more
relaxed after a drink, their babies will ingest less milk and their sleep
may be disrupted."

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