Laurie mentioned that some mothers might want more quantitative
information on the possible hazards of drinking and breastfeeding.

On this topic, Dr. Newman points out that, in many U.S. states, driving
while intoxicated is legally defined as a blood alcohol level of .08%,
which for a 140-pound woman might be achieved with three drinks in a
two-hour period (this varies tremendously, by individual tolerances,
whether the drinks are consumed with food, etc. Personally, after three
drinks I couldn't even *find* a car.)

Since alcohol levels in breastmilk approximate that of the blood, the
level in the breastmilk of an *intoxicated* mother is .08% or
eight-hundredths of one-percent -- which is a pretty low "proof," since
Dr. Newman points out that "non-alcoholic beer" can have .1 to .6
percent alcohol -- note the shift of the decimal point.) If a baby is
drinking a couple ounces of milk at this level, he felt the exposure was
low.

This information might be useful to share with mothers who feel that
somehow even a single drink concentrates in their milk and transfers a
pretty potent brew to the baby.

Not that we'd encourage drinking.  If someone has a drinking problem,
that's also a problem for her baby, regardless of how he or she is being
fed.  If a mother is regularly getting intoxicated, she's not providing
what that baby needs on so many levels.  But making breastfeeding seem
like part of a normal life, where one might have a beer at a summer
barbecue, that's all to the good.

Margaret Wills, LLLL, IBCLC

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