>Hi All
>
>I have searched the Archives for references on Alcohol consumption 
>while breastfeeding but I havent found any.


June - have another go at the archives 'cos this is often discussed. 
The first week of February this year had several posts.

>  I have read that a moderate to heavy alcohol consumption can 
>interfere with the let down reflex. poor weight gain , and 
>interferes with prolactin levels.


There's some info Hale about these aspects.

>  I have also read that it takes up to 3 hours for it to be 
>eliminated from the sytem, if a women wanted to social drink would 
>she need to express and dump  her expressed milk  if her baby was 
>going to feed before the 3 hours???


No - there is no point in pumping and dumping, as the alcohol is 
diffused back into the system....pumping and dumping does not hasten 
the process of elimination from the milk :

"Unlike urine, which stores substances in the bladder, alcohol is not 
trapped in breast milk, but is constantly removed as it diffuses back 
into the bloodstream" - this is from 
http://www.cfpc.ca/cfp/2002/Jan/vol48-jan-clinical-1.asp which is a 
good biochemical account of what happens.

In practical terms, I think it is safe to tell women that no adverse 
effects have been found from occasional moderate drinking of alcohol 
(there was one study in fact that was not replicated - see the 
Lactnet discussion) and there is no benefit to be had from pumping 
and dumping. If they really want their milk to be totally alcohol 
free they can reckon on about an hour and a half per unit of alcohol 
as the elimination time.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK

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