Dear Lactnetters:
My name is Andrea Hofstad and I am a junior nursing student at the
University of North Dakota.  I am in my second semester of childbearing
nursing and it is a subject that fascinates me.  I am starting to
understand that mom-baby nursing isn’t just caring for well patient, but
there are also some very high risks that pregnancy entails and that happy
endings don’t always happen.  I have been interested in infant
consequences of maternal alcohol consumption.
Borges, Garrido, Cárdenas, Ibarra, and Bobadilla (1993), found that there
was no evidence of a direct relationship between maternal alcohol
consumption (either during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or in the last year)
and postneonatal mortality.  This really shocked me, especially because we
know that alcohol consumption during pregnancy contributes to Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome, which leads to low birth weight, increasing the risk or
mortality.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (2001), large amounts of
alcohol consumption can lead to drowsiness, sweating, deep sleep,
weakness, a decrease in linear growth, and abnormal weight gain in the
infant.  Little, Northstone, & Golding (2002), found that there was no
evidence linking infant exposure to alcohol via breastmilk to adverse
infant motor development.
It is common in many cultures to suggest alcohol consumption to help the
infant “sleep better” and to calm a fussy infant, especially in countries
of lower socioeconomic status.  In Mennella and Garcia-Gomez’s study
(2001) on infant sleep disturbances after acute exposure to alcohol, they
found that infants spent less time in active sleep (REM periods) and slept
for significantly shorter periods of time during the hours immediately
after alcohol exposure, which is consistent with the American Academy of
Pediatrics’ statement that heavy consumption of alcohol may increase deep
sleep states in infants.  Mennella (2001) also states that some infant
effects of maternal alcohol consumption are: decreased amount of sleep,
less milk consumption, and possible adverse effects on infant development
and early learning.  Infants who have consumed alcohol in breastmilk are
more likely to suck on alcohol-scented toys, suggesting a learned taste
for alcohol.
My questions are: If the adverse effects of alcohol consumption and
breastfeeding are now becoming clearer, why is it so difficult to change
the cultural lore that recommends alcohol to calm a fussy infant and to
make he or she sleep better?  Is there a possible link between alcohol
consumption in breastmilk and later alcohol abuse if a taste for the drug
has developed?

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Andrea Hofstad, Student Nurse
University of North Dakota

References:
Borges, G., Garrido, F., Cárdenas, V., Ibarra, J. & Bobadilla, J.  (1993).
Parental alcohol consumption and postneonatal mortality.  Journal of
Community & Applied Social Psychology, 3, 17-28.
American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Drugs.  (2001).  The transfer
of drugs and other chemicals into human milk.  Pediatrics, 108, 766-789.
Little, R., Northstone, K., & Golding, J. (2002).  Alcohol, breastfeeding,
and development at 18 months.  Pediatrics, 109, 72-78.
Mennella, J. (2001).  Alcohol’s effect on lactation.  Alcohol Research &
Health, 25, 230-234.
Mennella, J. & Garcia-Gomez, P. (2001).  Sleep disturbances after acute
exposure to alcohol in mothers’ milk.  Alcohol, 25, 153-158.

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