How much booze is in YOUR breastmilk?
Categories: Pregnancy & birth, Health & safety, Eating & nutrition, Alcohol & drugs
Via Working Dad: Ever wondered what the alcohol content of your breast milk was? Now you can know for sure! The Milkscreen is "a simple two-minute test for the detection of alcohol in breast milk." For $13.95, you get four test strips and "instructions for testing your milk for the presence of alcohol."
According to the Milkscreen web site, "Mothers around the world agree; breastfeeding is one of the most rewarding, fulfilling experiences of motherhood. But it is also full of challenges and mystery. Milkscreen aims to eliminate one mystery for nursing mothers by providing peace of mind that the milk baby drinks is alcohol free."
Perhaps I'm missing the point, but wouldn't NOT having a drink ALSO provide peace of mind that your milk was alcohol-free?
I would like to find this funny, but I actually find it a little disturbing, particularly this bit of misinformation: "Note: Pumping your milk (the 'pump and dump' method) does NOT eliminate alcohol from your breast milk. The only way to eliminate alcohol from your bloodstream is to wait a period of time." Technically, this is true; the breast milk will still have alcohol in it. But if you pump and dump, you eliminate the BREAST MILK, which eliminates the alcohol. Which eliminates any possibility that the nursing baby will consume the tainted milk.
While I'm sure this will generate discussion about whether or not breastfeeding mothers should be drinking, I'm more concerned by the idea that we need a product--a breastalyzer, if you will--to guarantee that nursing mothers don't step out of line. While the Milkscreen sounds like a Saturday Night Live skit, it's a real product, and it really speaks to our fears about women not being able to do the job of caring for children.
Milkscreen is also available by the case, for $75.33. For those big party weekends.
Special thanks to Busy Mom for the tip.
According to the Milkscreen web site, "Mothers around the world agree; breastfeeding is one of the most rewarding, fulfilling experiences of motherhood. But it is also full of challenges and mystery. Milkscreen aims to eliminate one mystery for nursing mothers by providing peace of mind that the milk baby drinks is alcohol free."
Perhaps I'm missing the point, but wouldn't NOT having a drink ALSO provide peace of mind that your milk was alcohol-free?
I would like to find this funny, but I actually find it a little disturbing, particularly this bit of misinformation: "Note: Pumping your milk (the 'pump and dump' method) does NOT eliminate alcohol from your breast milk. The only way to eliminate alcohol from your bloodstream is to wait a period of time." Technically, this is true; the breast milk will still have alcohol in it. But if you pump and dump, you eliminate the BREAST MILK, which eliminates the alcohol. Which eliminates any possibility that the nursing baby will consume the tainted milk.
While I'm sure this will generate discussion about whether or not breastfeeding mothers should be drinking, I'm more concerned by the idea that we need a product--a breastalyzer, if you will--to guarantee that nursing mothers don't step out of line. While the Milkscreen sounds like a Saturday Night Live skit, it's a real product, and it really speaks to our fears about women not being able to do the job of caring for children.
Milkscreen is also available by the case, for $75.33. For those big party weekends.
Special thanks to Busy Mom for the tip.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Monica 2-15-2007 @ 9:29AM
Think of it as peace of mind for a breastfeeding mom who wants to have an occasional drink and wants to be sure that the alcohol is all gone before feeding her child. Every body metabolises alcohol differently, so the timing is going to be slightly different for each woman. I don't see it as something that should be required, but it's a nice bonus for making someone feel more comfortable.
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Lisa J. 2-15-2007 @ 9:33AM
I was totally comfortable drinking a certain amount while breastfeeding. If my husband I and were planning to go out to dinner or if I was going out with friends, I would pump the needed milk beforehand. And I talked to my ob about how long it takes for wine to leave the system, how much to pump, ect. Just utilize a little common sense and do a little planning--no Milkscreen needed!
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mamaloo 2-15-2007 @ 9:42AM
Jack Newman latest recommendations on alcohol and nursing are that you don't need to pump and dump. That the breastmilk can still be consumed by baby.
I'm guessing he's talking about a few social drinks and not a bender, but he has even said that alcoholic mothers are still better off nursing than ff'ing - that's how strongly the science shows breastmilk is a better idea than ff, I guess. For mom and baby.
But, yes, Susan, I pick up on the Big Brother aspect of this product too.
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Gry 2-15-2007 @ 9:44AM
But if you pump and dump before all alcohol has left your body then the new breastmilk produced will also contain alcohol, which is probably why you ought to wait for the alcohol to leave your body (and, I guess, leave the breastmilk as well).
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Lisa J. 2-15-2007 @ 9:45AM
PS--That's a good point, Monica. It might be a nice thing to have around, just to be sure.
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heidi 2-15-2007 @ 10:01AM
Hmm. Ridiculous technology if you ask me. I think any mom that worried about it wouldn't drink anyway. I am comfortable having two or three spread out over an evening if I'm with the baby. On the issue, though, I'm of the "pump & dump" camp just because if you're away from the baby for long enough to get a buzz on you should be pumping anyway to maintain your supply. I love Jack Newman- glad someone mention his position on drinking.
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SKL 2-15-2007 @ 4:56PM
Has there been any research to prove alcohol in breastmilk is bad for babies?
If so, does it matter whether this happens all the time or only occasionally?
I would think that a bit of diluted alcohol in breat milk wouldn't hurt a baby. A developing embryo / fetus, yes, but an infant? Never heard of that. Of course, if it was concentrated (e.g., fed directly to the kid), I could see the danger.
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Keri 2-15-2007 @ 5:32PM
Hello, people? This is just another clever gimmick to pocket your money. Don't fall for it. If you are worried about your baby getting alcohol, simply don't drink. If you are not too worried about the alcohol being passed through milk, then by all means, drink a glass of wine/beer or two. It's not the end of the world.
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Jenny 2-15-2007 @ 5:47PM
I'm not sure why you think the pump-n-dump point is misinformation. Plenty of credible sources say the same thing (e.g. KellyMom http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html ). The alcohol is processed out of your breastmilk just as it is processed out of your blood.
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Susan 2-15-2007 @ 6:13PM
Jenny, I should clarify: I always understood pump-and-dump to be done INSTEAD of nursing; in other words, the mom empties both breasts completely, gives the baby a bottle (of formula or previously expressed breast milk), and then nurses at the next feeding.
And yes, if the nursing mother is still drunk at the NEXT feeding, she has a much larger problem on her hands.
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michelle 2-15-2007 @ 6:52PM
Breastmilk contains the same amount of alcohol as your blood alcohol level. Therefore, if you are legally drunk, (about 4 drinks for a woman) the alcohol concentration of your breastmilk is still only .08%. Hardly enough to get a baby drunk or even have an effect on the baby.
And you don't need to "pump and dump" because the alcohol will leave your breastmilk when it leaves your body. So if you drink at night and feed your baby the next morning, there won't be alcohol in your breastmilk whether or not you pump. But if you drink and then pump, but then feed your baby while you are still drunk, that breastmilk will contain alcohol.
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Jenny 2-15-2007 @ 7:36PM
I think what Kellymom says is a better way of expressing it: a person would pump-n-dump "for the mother's comfort," not because it helps with alcohol removal. One could also say one might pump-n-dump to keep up supply. But one doesn't do it because one thinks the breast is a thermos and the spiked milk must be removed. The alcohol will disappear at the same rate it does in the blood.
Personally, if I want a glass of wine with dinner I have it when I know I have 2-4 hours before my child next will nurse (either because she just nursed or because she's an older baby). That's my preference because I hate pumping.
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Ivory 2-15-2007 @ 8:13PM
Jenny has it right - milk is not in little stagnant reserves in there, and will be reabsorbed if not used. It is flushed and resupplied constantly, so the milk you had when you were drunk, and the milk your child gets 3 -6 hours later have nothing in common. Pump if you are uncomfortable, but it is perfectly safe to just wait it out and let your supply clean itself out.
That said, I am not above having a drink at dinner, and think this is a silly item. If you are drinking enough to worry that your child will be affected by your breastmilk, I would worry you are affecting your child in other ways (modeling unhealthy drinking, etc).
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