Anne Woods: A Weekend for Superheroes
North Dakota Mom Accused of Breastfeeding While Drunk
Filed under: In The News
Breastfeeding and cocktails do not go together -- or so one North Dakota mom is learning. Image courtesy of Stock Exchange.
 |
 |
 |
 |
On Monday, Anvarinia plead not guilty to charges of child neglect. Her blood alcohol level at the time of the incident is not known.
Assistant State's Attorney Carmell Mattison admits that this case is unusual: "We have seen other cases of an extremely intoxicated parent not being able to care for their child because of their intoxication level," she said. Typically, though, drunk parental neglect doesn't include breastfeeding a child while under the influence.
Shocking Parenting
Car Towed With Baby Inside
Forget something? Oh yeah, your child.
READ MORE
The Rocketeer on flickr
Mom Calls 9-11 Looking for Nanny 9-11
Let's hope she never has a real emergency.
READ MORE
Carin on sxc
Kids Switch Homes, Four Years After Hospital Mix-Up
Wouldn't you just keep the kid you'd been raising as your own?
READ MORE
jynmeyer on sxc
You're Entering a "Shcool" Zone
Spelling isn't the most important subject in this school district.
READ MORE
neatorama.com
Dad Serves Son Hard Lemonade on Accident
CPS forced him to move out of the house. Did they go too far?
READ MORE
fotologic on flickr
Sun Gives Kid Second and Third-Degree Burns
...and dad wound up in jail.
READ MORE
The Gearys on flickr
Dad Uses Taser on 3-Year-Old
Thankfully, he is now in prison.
READ MORE
Getty Images
Teacher Posts Nude Photos of Himself Online, Parents Freak Out
He must not have been very good looking.
READ MORE
mmagallan on sxc
Applebee's Serves Margarita to Toddler
The parents noticed hours later when their son started getting drowsy.
READ MORE
elvinstar on sxc
Newborn Drafted by German Army
Fortunately they realized their mistake before sending him to the front lines.
READ MORE
deonsdreaming on flickr
The case is raising all sorts of questions about alcohol and breastfeeding, specifically what amount of drinking constitutes child neglect. The La Leche League advises nursing mothers not to breastfeed while drunk, of course, but does not put a complete prohibition on drinking and nursing. "When the breastfeeding mother drinks occasionally or limits her consumption to one drink or less per day, the amount of alcohol her baby recieves has not been proven to be harmful." According to their web site, it takes two to three hours for a serving of beer or wine to completely pass through the system of a 120 pound woman, so a glass of wine with dinner is fine, as long as mom times her drinking to fall between feedings.
But, the LLL adds, "The effects of alcohol on the breastfeeding baby are directly related to the amount the mother consumes." Because of this, some experts advise nursing moms to stay away from the hooch altogether. "No matter how little you drink," cautions lactation consultant Dee Grabanski, "you are potentially exposing your baby to alcohol."
There's no word on how Stacey Anvarinia's baby is doing, or on whether her drinking is a chronic issue or just a one-time deal. Clearly Anvarinia made a poor choice when she nursed her baby while under the influence, but is her behavior criminal, or just stupid?
What do you think: Should Stacey Anvarinia be punished for neglecting her child, or does that criminalize drinking for all nursing moms? Did you ever drink while you were nursing?
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
Recently Asked
- parenting plan, can he take my child if he files before me? the child lives with me and he rarely ever takes him.. but ive been told him he files befo...
- If you kicked your college-aged child out of the house because of irresponsibility, would you grieve if your child died
- Are Parents Obsessed With Their Kids' Popularity?
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
When to Start Breastfeeding a Baby
Learn when to start breastfeeding a baby in this series of pregnancy videos with Dr. Ann Kellams.
-
How Fathers Can Relate to Breastfeeding
Daddy Brad and Daddy Clay of DadLabs believe you should try to understand what the breastfeeding mom is going through. We put our beliefs to the Breast Pump 101 test.
-
Easier Breastfeeding for Moms
Breastfeeding isn't always a magical experience, but there is a way to make it easier
-
Should to Wake a Baby for Breastfeeding
Learn if you should wake a baby for breastfeeding in this series of pregnancy videos with Dr. Ann Kellams.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 2 of 2)
6-26-2009 @ 12:46AM
Jean Palmer said...Glad to read tht so many North Dakotans see all sides of this picture.Breasteeding is not the easy snapeveryone[who isn't breastfeeding]thinks. Especially i you are overworked and overanxious. The absence of understanding by the partner is a real downer as well.
Did this mother get advice in hospital and good follow up at home? Maybe not. I do know that there were times when breastfeeding my first born, a colicky baby, if I had been a drinker I would have knocked one back. During my training a a nurs and midwife in London,England at a very prestigeous hospital we kept a few bottles of Guiness for moments of despair so maybe I should be in gaol for getting the new Mums hooked on alcohol.
The sentence of five years must be a misprint. You rarely get that for drunk driving and causing a fatality.
The mother needs help judge. Please make sure she gets it
6-24-2009 @ 1:06PM
D said...Even if she was completely bombed, the baby would only get the level of alcohol present in the mum's blood....too drunk to drive is 0.08, dead is 0.4%. Drunk enough to still manage to breastfeed is less than 0.4% alcohol in the breastmilk. Not enough to do harm, especially when you consider that gripe water with alcohol is about 3% ethanol. Yup, like a light beer. And I doubt LLL has anything to say about that product, (gripe water) drs recommend it, and you won't be arrested for giving it to your infant. (it helps them settle to sleep you know....*rolls eyes*)
It is NOTHING like putting a couple of shots of alcohol into a bottle with milk.
This is a bullshit charge, and 5 yrs in prison for mum isn't going to improve the baby's life one bit.
Reply
6-24-2009 @ 1:06PM
D said...".now drinking and just not giving a sh*t that your getting your baby plastered too is a crime "
you wouldn't BE getting your baby plastered, since the baby only gets the amount of alcohol in your blood (less than 0.5%)
You ARE however, drinking underage, which IS a crime.
Reply
7-28-2010 @ 10:53AM
momo79th said...Good Grief...can you hire writers who have at least completed ONE journalism course? How many unanswered questions are there in this story? The police went to her house and WHILE THEY WERE THERE she started breastfeeding. So, why did the police go to her house in the first place?? Surely there must have been some situation going on. What was it? The author could have easily gotten that answer. Maybe that answer would help show a pattern of problems which are not good for raising a baby and the breastfeeding while drunk is just the icing on the cake, Is there a husband/father of the baby? If so, any comment or information from him? Don't have the blood alcohol content yet. Why not? It doesn't take that long to do. You cannot expect significant comments on such a poorly reported story.
Reply
7-28-2010 @ 8:27PM
leeann said...as a mother of 6 yes i have nusred my children and was told a glass or wine wont hurt but in moderationnnnnnnnn. what ever a mother drinks or eats affects a baby. this is funny here u ahve a woman injail for goign against a court oder no drinking anf all she gets is a slap on the hand a no no dotn do that (lohan) and here u have a woman that was drunk and feeding ehr child she can get a year or so in jail for child endangerment. what if lohan was driving and hit another car wild children in it will she get waht she deserves nooooooooo becasue she is lohan in jail with cell phone and specail priviledges.becasue there is no room she wont spend her full jail term thats bulllll but they find room for ones that are not named moneyyyyyyyyyyy
Reply
7-28-2010 @ 3:12PM
Johog said...Do we all agree that all cops are just plain stupid? No I don't think so. So why would you assume that you know what was going on in this situation. Police have to do a stupid amount of paperwork for every arrest they perform. They have to live with that arrest while it goes through the courts. Something in this home scared these public servants into using the only charge they could use to protect this child. I will be the first to say that police are not infallible. They are humans and have to make some very hard decisions in situations where the only available choices are bad, worse and even worse. What would the headline have been if these police had witnessed this breastfeeding while intoxicated and left, then later the baby died of alcohol poisoning. The same people complaining about these police "abusing power" would be out for these peoples blood. Any one who has not done so should go on a ride along with their local police. Get to know what they really deal with. I am NOT a police officer and neither is any of my close friends or family. I am a simple guy that sees the way we treat these public servants as a real crime. When one of them does step over the line prosecute them fully and get them off the streets. Every good cop would agree with this as well. Do not assume you know the whole story because you read a short story without all the facts. Writers want to make us react, to feel emotion, to get angry. They may not know the facts when they right the story or they may just leave some out to sensationalize it. I do know more then a few writers and most I wouldn't trust to tell me the correct time if lying would help them get published.
Reply
7-28-2010 @ 8:04PM
pacorona said...While no one condones drinking while doing anything with or near one's children, this is another example of the law taking over, usurping parents.
When a parent smokes, this also enters the bloodstream - does this provide police with reason to arrest smokers who are breastfeeding?
It is getting totally out of hand - busybody liberals who want to make the world as they see it!
Reply