"Can I drink and breastfeed?"

This post is for ALL parents and carers of babies.

That is: breastfeeding mothers, bottle-feeding mothers, fathers, grandparents, nursery staff, and all other caregivers.

It's that time of year again! Spring is springing. The sun is coming out. People are wanting to sit out in a beer garden or fire up the barbecue. The same question is ricocheting around breastfeeding groups...

"Can I have a drink?"

"Will I need to pump and dump?"

"How much is safe?"

"Am I going to harm my baby?"

Let me remind you, in case you're tempted to wander off, this post is for EVERYONE, not just breastfeeding mums. Hold tight to your hats, here it comes:

If you are the responsible adult caring for a baby DO NOT GET WANKERED.

["Wankered": drunk, pissed, blottoed, plastered, bladdered, out of your tree, off your face, trollied, hammered, pickled, merry, sloshed, inebriated, mashed, wasted, boozed up, pie-eyed, out of it, paralytic, battered, intoxicated, legless, mullered, rat-arsed, squiffy, smashed, tanked, wrecked, sozzled, spangled]

You're shocked at this advice, I can tell.

This applies no matter how you feed your baby. It's important you're sober enough you won't fall asleep holding them, or fall asleep with them in your bed, or worse, on the sofa.

Now, don't get me wrong, lots of parents do let their baby sleep in their bed, and it's important to acknowledge it's possible to do this safely. But after you've been drinking is not it.

It isn't just bedsharing that is an issue, either.

A drunk parent making up a bottle can make mistakes, get the amount of water:powder wrong, not use hot enough water to kill the bacteria, or not cool it down enough and scald the baby.

A hungover parent is likely to make mistakes, and feel absolutely rubbish into the bargain.

Everything we do has risks, including driving, or, for that matter, leaving the house. The truly safest option for everyone (breastfeeding or not) is to never drink at all. Alcohol consumption comes with a diverse list of risks. That said, the exposure to breastfed babies of alcohol via their mothers' milk is minimal. It follows that the risk is also minimal. It's slightly higher for very young babies, but still low.

Breastfeeding mums are subject to the same rules as everyone else when it comes to drinking alcohol. You will cause harm to your child by being pixellated and cocking something up way before your milk becomes unsafe. You'll probably be getting your stomach pumped before your boobs get boozy, to be honest.

Add to this, the more we restrict what breastfeeding mothers can eat or drink or do, the quicker they are likely to stop. Given that breastfeeding is healthy and important, we shouldn't be erecting arbitrary barriers to it.

Mothers say things like, "I want my body back", or "I want my life back". I understand. Most of the time, they don't want to go partying and pickling their liver three times a week. They just want a glass of wine with their meal, or in the bath after the baby is asleep. This shouldn't be a barrier to breastfeeding.

It's not just booze, either. Many people think they need to cut out the things they avoided in pregnancy (you don't). They miss rare steak, some cheeses and types of fish, pate, tea coffee... Baby might have an allergy or intolerance, which further limits what mum can eat. She might've been told her baby's tummyache is because she ate sprouts, or the nappy rash is because she ae oranges or tomatoes. She might've been told she can't have peanuts (nonsense!) or honey (collywobble!) Or that she can't have spicy or garlicky foods (I'd have starved!) She might have been told she can't dye her hair, or get a tattoo. Or she shouldn't breastfeed while out and about, or in front of other people* (absolute horse-apples!)

Beside a genuine allergy or intolerance, you don't need to cut anything out. Just be sensible when it comes to caffeine and alcohol. That's it.

So: RELAX. Having a glass with dinner is fine.

You don't need to pump and dump. Throw that lovely milk away?? Please, no!

The NHS advises waiting a couple of hours after a drink before feeding the baby. They have to say this, because they don't (can't) endorse alcohol consumption at all. This is important to keep in mind, because babies' feeding patterns are not always predictable, so this advice isn't always realistic.

Your milk is fine and healthy for your baby. I bet you, dollars to doughnuts, if you ate nothing but fast food and drank gin every day, your milk would still be better for your baby than anything you could buy in a tin. I mean, your health would suffer, but your milk would still be fine.

YOU are enough for your baby. A glass of vino with your dinner doesn't change that.

Just don't get completely spangulated, and don't bedshare.

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* Women in England and Wales have the legal right to breastfeed anywhere they and their baby are legally allowed to be, and it's illegal to ask them to move. Anyone expecting a baby to eat in a toilet should sit on a cactus.

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I originally posted this on Facebook. It has been updated for Vocal.

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