Drinking, Breastfeeding & Child Development

Researchers studied the the effects of drinking by breastfeeding mothers on the later development of their children.

The scientists recorded women’s drinking during pregnancy. And they also recorded the same data at eight weeks and one year after the women gave birth.

Sixty-one percent of the breastfeeding women were drinking alcohol eight weeks after birth. Seventy percent were consuming alcoholic beverages 12 months postpartum.

Most women had 14 or fewer drinks per week and had fewer than three drinks per occasion. They also used ways to minimize alcohol in their milk. For example, by the timing of their drinking.

Findings

The researchers collected data on breastfeeding duration as well as infant sleeping and development. They adjusted for confounders and found alcohol consumption to be unrelated to infant sleeping behavior. The same was true of most infant developmental measures at eight weeks and 12 months.

There was only one exception. Mothers who drank at eight weeks had infants with better personal-social development at 12 months. That’s in comparison to mothers who abstained from alcohol at eight weeks.

Therefore, women who were light drinkers during breastfeeding did not have infants with adverse outcomes at age one.

Source for Drinking by Breastfeeding Mothers

Wilson, J., et al. Alcohol consumption by breastfeeding mothers. Frequency, correlates and infant outcomes. Drug Alco Rev, pub early online March 13, 2017.

Resources

Australian Breastfeeding Association. Breastfeeding Twins. East Malvern, Vic: The Assn, 2009.

____________. Breastfeeding Your Premature Baby. East Malvern, Vic: The Assn, 2010.

____________. Breastfeeding Your Baby with Down Syndrome. East Malvern, Vic: The Assn, 2011.

____________. Relactation and Adoptive Breastfeeding. East Malvern, Vic: The Assn, 2007.

Mohrbacher, N. The Breastfeeding Answer Book. Schaumburg, IL: La Leche League, 2005.

Neurohr, G., et al. Breastfeeding Basics. Dallas: Mother of 7, Inc, 2005.

Wiessinger, D., et al. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. London: Pinter & Martin, 2011.

Wisconsin PRAMS. Breastfeeding. Madison: Wisconsin Div Pub Health, 2012.

Note: This website makes no suggestions about drinking by breastfeeding mothers.