There is evidence that shows in nearly all cases, except in certain medical circumstances, that breastfeeding is the best food that you can give your newborn baby girl or boy. After pregnancy and labor you will no doubt want to return to a more normal lifestyle again and if you previously enjoyed an alcoholic drink or two could probably do with a glass of your favorite tipple. The question is will this alcohol be passed on to your baby and will it affect them?
At first glance there seems to be conflicting advice on this subject depending on what information that you read. Some says that a couple of drinks will be okay, some that it's okay if you wait a period of time before breastfeeding and some that you shouldn't drink at all. The advice depends mainly on the age of the information but some common sense should prevail.
Firstly you need to understand that there are 2 hormones involved in breastfeeding, Prolactin and Oxytocin. Prolactin stimulates your breast to fill with milk while Oxytocin is responsible for pushing the milk to your nipple allowing your baby to suckle.
A study in 2005 found, that after drinking alcohol there is a rise in Prolactin and a decrease in Oxytocin. This translates simply to the mother feeling like there is a fullness of milk in the breasts but may mean that it is harder for the baby to suckle.
This is where the common sense needs to prevail. Early on your baby is drinking a substance called colostrum and this is vital for lots of reasons for your baby, which is why medical advice is to breastfeed for the first six weeks. A newborn baby's liver isn't fully developed at this time and finds it harder to process small amounts of alcohol.
During this time it would be advisable to not drink any alcohol at all but if you really have to have a drink then it should be just after a feed so that the alcohol has time to pass through your body before your next feed. Alcohol is not trapped in breast milk and therefore any small amount passed to your baby will depend on how much is in your bloodstream at the time of feeding.
Later on having a couple of drinks shouldn't be a problem and again waiting before feeding your baby would be advisable. Obviously later on there is the option of expressing milk to avoid having to feed from the breast and this may be your solution.
Bear in mind that as with any different food or drink your milk may smell and taste different to your baby and they may be put off feeding by this difference. Whatever you decide after reading this, congratulations and enjoy your first drink!
Are you someone who snores? Are you someone who also drinks a lot, or just likes have a "belt" before bed? It may surprise you to know that snoring and alcohol consumption are actually related! You could be causing your own snoring by having those few drinks, whether they're during the day or right before bedtime. Let's take a closer look at just how it is that snoring and alcohol consumption go hand-in-hand.
Too Deep of Sleep
Getting deep sleep is important for the body to adequately rest and refresh itself. Daytime naps are fine, but to really function optimally, the body does need that deep, REM stage sleep.
However, snoring and alcohol consumption seem to be connected in that alcohol causes a person to sleep just too deeply. This means that the body cannot regulate it's own breathing and air passages. The mouth falls open involuntarily, and snoring occurs. When you're not sleeping this deeply, the body will know to breathe through the nose as it should, but snoring and consumption of alcohol are closely related when a person is sleeping too soundly to have the body react as it should.
Drying Your Throat
If you've ever cleaned a wound or cut with rubbing alcohol, you know how dry your skin gets around it. Obviously the alcohol in drinks is very different (and we would never recommend you drink rubbing alcohol!) but it still has something of the same effect on your skin in your throat. The alcohol dries the skin around your mouth, throat, tongue, and other areas of your respiratory system.
Snoring occurs when air passing over this area causes the membranes of the throat to vibrate, which happens more when those membranes are overly dry. If you're snoring, and alcohol consumption is a part of your daily life or part of your bedtime routine, you are just drying up your throat even more and causing your body to snore that much more.
It may be difficult for you to consider giving up your daily or nightly drinks, however, when you consider the obvious connection between snoring and alcohol consumption, you might want to consider how to at least cut back. Try not to have a drink for at least an hour before bedtime. Have a glass of water or rinse your throat with an alcohol-free mouthwash to remove the alcohol residue.
Both Rich Lawson & Lisa Davies are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.