Yes, if breastfeeding is postponed until the alcohol has cleared from the lactating parent’s system. Alcohol passes freely into breast milk, but it does not get “trapped” in breast milk. Instead, the alcohol content of breast milk closely matches the level present in the lactating parent’s bloodstream, meaning that as it leaves the blood, it leaves the breast milk.
The time at which breast milk becomes alcohol free depends, in part, on how much alcohol the parent has consumed and their body weight. Generally, parents should abstain from breastfeeding for at least two hours after a single serving of alcohol. This negates the need to “pump and dump”, i.e., express milk and throw it away.[1][2]
Parents should ensure their infant is being safely cared for if they decide to become intoxicated.
References
- ^Ho E, Collantes A, Kapur BM, Moretti M, Koren GAlcohol and breast feeding: calculation of time to zero level in milk.Biol Neonate.(2001)
- ^Haastrup MB, Pottegård A, Damkier PAlcohol and breastfeeding.Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol.(2014-Feb)