Wellness Reproductive Health Pregnancy How Long After Drinking Can You Breastfeed? One standard drink is usually safe, but it's important to be cautious. By Amanda Gardner Updated on November 23, 2023 Medically reviewed by Renita White, MD Medically reviewed by Renita White, MD Renita White, MD, is an obstetrician/gynecologist at Georgia Obstetrics and Gynecology in Atlanta, Georgia. Her areas of expertise include fibroids, irregular vaginal bleeding, abnormal pap smears, infertility and menopause. learn more Not drinking alcohol is the safest option while breastfeeding. Still, drinking up to one glass of alcohol per day is not known to be harmful to your infant.It's best to plan ahead and wait a few hours after consuming alcohol to breastfeed.Reach out to a healthcare provider if you have any questions about drinking alcohol as a breastfeeding parent. How long you need to wait after drinking alcohol to breastfeed depends on factors like how much and how quickly you drank. Experts generally advise waiting two to three hours after a single drink. Still, it's best to avoid drinking alcohol and breastfeeding at the same time. One standard drink is usually safe, but you'll want to be cautious about how and when you drink if you decide to. Read on to learn about drinking alcohol while breastfeeding, including possible risks to you and your infant. Oscar Wong / Getty Images Why You May Have Postpartum Cravings When Breastfeeding—and How To Satisfy Them 1. Can You Drink Alcohol When You're Breastfeeding? You can drink alcohol while breastfeeding, but experts discourage it. Large amounts of alcohol can be harmful to an infant who's breastfeeding. Some evidence suggests that one or more drinks per day negatively impact an infant's growth and motor function. Still, other studies have not confirmed those findings. What Counts as One Drink? Exposure to alcohol above moderate levels—up to one standard drink per day—through breast milk could damage an infant's development, growth, and sleep patterns. A standard drink is 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol, which can be found in: 1.5oz (a shot) of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor, like gin or whiskey5oz of wine8oz of malt liquor12oz of beer That level of alcohol consumption could impair a parent's judgment and compromise the child's safety. More than two drinks daily might decrease the length of time infants are breastfed. 2. What Are the Risks of Drinking Alcohol? There are some risks to drinking alcohol while breastfeeding for infants and breastfeeding parents. Research has shown the concentration of alcohol in breast milk is similar to that in the blood. A study published in 2014 found that an infant consumes as much as 6% of the alcohol the breastfeeding parent consumes, adjusted for weight. Keep in mind that an infant metabolizes alcohol differently than an adult, which poses risks for their development, growth, and sleeping patterns. Risks for Infants Drinking alcohol and breastfeeding poses significant risks for infants. For example, research has found that daily drinking might result in developmental delays, such as reduced motor control. Motor control helps infants sit up, crawl, and play with toys. Infants might also have trouble sleeping, resulting in increased agitation. The 2014 study noted that infants slept 25% less than usual after consuming alcohol in breast milk. Other risks for infants include: Decreased amount of milk your infant drinksFuture developmental problems, such as trouble reasoningHormonal imbalance Risks for Breastfeeding Parents Alcohol impairs your judgment. As a result, you might have a reduced ability to care for a child. Alcohol also increases how long it takes milk to push out milk, also known as "let-down" or "milk ejection." You might produce less milk than usual if you are drinking. 3. How Long Does Alcohol Stay in Breast Milk? It's best not to breastfeed while drinking or right after. Alcohol can stay in breast milk for two to three hours, with the highest levels occurring 30–60 minutes following a drink. Keep in mind that alcohol can take longer than that to peak in some people. Pay attention to how you feel and how long it's been since you finished your drink. How Long After Drinking Can I Breastfeed? Wait at least two to three hours after a single drink before breastfeeding. Factors that play a role in how long you need to wait to resume breastfeeding include: How fast you drankHow many drinks you had (e.g., three drinks may require a wait time of six to eight hours)How much you weighHow quickly alcohol breaks down in your bodyWhether you consumed alcohol with food 4. Does Pumped Milk Have the Same Amount of Alcohol? There will be alcohol in breast milk, regardless if you pump, as long as alcohol is in your system. Pump before drinking or have formula ready if you plan to drink. You'll also want to plan how your infant will be eating after you drink. "Pumping and dumping," or pumping after consuming alcohol and throwing it away, will not lower the alcohol levels of your breast milk. Other Considerations The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that breastfeeding parents of newborns less than 3 months old be extra careful about drinking. An infant's brain is still developing and very vulnerable during that time. There's a common misconception that drinking beer will increase your milk supply, but that's not the case. Instead, beer can actually decrease your supply. Alcohol interferes with levels of prolactin, a hormone that helps produce milk. Your breast milk may taste differently after drinking, which your infant might not enjoy. A Quick Review You can safely drink while breastfeeding, but be cautious. It's unsafe to drink more than one standard drink per day while breastfeeding. You'll want to wait a certain amount of time after a drink before breastfeeding. Make sure that you pump before consuming alcohol to ensure that you do not expose your infant to alcohol. Alcohol may stay in your breast milk for hours and can affect the infant's development and sleep. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit 9 Sources Health.com uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol. Alcohol. In: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®). National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Frequently asked questions. Gibson L, Porter M. Drinking or smoking while breastfeeding and later developmental health outcomes in children. BMC Res Notes. 2020;13(1):232. doi:10.1186/s13104-020-05072-8 Haastrup MB, Pottegård A, Damkier P. Alcohol and breastfeeding. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2014;114(2):168-173. doi:10.1111/bcpt.12149 May PA, Hasken JM, Blankenship J, et al. Breastfeeding and maternal alcohol use: Prevalence and effects on child outcomes and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Reprod Toxicol. 2016;63:13-21. doi:10.1016/j.reprotox.2016.05.002 Gibson L, Porter M. Drinking or smoking while breastfeeding and later cognition in children. Pediatrics. 2018;142(2):e20174266. doi:10.1542/peds.2017-4266 American Academy of Pediatrics. Alcohol & breast milk. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Early brain development and health.