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Can I drink alcohol while breastfeeding?

Occasional, moderate drinking (up to one standard drink) is unlikely to harm a breastfed baby if you wait about 2 hours before nursing, but not drinking is the safest choice, and more than one drink a day is not recommended.

Alcohol passes into breast milk at roughly the same level as in your blood, then clears as your blood level falls.

Strength of evidence

Good

Based on major guideline bodies (CDC, AAP) and a comprehensive review database (LactMed), plus some cohort studies on heavier or repeated exposure; few controlled trials exist in this area for ethical reasons.

What the evidence says

Health authorities agree that not drinking at all is the safest option while breastfeeding, but having up to one standard drink in a day is not known to be harmful to your baby, especially if you wait at least 2 hours after that drink before nursing or pumping milk to feed the baby. Alcohol moves into breast milk at about the same level as in your bloodstream, then drops as your body clears it — pumping and dumping does not speed this up, only time does.

Having more than one drink a day is not recommended. Higher or repeated drinking can reduce your milk letdown and supply, change the taste of milk so babies drink less, and has been linked in observational studies to effects on infant sleep, growth, and later academic or cognitive scores, though findings on long-term child development are mixed and not fully conclusive.

Canadian guidance similarly advises breastfeeding mothers to limit alcohol intake because a baby's nervous system is still rapidly developing and immature at handling alcohol. If you do drink, keeping it occasional, limiting to one drink, and timing feeds around it are practical ways to lower any risk while still breastfeeding.

Sources

✓Reviewed by CH, MD, FRCPC

Reviewed by a specialist physician certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, who has read this answer against the sources listed above and confirmed it reflects them. That is not medical advice about your child. How we review

Answer checked July 29, 2026

Educational information only. Not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and no doctor-patient relationship is created by using this. Founded Parent has not examined your child and does not know their history, so this may not apply to you. In an emergency, call your local emergency number. What Founded Parent cannot do

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