During pregnancy, alcohol consumption should be eliminated, because it affects the development of the fetus and can also cause spontaneous abortion or stillbirth. Once the baby is born, while breastfeeding, the recommendation remains the same, not to drink this type of beverage.
According to the Association for the Promotion and Scientific and Cultural Research of Breastfeeding, drinking at this stage is high risk. Specifically, as they point out on their website e-lactancia.org, its consumption can cause "sedation, loss of weight, irritability, psychomotor retardation and lower cognitive and academic performance, although the data is inconsistent and may depend on the quantity and chronicity of alcohol consumption”.
There is controversy about whether alcohol consumption is related to a shorter duration of lactation. "Acute consumption sedates the infant and inhibits the mother's oxytocin secretion and therefore the milk ejection reflex, reducing milk production between 10 and 25%." In addition, excessive acute consumption can cause coma, seizures and even risk of death in the baby.
In the case of drinking alcohol occasionally while breastfeeding, the association gives a series of guidelines to take into account:
Therefore, in the case of consuming something with alcohol, it is preferable to do so immediately after taking it and taking into account the quantity.
On the other hand, the myth that a glass of beer a day increases milk production does not have any scientific evidence to support it. Of course, 0.0% beer and non-alcoholic (
