how much and when

[ladygreen]

hi all! i have two questions about breastfeeding!
am still pregnant my baby is due in April but i want to breastfeed and theres two things am not sure about
Can u have alcohol when breast feeding? Not that i need to but i want to know just incase i go out one day or a special occasion like my birthday which is also in April.
Also i want to know how do u know how much ur baby is consuming? if i use the pump i can always look in the bottle but am not planning to use the pump until the baby is 7 mths which is when am due back to work so how can i know. thanks in advance!

[The Loud]

Here's info on alcohol:
http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/alcohol.html
An occasional drink is fine.

It's easy to tell how much breastmilk your baby is getting, because what goes in must come out, in the form of wet and dirty diapers. Here's info on how to tell if you have the right amount of milk:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/index.html

[paaknd]

Well I just tried to post a reply and it didn't work, so I'll try again. Kellymom is a great website to visit. There is something you can buy, (I believe it is called MilkScreen) to test your breastmilk for alcohol. I have seen it sold at Babies R Us and Target near the breastfeeding supplies. You are supposed to wait at least 2 hrs. after consuming a drink to before nursing which could be difficult with a newborn. As far as consuming enough milk... the wet and dirty diapers is a good indicator. Your dr. will also have you come in shortly after returning home from the hospital to have your baby weighed. If they are adequately gaining weight, then you are producing enough milk.

[maddison09]

If you watch the number of wet and dirty diapers that your baby has you will know that they are getting enough milk. I also used her weight as a reassurance the she was getting enough to drink. As for the drinking I dont know the exact "rules" for this however, I have went out a few times since my daughter was born in june. I had planned in advance for a sitter for her and pumped her milk to have for the following day. I suppose it would probably depend on how much you were planning on drinking. I missed going out for my 21st birthday because I was 8 months pregnant and went out to celebrate..so I ahd a good idea I would be drinking alot so this gave her milk to have and I did not have to worry about it containing any alcohol. Hope this helps you some. Good Luck!