Alcohol & Breast Milk(Part2)
Mercury. Most people are not affected by these tiny amounts of mercury, but mercury can cause damage to the nervous system in babies and small children. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) encourages breastfeeding mothers to follow the FDA and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advice regarding fish consumption:
- Eat 2-3 servingsa week (8 to 12 ounces in total) of a variety of fish
- Eat only 1 servinga week (no more than 6 ounces) of some fish, such as albacore (white) tuna and fish with similar mercury concentrations to albacore (white) tuna
- Avoid certain fishwith the highest mercury concentrations
- Check for advisoriesfor fish caught by family and friends and where no advisories exist; limit eating those fish to one serving a week and do not eat other fish that week.
Marijuana. No amount of marijuanahas been proven safe to use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. You may pass the chemicals from marijuana to your baby through breastmilk. A study in the September 2018 Pediatrics confirms earlier findings that THC can transfer into breastmilk. The AAP also reminds that a mother’s ability to care for an infant may be impaired while using marijuana. Bottomline: If you are breastfeeding, don’t use marijuana.
Tobacco, including e-cigarettes. Inhaled nicotine enters a mother’s blood through her lungs, and then easily passes into breastmilk. Research shows that nicotine in a mother’s breastmilk can affect infant sleep pattern. Nicotine is also thought to decrease milk supply in nursing mothers, possibly by lowering levels of the breastmilk-stimulating hormone prolactin.
Note: Because of the many benefits breastfeeding has for infants and moms, the AAP and the ACOG recommend breastfeeding even if you continue to use e-cigarettes. If it’s not the right time for you to quit, make a plan to reduce your baby’s exposure to cigarette smoke. Learn more here.
Last Updated 7/17/2020
Source American Academy of Pediatrics (Copyright © 2019)
The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
