Drinks to Avoid While Nursing

(Newswire.net — December 3, 2017) Cheyenne, Wyoming — It is common knowledge that drinking during pregnancy is hazardous but drinking while breastfeeding is considered a gray area for some moms despite experts advising that it is totally safe within moderation. Still, most mothers would probably opt to take things light with a smooth creamy drink on the rock or a mixed cocktail whenever they indulge. But there are a few beverages to stay clear of such as anything that combines caffeine and alcohol is not an advisable choice as it’s likely to encourage or prolong drunkenness. 

Alcohol induces sensations of happiness and reduces one’s inhibition yet once consumption stops, a sedative effect follows, allowing for sobriety. However, caffeine, as found in coffee and energy drinks, disrupts the process and fools the brain into to thinking it’s not as drunk as it really is. With such skewed judgment, it’s highly likely for one to over drink and prolong the wait time required before nursing again.

Energy-drink mixes and coffee liqueurs such as Kahlúa and Tia Maria are popular selections at most social events yet the after effects of less blissful options such as caffeine and alcohol mixtures tend to mess with the body’s metabolism.

Kahlúa is a coffee-flavored liqueur with 20% alcohol content originally from Mexico that incorporates rum, sugar, vanilla beans and Arabica coffee. This liqueur has been found to play nicely in baked desserts, ice creams and cocktails. Most notably in the creation of the White Russian which is a mix of vodka, coffee liqueur and cream. Meanwhile, other concoctions like Espresso Martini, Mudslide, B-52, Baby Guinness, Colorado Bulldog, Moose Milk and Spanish coffee may also pique one’s interest but they’re not the safest bet.

Originally made in Jamaica, Tia Maria (“Aunt Maria” in Spanish) is a sweet aromatic liqueur with 26.5% alcohol content created with Jamaican coffee beans, Jamaican rum, vanilla and sugar. The history behind this blend is just as intriguing as its flavors. One fable has it that in the 18^th century, a young Spanish girl had to escape the island with her servant who carried the recipe for the liquor made back on the family plantation, thus named in honor of the servant for her help. Today, this drink is had in cocktails such as the Tia Espresso Martini and Dark Tia made with dark rum. 

Energy drink cocktails are a hit amongst college students and adults alike. Unfortunately, “the rate of [emergency-room] visits involving energy drinks in general doubled from 10,000 in 2007 to 20,000 in 2011, and about 2,600 of the visits in 2011 had to do with alcoholic energy drinks,” reports The Atlantic. “That uncomfortable spike prompted the FDA to ban premixed alcoholic energy drinks including Four Loko – which contained 156 mg of caffeine and 12% alcohol, or the equivalent of four beers and a cup of coffee – in 2010.”

The level of metabolic interference caused by caffeine laced alcohol beverages is just not worth the risk for nursing moms. Until one’s baby is totally weaned, there are a host of wiser alcohol options to consider and whenever a drink does pass one’s lips a breast milk analysis kit should be at hand. The PureMilk™ Breast Milk Alcohol Test Strips by HealthyWiser™ is a quick and convenient product for determining one’s blood alcohol content and how long a mother should wait prior to the next breast feeding session.