Breastfeeding & Alcohol

A study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience reported that approximately 30% of breastfeeding mothers in the United States consume alcohol. Approximately 60% of breastfeeding mothers in Australia consume alcohol. Approximately 20% of breastfeeding mothers in Canada consume alcohol. In addition, many women who chose to avoid drinking alcohol during their pregnancy reported beginning to drink again shortly after giving birth. Studies in mice at University of California, Riverside, reported that who were exposed to alcohol in breast milk postpartum day 6 through day 20 (equivalent to infancy in humans) had reduced brain and body weights and decreased neocortical lengths at wean. This continued through early puberty at age-day 30 compared with controls. Female brain weights eventually recovered; male brain weights did not.