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During pregnancy, a woman should limit herself in many respects for the sake of the health of the unborn child. First of all, these measures relate to the diet, which should not contain alcoholic beverages at all. But with the birth of the baby, the situation changes, many prohibitions are lifted, and the woman gradually returns to her usual rhythm of life. Therefore, she sometimes wants simple life joys, for example, to feel the taste of fresh beer.
There are various legends about the properties of this intoxicating drink: some experts say that beer contains a lot of nutrients, others claim that the drink stimulates lactation. Let's try to figure out how much you can trust such opinions, that is, whether amber drink is safe for your baby's health.
The effect of alcohol on the body of the baby
To understand this complex issue, it is necessary to have an idea about the features of the processes occurring in the body of a little man. In the first months of his life, the baby, together with the mother's milk, receives everything necessary for full growth and development. Thanks to mother's milk, microorganisms enter the intestines of the infant, ensuring normal digestion. Therefore, any change in the maternal diet is perceived by the intestines of the newborn as stress.
Alcohol has a particularly negative effect on the natural microflora of the child’s digestive tract. Even in small quantities, it is destructive for this living environment. And due to the fact that the baby’s body is not yet able to independently produce special enzymes that break down alcohol, the effect on its health is negative. Although the alcohol content in beer is low, the drink can cause serious harm to the health of the crumbs when regularly consumed by the mother.
On a note! There is no consensus among specialists regarding minimum doses: some are categorically against any type of alcoholic beverages in the period.breastfeeding, others allow the possibility of drinking a glass of beer in exceptional cases.
Lactation and alcohol
Note! If you drink a strong drink on an empty stomach, then traces of alcohol are found in milk in 30 minutes.
Nonalcoholic beer
Another hypothesis from the field of mythology is that, since real beer can harm a baby, it is quite possible to replace it with a soft drink.Proponents of this idea believe that this product does not contain all the alcohol, so a nursing mother can drink such a drink without fear. It turns out that this is also an incorrect statement. Even in these beers, the alcohol content ranges from 0.1 to 2%. Although these numbers indicate the minimal presence of the alcohol-containing component, such a small amount is enough to cause harm to the baby’s health.
Passion for mom strong drinks can cause crumbs:
- anxiety or, on the contrary, lethargy and lethargy;
- poor sleep;
- digestive disorders;
- upset stool;
- epileptic seizures in severe cases.
There have been cases when the mother’s desire to relax led to the death of the baby. After all, we must bear in mind that in the production of any kind of beer, including non-alcoholic, various additives are used in the form of preservatives. Therefore, you should always take into account this moment.
If, nevertheless, the mother decided to use a glass of intoxicating drink, you should give preference to products of good quality, without preservatives and dyes, which can provoke the development of an allergic effect in the child.
Risk assessment
In narrow-minded circles, it is widely believed that beer stimulates lactation. It is worth a woman to drink the whole glass of intoxicating drink, as she feels a rush of milk, and the baby begins to actively suck the breast, and then sleeps soundly. In fact, ethyl alcohol significantly reduces the concentration of oxytocin, a hormone responsible for the production of breast milk. When a woman drinks only one glass of beer, the milk supply to the breast glands is blocked after a short period of time. As a result, it becomes difficult for the baby to suck. The kid, trying to satisfy his hunger, begins to suckle more actively and gets very tired. And the crumb falls asleep only because of the influence of alcohol.
Regarding the fact that a woman is experiencing a surge of milk to the mammary glands, experts explain this phenomenon with the usual self-suggestion. Just an excess of fluid that has entered the body accumulates in the tissues, causing this effect. Given all the above facts, breastfeeding mothers should be very serious about drinking alcohol in general.
Doctors advise to minimize such opportunities during lactation.There is still no evidence-based conclusion about the dosage of alcoholic beverages that is safe for the health of the child. This question is not well understood. We must always take into account the individual characteristics of the maternal organism and the infant. One thing is known for sure: in order to completely eliminate all risks, it is better to completely abandon any drinks with alcohol content while breastfeeding.
Good to know! In the first three months of life, the baby’s body is particularly defenseless, it is not yet able to filter out fusel oils, like other impurities. Therefore, alcohol for children of this age category is extremely dangerous.
About the benefits and dangers of beer
There have already been many arguments that can dispel the existing myths about beer. Let's stop on one more - vitamins. Indeed, in a fresh, not past the filtration stage of the drink, a lot of amino acids. Vitamins of group "B" are present in a large amount, there are other useful elements. But all this utility is reduced to "no" by only one content of fusel oils and ethanol. As for the store products, it makes no sense to talk about its useful qualities, because instead of them there are only preservatives.
And now about the harmful qualities, which are much more.Getting into the child's body with mother's milk, beer can cause the following disorders in a child:
- heart rhythm disorder;
- respiratory distress;
- cause intestinal colic;
- lead to weight loss;
- depression of the nervous system;
- mental and physical retardation.
Therefore, each mother, first of all, is obliged to assess the possible consequences of the use of amber drink, and then decide whether to combine breastfeeding and beer.
What can replace beer
Nutrients that are in beer, are present in many other products. So, vitamins of group “B” are in abundance in fresh vegetables, whole grain bread, they are in the liver and nuts. And vitamin D, without which the growth of bones and the appearance of healthy teeth in a baby is impossible, is found in large quantities in dark cereals, seafood, fish and greens. Therefore, beer can not be considered an exceptional drink. All the useful ingredients of its composition can be easily found in other products.
Rules for drinking beer
In the case when it is impossible, but really want, a nursing mother should be guided by the following rules:
- Before drinking beer, it should be decanted breast milk, so that it was enough for several feedings.
- Before taking the intoxicating drink, feed the baby well.
- You can not drink alcohol (any) on an empty stomach, it is better to eat well beforehand.
- After a heavy meal, you cannot put the baby on your breast for up to a day, but if only a couple of glasses are drunk, you can feed the baby after 3 or 6 hours (depending on the dose taken).
Important point! A woman should know that alcohol changes the baby’s usual taste of mother’s milk. Therefore, he can completely abandon the chest.
Strictly prohibited
There are some prohibitions related to the intake of strong drinks by a nursing mother. These restrictions should be observed strictly:
- you can not feed the baby to mother under the influence of alcohol;
- after drinking alcohol is forbidden to take the child to bed;
- when drinking beer, the woman should calculate the dose based on her own weight.
In conclusion, I would like to remind once again that the health of a little person completely depends on my mother's menu. Of course, a single dose of a small portion of high-quality beer does not cause harm to the baby, if mom keeps to all the listed rules.But if you can refrain from this relaxation in the menu, it should be done without hesitation. After all, the health of the child is the most expensive for any mother.
Video: alcohol while breastfeeding
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