The mother defended her decision to drink alcohol while breastfeeding her young children.
Lauren McLeod, from Perth, Australia, has amassed nearly 5,000 followers on Instagram for sharing her honest and raw experience breastfeeding her two children.
The Australian mother is honest about still breastfeeding her 5-year-old son Bowie and 2-year-old daughter Tigerlily.
She’s faced criticism from some corners of the internet for breastfeeding past the age at which “traditional” children stop, but that’s because she’s been honest about her family life on social media. I haven’t stopped doing something.
In a post just before Christmas, MacLeod uploaded a photo of himself breastfeeding his daughter while drinking wine.
Studies show that about 5-6% of the amount of alcohol in the mother’s bloodstream passes to the baby from breastfeeding.
In an interview with Tyra, MacLeod said, “I want breastfeeding folks to know that if they want to enjoy the occasional drink while breastfeeding, it’s okay to do so.
“There are many misconceptions about drinking alcohol while breastfeeding, which is why I always recommend breastfeeding people to do their own research from reputable sources. You can make an informed decision about whether you are comfortable breastfeeding.”
MacLeod added to news.com.au:
“Or they assume that the breastfeeding parent will blindly get drunk and harm the child, which is usually not the case at all.
“I’ve seen quite a few negative comments about breastfeeding drinking in parent-related groups on Facebook, and it’s clear that they all stem from a lack of education.”
She added: “When it comes to breastfeeding and alcohol, as a rule of thumb, if you can drive, you can breastfeed.
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“But if you’ve had a few more drinks and your baby is still craving milk, the alcohol content in your breast milk is still very low, so it’s unlikely that your baby will be affected.”
After posting the photo, McLeod said she was approached by many women who didn’t know much about the link between breastfeeding and alcohol.
“I’ve received hundreds of comments and messages over the last few years when I shared a post about breastfeeding and alcohol,” she said.
“They say that drinking a cup or two while breastfeeding the children makes them feel better.
“Many people don’t realize how harmless it actually is when done responsibly.”
The Alcohol Research and Education Foundation, an independent organization, advises that it is important to wait at least two hours after each drink before breastfeeding to ensure that breast milk is alcohol-free.