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During pregnancy, a woman should limit herself in many ways for the sake of the health of her unborn child. First of all, these measures relate to a diet in which alcoholic beverages should not be present at all. But with the birth of the baby, the situation changes, many prohibitions are removed, and the woman gradually returns to the usual rhythm of life. Therefore, she sometimes wants simple life joys, for example, to taste 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 useful substances, others claim that the drink stimulates lactation. Let's try to figure out how much you can trust such opinions, that is, is the amber drink safe for the baby’s health.
The effect of alcohol on the baby’s body
To understand this complex issue, you must have an idea of the features of the processes taking place in the body of a little man. The child in the first months of his life, along with breast milk, receives everything necessary for full growth and development. Thanks to human milk, microorganisms enter the intestines of the baby, ensuring normal digestion. Therefore, any change in the maternal diet is perceived by the intestines of the newborn as stress.
Especially negatively affects the natural microflora of the digestive tract of the child alcohol. Even in small quantities, it is detrimental to 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 his health is negative. Although the alcohol content of beer is low, the drink can cause serious harm to the health of the crumbs with regular use by the mother.
On a note! Among experts, there is no consensus on the minimum doses: some are categorically against any type of alcoholic beverages during natural feeding, while 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 after 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 non-alcoholic drink. Proponents of this idea believe that such a product does not contain alcohol at all, so a nursing mother can drink such a drink without fear. It turns out that this is also a false statement. Even in such beers, the alcohol content is from 0.1 to 2%.Although these figures indicate a minimal presence of an alcohol-containing component, such a small amount is enough to harm the baby's health.
Passion for mum with strong drinks can cause crumbs:
- anxiety or, conversely, lethargy and lethargy;
- bad sleep;
- digestion disorder;
- 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, it must be borne in mind that in the production of any kind of beer, including non-alcoholic, all kinds of 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 hop drink, one should give preference to good quality products, without preservatives and dyes, which can provoke the development of an allergic effect in the child.
Risk assessment
In common circles, it is widely believed that beer stimulates lactation. As soon as a woman drinks a full glass of hop drink, she feels a rush of milk, and the baby begins to suckle more actively, and then sleeps a sound sleep. In fact, ethyl alcohol significantly reduces the concentration of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for the production of mother’s milk. When a woman drinks only one glass of beer, after a short period of time, milk is blocked from entering the mammary glands. As a result, it becomes difficult for the baby to suck. The baby, trying to satisfy his hunger, begins to suckle his chest more actively and is very tired. A baby falls asleep only because of the influence of alcohol.
Regarding the fact that a woman experiences a rush of milk to the mammary glands, experts explain this phenomenon by ordinary self-hypnosis. Just an excess of fluid entering the body accumulates in the tissues, causing this effect. Given all the above facts, nursing mothers should take alcohol consumption very seriously.
Doctors advise minimizing such opportunities during lactation. There is still no scientifically sound conclusion on the dosage of alcoholic beverages that is safe for the health of the child. This issue has not been sufficiently studied. It is always necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of the mother's body and the baby. One thing is certain for sure: to completely eliminate all risks, it is better to completely abandon any alcohol-containing drinks while breastfeeding.
Good to know! In the first three months of life, the baby’s body is especially defenseless, it is not yet able to filter fusel oils, as well as other impurities. Therefore, alcohol is extremely dangerous for children of this age category.
About the benefits and dangers of beer
There have already been many arguments that can debunk existing myths about beer. Let us dwell on one more thing - vitamins. Indeed, in a fresh drink that has not passed the filtration stage, there are a lot of amino acids. There are a large number of B vitamins, there are other useful elements. But all this usefulness is reduced to "no" only by one content of fusel oils and ethanol. As for 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 baby’s body along with breast milk, beer can cause the following disorders in a child:
- heart rhythm disturbance;
- respiratory distress;
- cause intestinal colic;
- lead to weight loss;
- oppression of the nervous system;
- retardation of mental and physical development.
Therefore, each mother, first of all, must evaluate the possible consequences of drinking an amber drink, and then decide whether to combine breastfeeding and beer.
How can I replace beer
The beneficial substances found in beer are present in many other products.So, the B vitamins are in abundance in fresh vegetables, whole grain bread, they are in the liver and nuts. And vitamin D, without which bone growth and the appearance of healthy teeth in a baby is impossible, is found in large quantities in dark cereals, seafood, fish and herbs. Therefore, beer cannot be considered an exceptional drink. All the useful ingredients of its composition can be easily found in other products.
Beer Rules
In the case when you can’t, but really want, a nursing mother should be guided by the following rules:
- Before drinking beer, breast milk should be decanted so that it is enough for several feedings.
- Before taking a hop drink, you need to feed the baby well.
- You can not drink alcohol (any) on an empty stomach, it is better to eat a good meal first.
- After a plentiful feast, you can’t put the baby to the chest for up to a day, if only a couple of glasses are drunk, you can feed the baby after 3 or 6 hours (depending on the dose taken).
An important point! A woman should know that alcohol changes the taste of mother's milk that is familiar to a child. Therefore, he can completely abandon the chest.
Strongly forbidden
There are some prohibitions related to taking strong drinks by a nursing mother. These restrictions must be strictly observed:
- you can not feed the baby to a mother who is under the influence of alcohol;
- after drinking alcohol it is forbidden to take the child to bed;
- when drinking beer, a woman should calculate the dose based on her own weight.
In conclusion, I would like to remind once again that the health of a small person depends entirely on his 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 adheres to all of the above rules. But if you can refrain from this indulgence in the menu, you should do it without hesitation. After all, the health of the child is the most expensive for any mother.
Video: alcohol while breastfeeding
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