Can You Drink Alcohol While Breastfeeding? Pumping, Timing & What the Evidence Says

Can you have a glass of wine, beer, or cocktail while breastfeeding?

This is one of those questions that can generate wildly different answers depending on whom you ask.

So what does the evidence actually tell us?

Having an occasional alcoholic drink does not mean you need to stop breastfeeding, dump your milk, or automatically skip a feeding. Understanding how alcohol moves into—and back out of—human milk can help you make an informed decision without unnecessary fear or guilt.