Each year, World Breastfeeding Week highlights the vital role breastfeeding plays in supporting the health and development of babies and their parents. Breastfeeding contributes significantly to a baby’s physical and cognitive development, laying the foundation for lifelong health.
When it comes to alcohol use, the safest choice for breastfeeding women is to avoid alcohol altogether. This evidence-based advice is outlined in the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol. Specifically, Guideline 3: Women Who Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding, states:
- To prevent harm from alcohol to their unborn child, women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol.
- For women who are breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is safest for their baby.
“Alcohol readily crosses from the mother’s bloodstream into the breast milk and may disrupt feeding and sleeping, cause irritability and impact brain development,“ says FASD Hub Australia Chair Professor Elizabeth Elliott. “Women should be supported to avoid alcohol while breastfeeding and their health professionals, partners and families all have a role to play.”
Explore our culturally appropriate, evidence-based information and resources designed to support health professionals in advising those who are planning a pregnancy, currently pregnant, or breastfeeding.
These resources promote environments that are welcoming and empowering for mothers, helping health professionals foster stronger relationships between healthcare providers and families by creating spaces where women feel confident, supported, and informed in their infant feeding choices.
