Alcohol and breastfeeding

Not drinking alcohol while breastfeeding is the safest option for your baby.  But if you’d like to have a drink, there are ways to keep your baby safe. You don’t need to stop breastfeeding just because you want to enjoy a drink now and then.

Read on for some facts about alcohol and breastfeeding to help you make decisions that are right for you and your baby. 

The concentration of alcohol in your breastmilk closely follows the concentration of alcohol in your blood. Alcohol moves freely from your blood into your breastmilk (and back out again) and will usually be in your milk about 30 to 60 minutes after you start drinking.

A number of factors affect how much alcohol gets into your breastmilk, including:

• The strength and amount of alcohol in your drink
• What and how much you’ve eaten
• Your weight
• How quickly you drink

For most mums, it takes about 2 hours for the alcohol from one standard drink to leave their system. Each extra drink adds about 2 hours so it takes 4 hours for 2 drinks, 6 hours for 3 drinks, and so on. The time is counted from when you start drinking.

The Feed Safe app can help you work out more accurately when your breastmilk is free of alcohol.

• Only time will lower the amount of alcohol in your breastmilk. Once you stop drinking and the amount of alcohol in your blood drops, the amount in your breastmilk will drop too.
• ‘Pumping and dumping’ (expressing milk and throwing it away) won’t reduce the amount of alcohol in your breastmilk and it won’t speed up the process.
• Once alcohol leaves your blood, it leaves your breastmilk too. Alcohol isn’t ‘stored’ in your breasts.
• If you express while your breastmilk contains alcohol, that expressed breastmilk will continue to have alcohol in it. It’s not safe to give your baby.

Before you decide to have a drink, consider:

• The safest option is not to drink alcohol when you're breastfeeding.
• It’s best to avoid alcohol in your baby’s first month, when their body is still developing and feeds are frequent and unpredictable.
• As your baby gets older and feeding becomes more predictable, planning ahead becomes easier if you choose to have a drink.

If you’d like to have a drink, these tips can help you keep your baby safe and your mind at ease:

• Breastfeed before you have a drink. This gives you the longest gap before your baby’s next feed.
• Choose low-alcohol drinks and eat before and while you drink.
• Allow time for the alcohol to leave your breastmilk.
• Use the Feed Safe app to check the timing for your weight and number of drinks. As an example, if you weigh 70 kg and have 2 standard drinks, it will take about 3 hours and 23 minutes from the start of drinking for your breastmilk to be free of alcohol.

If you’re planning to have a drink, a little preparation can help you feel confident that your baby will be safe and cared for.

Express some milk ahead of time and store it in the fridge or freezer. This way, your baby can have your milk if you miss a feed while drinking, or while you’re waiting for the alcohol to clear from your system. 

If things don't quite go to plan, you might wonder if it's safe to breastfeed your baby. Maybe you had a little more alcohol than you intended, or your baby needs to feed sooner than you expected. If, occasionally, your breastmilk contains a small amount of alcohol when your baby needs a feed, the risk of harm to your baby is likely to be low. There’s no need to use formula.

• When someone has too much to drink, they may not be able to make very safe decisions about caring for a baby including where the baby sleeps.
• If possible, arrange for another caregiver who hasn’t been drinking to look after your baby.
• If you or anyone else has been drinking, it’s important not to sleep with your baby. Make sure your baby always has a safe sleeping space.

If you’re unsure or need support, you can always call the Breastfeeding Helpline for help in making a new plan. 

© Australian Breastfeeding Association December 2025