You may be wondering whether you can drink alcohol or alcohol free whilst breastfeeding. This blog explains it all.
Is it OK to drink beer when breastfeeding?
It’s recommended that you don’t drink alcohol of any kind within 2 hours of breastfeeding your baby as alcohol can pass into your breastmilk and harm your baby. Drinking too much alcohol whilst breastfeeding can cause many problems for your baby surrounding sleep and growth, as well as the general health issues to you if you consume too much. But what about alcohol-free?
Is it OK to drink alcohol-free beer when breastfeeding?
Similar to the guidelines for alcohol, it isn’t recommended that you drink alcohol-free alternatives that are 0.5% in excess if you’re breastfeeding, including non-alcoholic-beer, as there is still an element of alcohol in them. However, you can drink a larger quantity (2 cans of alcoholic beer is equivalent to about 20 alcohol-free beers, and one banana is said to have 0.5% alcohol in it).
Alternatively, you can drink one of our completely 0% alcohol-free alternatives. Here’s some of our recent favourites.
5 Best Alcohol-free Drinks for Pregnancy:
1. Polka Sparkling Davidson Plum Rosé
Featuring the Australian native botanical Davidson plum, this 0.0% rosé is more than just fizzy grape juice, and due to its zero alcohol percentage, safe to sip all night if you’re breastfeeding. Check out the full range of 0.0% drinks from Polka here and read our blog introducing them as a brand.
2. Kylie Minogue 0% Alcohol Sparkling Rosé
The innovative fermentation method used to make this wine reduces sugars by up to 30% and still generates no alcohol, making it perfectly safe for breastfeeding and your breast milk. It contains notes of fresh strawberries and leaves a complex, dry finish. One glass of this and you won’t be able to get it out of your head.
3. Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Coffee Originale Spirit
A unique, completely alcohol-free liqueur that is a perfect base for tasty mocktails that are typically associated with flavours such as caramel, nuts and espresso. This can be served on the rocks if that’s your thing or with your favourite mixer too, and of course, it has a 0.0% alcohol level.
4. Princess Hug0.0 Alternativa
Based on prosecco and elderflower syrup, this alcohol-free cocktail is a bright, flavoursome drink originating from Princess wines in Italy. Best served with ice and a few mint leaves, this non-alcoholic cocktail is perfect as a breastfeeding drink. Safe to drink in any quantity, too.
5. Days Lager 0.0%
One of our favourite drinks here at ZeroZilchZip, Days Lager 0.0% from Scotland is a completely alcohol-free beer alternative that is for all occasions, including breastfeeding mums who are avoiding alcohol. Super low in calorie too, this is one you don’t have to avoid when breastfeeding if you like a few beers.
Is it okay to drink alcohol-free when pregnant?
We’ve done a whole blog on this subject, where we discuss whether you can drink alcohol-free drinks, including non-alcoholic beer, when pregnant.
You can check out the blog here.
The low down is, similar to when breastfeeding, it’s your choice whether to touch the 0.5% stuff, but we wouldn’t recommend it in excess, just in case. But again, we have plenty of 0% options available, if you’d prefer to be completely safe.
We’d recommend speaking to your doctor for more extensive advice if you’re concerned about the best option for you, as they can advise you specifically.
For other useful insights into the alcohol-free world, check out our Zerology zone here.
