- With Mayo Clinic obstetrician and medical editor-in-chief
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
"Nothing helps people stay healthy more than the power of real knowledge about health." — Dr. Roger Harms
As medical director of content, Dr. Roger Harms is excited about the potential for Mayo Clinic's health information site to help educate people about their health and provide them the tools and information to live healthier lives.
The Auburn, Neb., native has been with Mayo Clinic since 1981 and is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Harms is a practicing physician and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and his specialty areas include office gynecology, high-risk obstetrics and obstetrical ultrasound.
From 2002 to 2007, Dr. Harms was director for education at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dr. Harms was the 1988 Mayo Medical School Teacher of the Year and served as associate dean for student affairs and academic affairs. He is the co-author of the "Mayo Clinic Model of Education." In 2008, Dr. Harms was presented the Distinguished Educator Award, Mayo Clinic, Rochester.
Dr. Harms is vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and medical editor of the Pregnancy section on this website. In addition, Dr. Harms is editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book, a month-by-month guide to everything a woman needs to know about having a baby.
"My medical education experience has grown out of a love of teaching, and that is what this site is about," Dr. Harms says. "If any visitor to this site makes a more informed and thus more comfortable decision about his or her health because of the information we provide, we are successful."
Infant and toddler health (6)
- Flu shots for kids: Does my child need a flu shot?
- Baby Einstein DVDs: Good for infant development?
- Vaccination schedule: Why so many so fast?
- see all in Infant and toddler health
Newborn health (8)
- Induced lactation: Can I breast-feed my adopted baby?
- Newborn sleep: Should I wake my baby for feedings?
- Uncircumcised penis: Is special care needed?
- see all in Newborn health
Infant health (19)
- Breast-feeding and alcohol: Is it OK to drink?
- Karo syrup for constipation: OK for babies?
- Air travel with infant: Is it safe?
- see all in Infant health
Toddler health (5)
- Terrible twos: Why are 2-year-olds so difficult?
- Toddler speech development: Are 2-year-olds understandable?
- Poinsettia plants: Are they poisonous?
- see all in Toddler health
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Breast-feeding and alcohol: Is it OK to drink?
I'm breast-feeding. Is it OK to drink alcohol?
Answer
from Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Breast-feeding and alcohol don't mix well. There's no level of alcohol in breast milk that's considered safe for a baby to drink.
When you drink alcohol, it passes into your breast milk at concentrations similar to those found in your bloodstream. Although a breast-fed baby is exposed to just a fraction of the alcohol his or her mother drinks, a newborn eliminates alcohol from his or her body at only half the rate of an adult.
Research suggests that breast-fed babies who are exposed to one drink a day may have impaired motor development and that alcohol can cause changes in sleep patterns.
In addition, while folklore says that drinking alcohol improves milk production, studies show that alcohol actually decreases milk production and that the presence of alcohol in breast milk causes babies to drink about 20 percent less.
If you choose to drink, avoid breast-feeding until alcohol has completely cleared your breast milk. This typically takes two to three hours for 12 ounces (340 grams) of 5 percent beer, 5 ounces (142 grams) of 11 percent wine or 1.5 ounces (43 grams) of 40 percent liquor, depending on your body weight.
Pumping and dumping breast milk isn't necessary and doesn't speed the elimination of alcohol from your body.
Remember, breast-feeding is the optimal way to feed a newborn and is recommended until a baby is age 1. If you choose to drink, plan carefully to avoid exposing your baby to alcohol.
Next questionKaro syrup for constipation: OK for babies?
- Giglia R, et al. Alcohol and lactation: A systematic review. Nutrition & Dietetics. 2006;63:103.
- Mennella JA, et al. Breastfeeding and prolactin levels in lactating women with a family history of alcoholism. Pediatrics. 2010;125:e1162.
- Briggs GG, et al. Drugs in Pregnancy & Lactation. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2005:601.
- Koren G. Drinking alcohol while breastfeeding: Will it harm my baby? Canadian Family Physician. 2002;48:39.
- Mennella J. Alcohol's effect on lactation. Alcohol Research & Health. 2001;25:230.
- Akus M, et al. Lactation safety recommendations and reliability compared in 10 medication resources. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy. 2007;41:1352.
- Ho E, et al. Alcohol and breast feeding: Calculation of time to zero level in milk. Biology of the Neonate. 2001;80:219.
- Hale TW. Medications and Mother's Milk 2010. Amarillo, Texas: Hale Publishing; 2010:382.
Find Mayo Clinic on