what do you think?

[patriciarose]

http://www.rr.com/news/news/article/1404/8267456/Drunken_breast-feeding_arrest_touches_off_debate

[chaosKOSMOS]

I'm probably going to offend some here, but my opinion is that she had no business nursing while drunk. I wonder if anyone else was there with her, who could have taken care of the baby? I didn't read the entire article, sorry. But yeah, if she was alone, then she had no business being drunk, period.

[crystal555rose]

In this article the police seem more horrified that she was breastfeeding than anything else. I agree that you should not be drunk while taking care of a child, much less a 6 week old infant. Did they do a breathalizer? How hard is that? It would have made me feel a lot more comfortable about a woman's child being taken away by the people she called for protection.

The supposed doctor that claimed you should not breastfeed after one drink- who the hell is that guy? The statements about the research being difficult to perform are also lame. I think you could perform a study without intoxicating babies where you assay breastmilk for the presence of alcohol at various blood alcohol concentrations and time intervals. If the alcohol is below detectable limits in the breastmilk then there is your answer.

The fact of the matter is that medicine in the USA has no interest in researching breastmilk if only to use the information to try to improve formula. The stigma we nursing mom's see around us is not limited to popular culture, it has also clouded medical science as seen in the substandard breastfeeding education of our OBs/pedis. Money in the formula companies pocket has also made breastfeeding undesirable.

[Maret00]

First off they didnt do a breathalizer test on her so they have no idea how much she had been drinking. I myself have a 1 to 6 drinks in a month depending if we have the money (I like wine coolers) if I have 2 drinks in one night I am loopy and goofy.

When I had my son the LC (useless) told me I could have a drink or two to help with milk production and my mom told me it will help the baby go to sleep. I dont like beer so I waited to drink until my son was at least 6 mo. Now that I know more I know the beer doesnt have the same qulity's as it did before so it doesnt help with milk production unless you find a specilty beer. I can educate others but if this women who has an abusive boyfriend and a crying baby she may try anything.

I am not saying she only had a beer or 2 but it could be the case. They didnt test her milk and the didnt do a blood test. I think she should be required to speak with a qulified Lactation Counclor and like all other abused women try and get her help. But if you read what the Lt said "It is quite unusual for a mother to be breastfeeding her child as we are conducting an investigation, whether she was intoxicated or not." It doesnt sound like they know what to do.

Also I wonder if she was given a pump to express milk when she was in jail. If she was in jail for just a day or 2 it would totally mess up her milk supply.

I dont think breastfeeding women should go drinking offten or alot but I think we have the right to have a drink or 2 every once in a while. Plus we dont know how much alchool is to much alchool. We dont know if breastmilk with alchool is better or worse then formula. I would recomend that all women wait until drinking until 6mo and then make sure that they have a desgnated care giver to help if the drinking get to be to much or if they get a little loopy.