# Mouth to boob? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687 "2014-03-27T16:13:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/1 "2014-03-27T16:13:04Z")
No, not that! Get your minds out of the gutter. Honestly, you people! :rolleyes: I saw a news item where a woman was arrested for child endangerment. She was breast feeding her baby in a restaurant while drinking a beer with her meal. A waitress phoned the police. So, long does it take for orally imbibed alcohol to work it’s way through mom’s system to the boob juice? Frankly, I’d be more concerned about nursing 20-30 minutes after the drinking than during the drinking. And how much alcohol would show up anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/2 "2014-03-27T16:16:56Z")
In some states it is legal for a child do drink in a restaurant in the presence of their parent. > [@](#): > > Drinking Under Age 21 Permitted if Parent or Guardians is Present > > ``` > Montana > Ohio > Texas > Washington > Wisconsin > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/3 "2014-03-27T16:31:20Z")
Since the breast milk won’t contain a higher alcohol content than the blood, nursing mom would have to be legally drunk before her breast milk even contained as much alcohol as naturally occurs in most fresh fruit juices. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/4 "2014-03-27T16:31:28Z")
I think the issue wasn’t a 2 or 3 year old having a sip of daddy’s beer as much as a nursing baby getting some straight from the faucet, so to speak. But I wasn’t asking about the legality. I was wondering about the physiology, or at least some kind of ology. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/5 "2014-03-27T16:52:58Z")
My mother once told me that on the rare occasions that she drank beer on a date night with my dad, if she breast-fed my baby sister when she got home, said baby sister would sleep REALLY well that night. As for the child-endangerment item spoken of by the OP, it sounds like a bullshit arrest, and I would be outraged on the young lady’s behalf were I to learn of it being permitted to stand. As it is, I think the waitress needs to look into seeking another line of work. Maybe the phone company could chain her to a desk, and have her tell the correct time to anyone who calls… ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/6 "2014-03-27T17:11:14Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > My mother once told me that on the rare occasions that she drank beer on a date night with my dad, if she breast-fed my baby sister when she got home, said baby sister would sleep REALLY well that night. > > As for the child-endangerment item spoken of by the OP, it sounds like a bullshit arrest, and I would be outraged on the young lady’s behalf were I to learn of it being permitted to stand. As it is, I think the waitress needs to look into seeking another line of work. Maybe the phone company could chain her to a desk, and have her tell the correct time to anyone who calls… I heard the same comment frm a friend’s wife, take a shot and he baby will go to sleep faster and sleep sounder. My uneducated gues is that it takes “a while”, your half hour to an hour guess would be not too far off the money. Society has recently translated “falling down drunk can cause brain damage” tomean 'any alcohol at all is bad for baby". A confirmed alcoholic or regular binge drinker does run the risk of having an injured child. From what I read, the critical point is early in the rpegnancy while the child’s brain is most critically developing. Obviously, nobody is going to give a cutoff like “2 glasses of wine a day is fine” because nobody has done the experiments and telling women “it’s okay” means some will take it to heart and undercount their consumption. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/7 "2014-03-27T17:18:18Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > My mother once told me that on the rare occasions that she drank beer on a date night with my dad, if she breast-fed my baby sister when she got home, said baby sister would sleep REALLY well that night. Or maybe after your mother drank a beer she just wasn’t as apt to notice the your baby sister if she only fussed a little. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/8 "2014-03-27T17:23:57Z")
To add a medical perspective, here’s the [Mayo Clinic’s take on it](http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/infant-and-toddler-health/expert-answers/breast-feeding-and-alcohol/faq-20057985). ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/9 "2014-03-27T17:55:09Z")
Okay, thanks Great Antibob. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/10 "2014-03-27T17:56:56Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Or maybe after your mother drank a beer she just wasn’t as apt to notice the your baby sister if she only fussed a little. Unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/11 "2014-03-27T18:26:31Z")
When you are legally drunk, your blood and breast milk contain **less than one tenth of one percent of alcohol**. In terms of proof, the milk would have the heady rating of **.2 proof**. That’s not 2 proof, that 2 tenths of one proof, about the same as “non-alcoholic” beer. The baby is not getting drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/12 "2014-03-27T18:57:41Z")
Link to story: [Mom Jailed for Breastfeeding While Drinking, Waitress Fired Over It](http://abcnews.go.com/US/mom-jailed-breastfeeding-drinking-waitress-fired/story?id=21622331) Summary: Mom had some drinks in restaurant and was breastfeeding. Off-duty waitress, just coming onto her shift, witnessed; reported this to manager. Manager declines to do anything. Waitress calls police. Apparently no law in that state about drinking and breastfeeding. Police arrest Mom on child endangerment, toss her in jail. Mom claims she only had two beers. Waitress thinks she was drinking some mixed drink. Prosecutor quickly drops case. Waitress got fired. Mom is pissed. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/13 "2014-03-27T19:07:10Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Mom is pissed. Rightly so. ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/14 "2014-03-27T19:16:51Z")
It’d take awhile for it to show up in the bloodstream considering that she is going to be “fat” (natural thing for a BF mom, totally OK), eating food, and the time to produce breast milk. I’m no doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but having had my own yougin’ and from those experiences, the risk was minimal. Neither of us would have done such a thing. We followed the 12-hour rule. ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/15 "2014-03-27T19:24:30Z")
Hell, my Mom would rub a drop or two of whiskey on our gums when we were teething and I turned out just fine. Well, except for that damn Epilepsy thing. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![HipGnosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/76d3ee/32.png) [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/16 "2014-03-27T19:36:25Z")
I happened to just hear about this on talk-radio when I went to lunch today. Multiple people called in saying they were told by reputable sources that beer was good for lactation. One woman said that her Dr had the staff put beer for her in the maternity ward fridge. I don’t know when that concept/practice was in effect. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/17 "2014-03-27T19:52:23Z")
[This page](http://www.lalecheleague.org/faq/alcohol.html) from the La Leche League has references to three publications that link beer consumption to increased prolactin secretion. It is apparently not the alcohol but something else in the beer that is responsible. The same page says alcohol concentration in breast milk peaks 30 to 60 minutes after alcohol consumption. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/18 "2014-03-27T20:07:04Z")
Did you notice that the family lives in Toad Suck, Arkansas? ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/19 "2014-03-27T21:08:10Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > . > Mom is pissed. If she was [pissed](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pissed) then she probably had more than a couple of beers. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687/20 "2014-03-27T21:16:27Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > [This page](http://www.lalecheleague.org/faq/alcohol.html) from the La Leche League has references to three publications that link beer consumption to increased prolactin secretion. It is apparently not the alcohol but something else in the beer that is responsible. The same page says alcohol concentration in breast milk peaks 30 to 60 minutes after alcohol consumption. Huh, I’m old enough to remember when nursing mothers were encouraged to have a bottle of stout a day to help with nursing - maybe there was something to it? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mouth-to-boob/684687.md?page=2)