Pump and Dump: What It Is and When You Should Do It

Plenty of pregnant women go the full nine months and change without touching a glass of wine or a cocktail, since drinking alcohol while you're pregnant isn't recommended. But once their babies are born, new moms who are breastfeeding are sometimes confused about what's okay and what isn't.

Is it safe to drink alcohol when you're breastfeeding? And what should you do if you have too much to drink as a nursing mom?

What does "pump and dump" mean?

"Pump and dump" is a term that’s used to describe pumping breast milk and then dumping the milk out instead of storing it for another feeding. It’s often done by women who think they've had too much to drink.

Keep in mind that pumping and dumping doesn't get alcohol out of your system. It will eventually leave your bloodstream (and your milk supply) naturally. But in some cases, it can be helpful to pump and dump.

Is drinking alcohol while breastfeeding safe for you and your baby?

It's okay to occasionally drink alcohol if you're breastfeeding, but heavy and habitual drinking is harmful for your baby's health and development. When you do have a drink, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests waiting at least two hours before you nurse again to ensure the alcohol has made its way out of your system. 

There are several reasons the AAP recommends extra caution when it comes to alcohol and breastfeeding:

• Any alcohol that's in your bloodstream passes on to your baby through your breast milk, which may pose risks to a little one's health.
• Alcohol can also change the flavor of your milk, which may be distasteful to your little eater.
• Regularly consuming alcohol (aka heavy drinking) can decrease your milk supply.

The best way to ensure that your milk is free of alcohol is to have a drink just after you’ve breastfed your baby or pumped, which should allow you enough time (ideally four hours) until your next feeding or pumping session. 

The rate that alcohol leaves your body depends on the type and amount of drink, as well as on your own body’s characteristics such as height, weight and metabolism.

If you’re not sure whether the alcohol is out of your system, you can use Milkscreen test strips — just dip the test strip into your milk and it will tell you if you’re good to go.

Remember that one serving of alcohol equals about 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or 1 ounce of hard liquor.

Reasons for pumping and dumping

Expressing breast milk and discarding it does not get rid of alcohol in your system. Alcohol only leaves your breast milk once it leaves your bloodstream. That means that pumping and dumping wouldn't do the trick to get alcohol out of your system.

But pumping and dumping may still be helpful for other reasons, including:

• Avoiding engorgement and/or leaky breasts in the event that the alcohol hasn't had time to leave your system before one of your usual feeding times and your breasts have gotten full
• Disposing of milk that may still contain alcohol because it hasn't had enough time to metabolize or get out of your bloodstream

When to pump and dump while you’re breastfeeding

Some special occasions may call for a pump and dump session. Here’s when it could be a good option:

• On a weekend getaway without your baby. If you’re headed out of town for a girls’ weekend or a romantic mini-break with your partner and your hotel room doesn’t have a fridge to store your milk, or you don’t feel like hauling a bunch of bottles back home, pumping and dumping might be helpful, especially if there's drinking going on. 
• After a night out. Did you have a big night out with a few glasses (or more?) of wine at dinner? When you get back home, you may need to pump and dump to stave off the discomfort of engorgement and avoid feeding your baby milk that contains alcohol. 
• During a work trip. If you're on a business trip, especially one where there's drinking involved and back-to-back meetings or conference sessions, pumping and safely storing breast milk may be a challenge, to say the least. Pumping and dumping might be in order.

Can drinking alcohol while breastfeeding ever hurt you or your baby?

It's okay to enjoy a drink from time to time. But it’s never safe to drink a lot when you’re taking care of your child. And regular and heavy consumption has been shown to decrease your milk supply. (It’s a myth that drinking beer increases your supply.)

Breast milk that’s tainted with excessive alcohol can also pose risks to your baby, such as drowsiness, weakness and poor weight gain over time. And there are growing concerns that long-term, repeated exposure to alcohol in breast milk may affect a baby's development in other ways.

Is pumping and dumping after you’ve been drinking always necessary before breastfeeding your baby?

No. If you have one alcoholic drink and wait two hours to feed your baby, you don’t need to pump and dump. And if engorgement and milk supply are not an issue, you can just wait for the liquor to metabolize naturally. Alcohol doesn't stay in breast milk, and pumping and dumping doesn't eliminate it from your system. 

Bottom line: Drinking a glass of wine, a beer or a cocktail here and there while you're a nursing mom is just fine if you want to. Timing is key, though. Try to have that drink right after you breastfeed so the alcohol is out of your system when it's time for your next feeding or pumping session.