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Warning over DIY test which screens for 'safe' alcohol level in breast milk

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A product to test levels of alcohol in breast milk could encourage mothers to drink disputed 'safe' amounts, potentially harming their baby, experts warned last night.

Even the maker admits that research shows just a trace of alcohol in breast milk could damage babies' development.

However, it said it stood by Milkscreen, which goes on sale in Britain this week.

The product contains pads that change colour on contact with breast milk containing 'unsafe' doses of alcohol.

But specialists say the amount of alcohol allowed by the test could still be harmful to babies because the undeveloped livers of newborns cannot effectively process even small amounts.

They say there is no scientific basis for Milkscreen's claim that breast milk with less than three parts of alcohol in 10,000 is safe.

The British Medical Association advises breastfeeding women not to drink at all, while the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said one or two units a couple of times a week was 'probably' safe.

Susan Fleischer, of the National Organisation On Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, said the test could encourage binge drinking and damage babies' health.

She added: 'There are lots of reasons why this test could be dangerous. Alcohol might only stay in a woman's system for 12 hours, but it can stay in a baby's for up to 72. There is a danger of babies accumulating alcohol.'



Milkscreen's maker Upspring admits the only evidence behind its 0.03 per cent threshold is research by the American Academy of Paediatrics looking only at the impact of alcohol in breast milk on babies' sleep and feeding.

A spokesman said: 'There is other research showing that any alcohol at all in breast milk can impair the motor development skills of babies, but the majority of research focuses on the impact on sleeping and eating, and cites this 0.03 percentage, so that's what we have concentrated on.

'We are not marketing this at problem drinkers. We aim to appeal to responsible mothers.

'We are confident in the accuracy of our product and the peace of mind it provides.



The test pads change colour if the concentration of alcohol is greater than 0.02 per cent - or two parts of alcohol in 10,000 parts of breast milk.

UpSpring founder Julie Jumonville said: 'There is no way to convert that alcohol percentage into a number of drinks.

'It is dependent on so many factors, including body weight, the type of alcohol and food intake.'

There is little definitive research on how much alcohol is safe. Some studies suggest 2 per cent of the alcohol a mother consumes will enter her milk, and that levels continue to rise in milk up to 90 minutes after the last drink.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...east-milk.html

theres a 'safe' ammount to drink when ur breast feeding?
i thought the only safe ammount was none.
ithink il be kickin it oldschool with this one and not drinkin at all
x X x

i'm with you on this one, Miss Lisa. as much as i'd love to have some Bailey's sometime soon, i'd rather forgo any "safe" amount than risk my baby.

i got told if i wanted BF i would have to express before i went drinking to be able to feed baby and express after drinking to get the alcohol out before i feed baby my milk again