After nine months of waiting, your baby is finally born. Time to celebrate! But is it OK to have that glass of wine to toast the baby's birth? "I drank twice while breastfeeding," says Martina Mandella of North Huntingdon Township, Pa. "At my baby's baptism, I had a glass of wine at the family party." Several weeks later Mandella drank a beer with her husband one evening. "Once you're told you can't drink, all of a sudden you want it," she says. "Sometimes I just really, really craved a beer."

Alcohol is absorbed into the mother's bloodstream, and therefore will be available to the baby in breast milk. But the occasional drink may not harm the baby. "There is no good evidence that very moderate consumption of alcohol every once in a while would have any effect on the baby at all," says Dr. Jeffrey W. Hull, a pediatrician in Decatur, Ala. "A tiny amount of alcohol would be excreted in the breast milk, but not especially concentrated there. So the amount that got into the baby would be very tiny."

"An occasional drink should not be harmful," agrees Anna Heh, a certified lactation consultant at Magee-Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa. "If you're having a 4-ounce glass of wine, or a beer, it should be fine." There was a time when doctors encouraged women to drink a glass of wine for relaxation purposes. "In the old days, mothers who had difficulty letting down the breast milk often were told to drink a small glass of red wine to relax them and help the let-down reflex," says Hull. "It seemed to work. I do not think anyone ever did any scientific studies of this sort."

The key to this issue is moderation. "We want breastfeeding moms to feel OK about a glass of wine with dinner once a week or an occasional beer with the gals," says Colleen Huberty, a certified lactation consultant with the Women, Infants and Children's Program (WIC) in St. Paul, Minn. "We use the base guideline: If the mom feels it, the baby will feel it."

There are many factors that can decrease the rate of absorption: alcohol content in the drink, whether or not the drink is consumed with food and the size of the mother. According to research studies, alcohol potency peaks 30 to 60 minutes after consumption, and 60 to 90 minutes when consumed with food. "If it is one beer or a small glass of wine, a 120-pound woman will probably process the alcohol within an hour or so and be fine to feed again," explains Huberty. However, the more alcohol that is consumed, the longer it takes for it to be eliminated.

If a mother wants to have a drink, she should pay attention to timing. "I suggest feeding the baby first, then have the drink," says Huberty.

LeAnn Junker of Greensburg, Pa., was not comfortable with drinking any alcohol during the months she breastfed her baby. "I would have been nervous to have alcohol when she was first born," says Junker. "I was sleep deprived. There were days when I just didn't feel myself, so I didn't want to introduce alcohol into my system."

In substantial doses, alcohol can act as a depressant on the baby's nervous system, and potentially the respiratory system. Alcohol also acts on the liver, causing the organ to block production of blood sugar – which can lead to hypoglycemia. "This would be worrisome only if the mother consumed significantly more than a small amount of alcohol," says Hull. "If the mother did that, I as a physician would actually be more immediately concerned about the baby's safety as it relates to what mistakes an intoxicated mother might make. For example, co-sleeping is known to carry a higher risk for smothering deaths. Co-sleeping with a mother whose senses are dulled by alcohol would be downright dangerous for the infant."

Whether alcohol affects the baby or not, it will affect the mother. Large amounts of alcohol will hinder a woman's ability to properly care for her infant. "It's not a good idea to drink with a newborn at home, whether you are nursing or not," says Heh.

Any mother who has a question concerning alcohol consumption while breastfeeding should talk with her pediatrician. Information is also available from the La Leche League, which has local chapters throughout the United States, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.