Maternal lactation characteristics after consumption of an alcoholic soup during the postpartum ‘doing-the mother’ ritual

Objective: The present study examined whether ethanol exposure influences lactation
parameters. Specifically, selected constituents in maternal blood and milk and
the lactation performance of Chinese lactating mothers were evaluated after they had
consumed chicken soup flavoured with sesame oil and rice wine (CSSR), a diet
traditionally prescribed during the postpartum ‘doing-the-month’ ritual.
Design: Twenty-three lactating mothers were examined. Informed consent was
obtained from each subject. Each subject was tested on two occasions separated
by a week. The target alcohol dosage was 0?3 g/kg body weight. Milk and blood
samples were collected prior to consumption of soup and at 120 and 150 min,
respectively, after consumption. Levels of various constituents were measured.
The time for ejection of the first milk droplet and total milk volume yielded were
also measured.
Results: Consumption of CSSR influenced TAG, insulin and lactate levels in
maternal blood. Likewise, consumption of the soup affected milk composition
and its nutritional status, particularly total protein, TAG, fatty acid, b-hydroxybutyrate
and lactate levels. CSSR intake significantly affected TAG and lactate
levels in milk. The time for the first milk droplet to be ejected was significantly
longer in the CSSR group, indicating that the milk-ejecting reflex is inhibited.
However, blood prolactin level increased slightly after ethanol intake. Milk yields
were reduced after ingestion of CSSR although the difference was not statistically
significant.
Conclusion: Consumption of CSSR affects not only the composition of maternal
blood and milk, but also lactation performance. These findings suggest that an
alcoholic diet should be avoided during lactation.