Milkscreen
I first spotted the ads for milkscreen in a baby magazine, and was curious about it. Then I mentioned it in the NBC 4 newsroom and everyone perked up. A test for nursing moms to check their milk for alcohol? Hmmmm….very interesting.
You’ll see the story on milkscreen on First at 4 today. I took the test to a lactation consultant for her thoughts and advice. You’ll hear from her, and more about the test on First at 4, but here’s the scoop. Milkscreen is sold as a home test for alcohol in breast milk. I just got off the phone with the folks at milkscreen and here is how it works. A mom places her milk on the strip, and it detects alcohol beginning at .02. After two minutes it gives you a reading showing if you’re within the recommended guidelines to nurse. I think it’s a lot like a home pregnancy test. Very simple, and it’s getting good reviews from moms. The company tells me the test is 97% accurate. BUT—the recommendations on drinking while nursing have not changed. The March of Dimes and AAP still say that pregnant and nurse moms should skip alcohol. Yet, lots of nursing moms feel safe having a drink every now and then. So, if a mom chooses to drink, lactation consults say to wait two to three hours after each drink before nursing. The hard part is everyone metabolizes alcohol differently, so lactation consultants say think of this as another “tool” for moms.
You can get it on the web (site below) or I found it at Babies R Us. It costs about $20 for 20 test strips, or 3 for $5.99.
So, what do you think? Have you tried it? Do you think it’s necessary? Let’s chat…
Here is a link to milkscreen.
http://www.milkscreen-moms.com
