Yes, but the milk should be brought to room temperature before testing. Once at room temperature, gently swirl the bottle containing the breast milk and pour a small amount into a container. Use milk from the container to perform the test.

The two-minute mark is what’s important. Because it’s exposed to oxygen, the test pad may continue to darken over time, even if alcohol is not present. The colour of the pad exactly two minutes after saturation is the most accurate result.

Yes. The expiration date is embossed on the back of each foil pouch. You’ll also find it on the outside of the package, on a sticker under “LOT.” The expiration date will be shown by year and month (e.g., 2016-08).

Maternal self-confidence is critical to maintaining breastfeeding. If you have an occasional alcoholic drink, you also want the peace of mind of knowing that your breast milk does not contain alcohol. If alcohol is still present at feeding time, you can wait longer or provide baby with a previously pumped supply of milk.

A feeling of intoxication is not an accurate measure of determining if there’s alcohol in breast milk. Every woman metabolizes alcohol differently, and the amount of time it takes for the alcohol to leave the breast milk supply also varies. Body weight, type and amount of alcohol consumed, and food intake will all affect alcohol metabolism.

Pumping and dumping doesn’t speed up alcohol metabolism. As long as alcohol is in your bloodstream, it’s in your breast milk – they metabolize at about the same rate.