A leading child health expert says the more alcohol a breastfeeding mother drinks the more vulnerable the baby is, after a coroner found alcohol intoxication was a factor in a two-month-old twin girl's death in Northland.
Toxicology tests revealed Sapphire Rose Williams had blood alcohol levels equivalent to six times the legal driving limit when she died at a house in Ahipara in early January 2016.
The baby's mother admitted she'd been drinking heavily in the days leading up to the death, consuming a whole box - 18 cans - of a Bourbon Cola RTD mix.
A post mortem revealed Sapphire's blood alcohol level at 308 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood, six times the legal blood alcohol limit for adult drivers.
Senior consultant neonatal pediatrician Simon Rowley told 1 NEWS the breast can filter some alcohol.
"There's a little bit of a filtering process. The breast is quite good at doing that. But not enough really. And obviously the more the mother drinks, and the more rapidly she drinks, the more vulnerable the baby is," Dr Rowley said.
But the coroner did not find a clear cause of death, classifying it as "unascertained", with the post mortem identifying a range of contributing factors.
These were acute alcohol intoxication, dangerous sleeping environment, prematurity, possible septicaemia and possible mechanical asphyxia.
Dr Rowley says the death is unusual.
"I have to say I haven't seen this situation previously where the baby has obviously become very, very sick with maternal alcohol going into the breast milk," he said.
Sapphire was one of twin sisters delivered at North Shore Hospital premature at 33 weeks, with low birth weights and a range of related medical issues.
At the time of Sapphire's death, her mother had six other children under six years old.
She had first made contact with social services in Kaitaia several years ago, seeking help with emergency housing and budgeting advice.
"She was in crises. She had nowhere to stay. She had had, I think, a dispute with her whānau," said Katie Murray of whānau support service Waitomo Papakainga in Kaitaia.
Dr Rowley endorses a warning from the coroner to mothers following the tragedy - don't drink and breastfeed.
"We really should be serious about looking after our babies. No drinking is absolute bottom line," Dr Rowley said.
And if you do drink, take it easy. Experts say there's no safe limit.
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