Feed Safe NZ app

While the app acknowledges that drinking alcohol while breastfeeding should be avoided, it provides information about breastfeeding and occasional alcohol use, to enable the user to make safe decisions. It uses your height and weight and alcohol intake to estimate when your breastmilk should be free of alcohol. The timer function can alert you when this time has been reached. It also has answers to frequently asked questions around alcohol and breastfeeding such as how does alcohol affect breastmilk.  It has been made available by WellSouth Primary Health Network. For a complete app description go to the website(external link), Google Play(external link) or iTunes(external link) and for a complete app review, see reviews below.

Clinical review

Reviewer: Jeremy Steinberg, GP, FRNZCGP
Date of review: February 2019
Platform: Android
Comments: This app calculates predicted alcohol clearance based on the amount of alcohol intake (using New Zealand standard drinks) and the user’s weight and height. The calculation method used appears to be based on sound research.
Users should be cautioned that the app does not take food intake into account, which reduces and delays the time of peak alcohol levels in breast milk. It also only lets you input standard drinks not what you actually drank, as well as having to be in integer form. It is cumbersome viewing the external PDF reference in the information section.
The information section has a lot of very good accurate advice, and there is New Zealand specific information.
It would be more complete with having an alcohol abuse screening section, and advice around breastfeeding problems.
Safety concerns: Caution with food intake, as the calculation doesn’t take this into account. The user must input standard drinks, not what they actually drank which could cause some inaccuracies.
New Zealand relevance: An international app, but the New Zealand version has been modified in keeping with local guidelines.