If you’re pregnant or a new mum, and you still have a million questions about breastfeeding, bottle feeding and the gamut of information out there, we hear you.

Which is why we asked around our pregnant pals for their most common feeding questions, then handed them over to certified lactation consultant Kristy Newnham to weigh in.

Kristy tellsMamamiaher aim is to eliminate the doubt new mums feel that’s brought on by unrealistic expectations placed on child development and breastfeeding. Instead, she wants to empower mums through education and most important of all, “build their confidence to listen to their intuition.”

Of course, the opinions expressed in this piece won’t apply to all situations. As Kristy says, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to feeding your baby and every parent will have a different experience. We’re firmly in the fed is best camp,and breastfeeding won’t necessarily be an option for all new mums.

But if you want to know what other women are asking about feeding, pumping and managing your milk supply, read on.

If your boobs aren’t leaking before you have your baby, does it mean you have less chance of creating milk? Heaps of mums in this group I’m in on Facebook are already leaking colostrum…

Psst, there’s a really good pod on this subject. On Year One, the team discuss expressing, bottle-feeding and what to do when everything goes tits up. Post continues below.

Should I pump before I give birth to help get my boobs ready and stimulate milk supply?

If I want to breastfeed but also want my baby to take a bottle, what’s the best day to introduce a bottle (with breastmilk or formula?) If I introduce the bottle too soon is it true that they won’t take the breast properly?

What’s the latest advice around drinking and breastfeeding? Like, is pumping and dumping still a thing? I’ve heard it’s not.

A lot of mothers want to know if alcohol can get into their breast milk. The short answer is yes. Alcohol is one of the most readily absorbed drugs known and alcohol does pass from your bloodstream into your milk.

Alcohol levels reach their highest in breast milk about 30-60 minutes after drinking or after 30-90 minutes if you have had something to eat while you are drinking. If you don’t have another drink, the concentration gradually falls and a couple of hours after having a single drink the alcohol will have mostly left your breast milk.

Alcohol is not stored in the breast so as your liver metabolises the alcohol causing your blood alcohol level to drop, so does the alcohol level in your breastmilk.

There is no benefit in “pumping and dumping” your breastmilk unless you are uncomfortable and need to express to relieve the discomfort. As your blood alcohol drops so will the level of alcohol in your breast milk and pumping and dumping will not speed up this process.

Any breast milk that you express during the time that it takes for your blood alcohol to drop will still contain alcohol. The alcohol will not work its way out of the milk, once outside your body, and any milk pumped while you are affected by alcohol will need to be discarded.

How long do I have to not pump if I go out before sh*t gets real or mastitis comes to town?

How do you know if the baby’s had enough milk – can you overfeed a baby on breastmilk?

Are there certain foods, drinks and meds that can impact the amount of milk you make?

Kristy isa Registered Nurse specialising in Neonatal Intensive Care as well as an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant. She is the Education Manager for Medela.She is also a busy mother to three energetic children who always keep her grounded and practical in her approach to breastfeeding and lactation support.