Doctors recommend that women stop drinking caffeine when they become pregnant because it can adversely affect the developing child. Caffeine is a diuretic which may cause the mother to not produce enough amniotic fluid. But is drinking caffeine and breastfeeding also a no-no? Here are some points to consider.
Is caffeine transported to the nursing child through breast milk?
According to the La Leche League, a woman should be able to safely drink up to five 5-ounce cups of coffee without affecting her child. Unfortunately, in this day and age, you generally can’t buy coffee in 5-ounce sized cups. Most are generally 8-ounces or more, so five cups of coffee at that size would be way too much caffeine.
Remember to consider all sources of caffeine when determining the amount of caffeine you can consume. Colas, tea, some cold medicines, and even chocolate contain caffeine, so include those amounts in your figures.
How does caffeine affect a nursing infant?
Caffeine has been found to accumulate in an infant’s system, so while one cup of coffee or glass of ice tea won’t cause your infant problems, additional servings could. In fact, caffeine can be found in a woman’s breast milk several days after it has been ingested. In a child less 6 months old, caffeine will remain in the system for up to 100 hours. It clears the adult system in less than 8 hours.
Babies affected by caffeine will be fussy, restless, may cry quite a bit, and will not be able to sleep. If you think your child is suffering from too much caffeine, begin cutting down on the amount of caffeine each day until you are no longer drinking it.
If you choose to drink a cup of coffee or tea each day while nursing, remember that the caffeine will enter the breast milk and will be at its highest level about 1 hour after you’ve drunk it. You may want to drink your coffee or tea right after nursing to give your body longer to process it through your system. You also want to ensure you have at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water to counteract the diuretic effect of caffeine and keep you from becoming dehydrated, which will definitely affect your milk.
What can you do if you just can’t give up caffeine?
1. Use moderation when drinking coffee or any other caffeinated drink.
2. Caffeine is the strongest in breast milk one hour after you’ve drunk it. If you know it will be a while before you nurse again, try drinking caffeine at that time.
3. Smoking increases the effects of caffeine, so don’t smoke if you drink caffeine. Of course, it would be best if you didn’t smoke at all, but that’s a decision to be made between you and your doctor.
So if you love coffee or tea and want to breastfeed your newborn, the news is better than you may have thought. Caffeine and breastfeeding do not have to be mutually exclusive. While it might be best to refrain from drinking many servings of caffeine, you can still enjoy a cup of coffee or a nice glass of iced tea while nursing. Use these tips and you’ll do just fine.