Is coffee ok to drink while breastfeeding?

Answer 1

Most breastfeeding mothers can drink caffeine in moderation. Some babies, particularly those under 6 months, may be more sensitive to mom's caffeine intake. Babies whose mothers avoided caffeine completely during pregnancy seem to react more to caffeine in mom's diet. Even if baby is sensitive to the caffeine now, he may not be when he's a little older -- so if you do have to stop or limit your caffeine intake, you can try again when baby is older.

Caffeine is approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics for use in breastfeeding mothers. Per Medications and Mother's Milk (Hale 2002, p. 100-102) caffeine is in Lactation Risk Category L2 (safer); milk levels are quite low (0.06-1.5% of maternal dose) and usually peak 1 hour after ingestion. One study has indicated that chronic coffee drinking might decrease iron content of breastmilk (Nehlig & Debry, 1994).

If your baby is sensitive to caffeine, it will typically become less of an issue as baby gets older. Newborns have a much harder time metabolizing caffeine than older infants. Preterm or ill infants might also have more problems with mom's caffeine intake.

Answer 2

Yes, as long as you don't drink too much.. you shouldn't drink too much caffiene or else you baby may get the jitters. And I saw a recent study about caffiene during pregnancy and it said that it didn't affect the weight of the baby or the length of the pregnancy... So, it appears it's not as bad as we once thought. I drink coffee now and then when I go out- but at home I only drink decaf (even decaf has some caffiene). I've never noticed any problems w/ my daughter-- and the doctor told me it was fine to drink and eat whatever I wanted, just in moderation and to watch my daughter-- b/c she could get jitters or become fussy. Ask your baby's doctor if you are worried.

Answer 3

My dr advised that the same guidelines that apply to pregnancy should hold true when you are breastfeeding- no more than 2 servings of caffeine per day. I completely eliminated coffee from my diet while pregnant and substituted with peppermint or chamomile tea in the morning. Give that a try- if you are like me, you may only need the hot drink in the morning to get you going instead of the caffeine itself.

Answer 4

I have a big cup a day while I'm at work. I haven't noticed problems with my son (7-months old) but some women do. Watch our for fussiness a couple of hours after you have the coffee (and have nursed the baby).

Caffeine in moderate amounts (in your breastmilk) will not hurt your son physically. However, some women notice their babes are more irritable.....at which point I would stop because who wants an irritable baby due to something you can control.

Answer 5

I drank coffee/caffeine approx. 3 cups/glasses a day and no more while pregnant and also while nursing. Of course, some days were less, some days the full 3. I never really noticed any difference in my kids routine's while nursing, but I figure they were exposed during pregnancy, so exposing them during breastfeeding wouldn't be a huge jolt to their system.

Answer 6

Yes it's fine as long as you don't drink too much. I am breastfeeding and I drink caffeine every morning. If I drink it too late in the day it does keep my baby up, so watch your baby and how he/she acts and the adjust it from there. A great website for all my breastfeeding questions is www.kellymom.com It has helped me with tons of questions like this one!

Answer 7

It's not terrible, as long as it's in small amounts. The caffeine will go to your breastmilk, and it may upset the baby and keep him awake. So no espresso or energy drinks....yikes! When I nursed, I kept it to a small cup of coffee in the morning, or a small glass of coke. That was it, and my baby did just fine with it.

Answer 8

Yes, you can drink coffee. Don't go crazy though. In fact, I'm pretty sure coffee was invented for new mothers - for the amount of sleep we get in the beginning! But seriously, it is okay, but watch out for reactions in your baby that you think may be as a result of it...like sleeplessness, the jitters, edginess, or nervousness. I used to try to keep it to one cup a day. Check out these articles:
http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/caffeine.html
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/postpartumnutrition/4488.html

Answer 9

A small amount may be okay. The caffiene will travel through you and affect your baby, though. So, think about the coffee if you want to put the baby down later for a nap -- it won't be easy.

Answer 10

Most experts agree that one or two cups a day is fine, as long as you stay hydrated. Personally, I never drank coffe with my first, and she was very fussy. I had coffee all through my second pregnancy and while nursing, and she's never cranky. It must depend somewhat on your baby.