Parentpedia

What Experts Say^*

You've cut out coffee during pregnancy and have been looking forward to sitting down in the morning with a nice big cup of joe. But, is it safe while breastfeeding?

"There is good news for coffee-loving nursing moms; science is on your side," writes Martha Sears, RN, author of The Breastfeeding Book: Everything You Need to Know about Nursing Your Baby from Birth through Weaning. "Studies on mothers consuming substantial amounts of caffeine-containing beverages showed that very little of mother's caffeine intake was transferred via her milk to her baby. And what little caffeine was present in the milk did not seem to affect the heart rate or the sleep of the infants."

How to Nurse Safely Without Giving Up Caffeine

Moderation is always key.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, breastfeeding moms can drink caffeine. Very little caffeine (0.6 to 1.5 percent of the amount you consume) is actually passed into your milk.

That said, nursing moms should drink no more caffeine in a day than they would get in five 5-ounce cups of coffee (around 500 mg.) If you take in too much caffeine, it can accumulate in your baby's system, resulting in overstimulation. A young or premature baby will be more affected by caffeine than an older baby. A high intake of caffeine also has the potential to affect your milk-ejection reflex.

Caffeine levels peak about one hour after consumption.
Caffeine has a long half-life. (Half-life is the amount of time it takes for the concentration of a drug in your system to be decreased by half.)

In a newborn, caffeine has a half-life of about 96 hours, while it has a half-life of 14 hours in a 3- to 5-month-old baby. It takes about five half-lives for a drug to clear your system.

Don't forget that caffeine appears in more than coffee.
Figure in all sources of caffeine. It may be in more things than you realize, such as:

• tea
• soft drinks
• energy drinks
• over-the-counter medications, including stimulants, pain relievers, diuretics, cold remedies and weight control products

Chocolate contains theobromine with an effect similar to, but milder than, caffeine. It doesn't usually present a problem when nursing unless very large amounts (more than 16 oz. a day) are consumed.

Caffeine Content

• Brewed coffee: 102-200 mg per 8 oz.
• Espresso or cappuccino: 30-90 mg per 1 oz.
• Decaf coffee: 5 mg per 5 oz.
• Brewed tea: 40-120 per 8 oz.
• Cocoa: 3-13 mg per 8 oz.
• Cola drinks: 30-56 mg per can
• Other soft drinks: 0-72 mg per can
• Energy drinks: 48-300 mg per serving
• Frozen desserts: 0-84 mg per serving
• Chocolate: 10 mg per 2 oz.

For the caffeine content of other popular foods and medications visit the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

If your baby is unusually wakeful and irritable, she may be sensitive to caffeine.
Go without caffeine for a week and see how your baby reacts. By that time you should be able to see if it's caffeine that is affecting your little one's behavior.

If you've been having a lot of caffeine, you may experience withdrawal headaches as your body adjusts.

Safety Note

• If you have a newborn or a premature baby, you may find that she's more sensitive to caffeine. Regulate your intake accordingly.
• Don't smoke. Smoking has been found to increase the effects of caffeine.