Most probably you have heard that it’s not such a good idea to be drinking caffeine and breastfeeding.
Although a lot of people know this, they don’t really know what’s behind it or whether it is really true. This is why you should gather some more information.
Could you breastfeed and have caffeine in the same time?
It isn’t forbidden to have caffeine during this period, but you have to make sure that you don’t have too much of it. This is because when you have caffeine and it enters your blood stream, about 1% could end up in the breast milk. The body of the baby cannot break caffeine down and so it could build up.
If you breastfeed and have caffeine you should think about the fact that if you have too much caffeine, both you and the baby could become jittery, agitated or irritable and, even more, you could be facing sleeping problems. The specialists say that you could have a bit of caffeine, and there would be no change in the behavior of the little one.
When thinking about caffeine and breastfeeding you should know that every baby is different, and so the reactions to caffeine could vary. In case you see that the caffeine is bothering the baby, even in small amounts, you should give it up while you are nursing to see whether there will be any changes.
Sources of caffeine
In case you are thinking about the fact that you breastfeed and have caffeine you should know that coffee isn’t the only source that you could be getting it from. In case of coffee the amount of caffeine could vary from one kind to the other. It is influenced by the kind of bean, brewing method and so on.
The serving size also influences caffeine and breastfeeding because the size of cup that you are using affects the amount of caffeine in your system. In case you would like to cut caffeine, you should know that there are many other sources of it as well, and you may not be aware of some of them.
If you breastfeed and have caffeine it is possible that it happens through having tea, energy drinks, soft drinks, coffee ice cream or chocolate. Some of the herbal products also have caffeine, not to mention the headache, cold and allergy remedies that you can find in drugstores.
How does caffeine get to breast milk?
When it comes to caffeine and breastfeeding, you may have seen that whatever enters your bloodstream enters the breast milk as well. This is true for other substances as well, not only caffeine. Even more, no matter what you eat, it will get into the breast milk in smaller amounts.
Does caffeine harm the baby?
There have been many studies conducted regarding women who breastfeed and have caffeine. All of these indicate that caffeine does get into the breast milk, but they also show that this is supposed to have only little effect on the babies and on their behavior.
In case you would be having a lot of caffeine and breastfeeding, it would hardly have any effects on the little one. The tests of the urine or saliva of the babies whose mothers were having a lot of caffeine showed that the level of caffeine was very low or even undetectable.
Nonetheless mothers who breastfeed and have caffeine say that their babies seem to be unsettled and irritable during feedings. If this is you case, try cutting back caffeine.
In some cases, caffeine and breastfeeding rule out each other, but this may not be your case.
