[tlcdoula]

How bad is it for a nursing mother to drink coffee or tea (one or two cups a day) to her nursing baby? Does that much caffeine go to baby?

 

[dewi]

It is okay. The mom can experiment to make sure.

In Dr Ruth Lawrence"s human Lactation textbook and LLLI they recommend up to five cups

f coffee is okay.

That amount could be a bit much, my clients seem to have done fine with a cup or two a day, no bother to the baby.

My only concern is if a mother drinks a few very large Starbucks strong coffees, drinking caffeinated soda, and eating chocolate regularly you will see a wired cranky mom and baby!

 

[SublimeBirthGirl]

Mine were sensitive to it when they were tiny so I could only have a little bit in the early morning. I don't give up much of anything for nursing, automatically.

 

[tlcdoula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dewi It is okay. The mom can experiment to make sure. In Dr Ruth Lawrence"s human Lactation textbook and LLLI they recommend up to five cups f coffee is okay. That amount could be a bit much, my clients seem to have done fine with a cup or two a day, no bother to the baby. My only concern is if a mother drinks a few very large Starbucks strong coffees, drinking caffeinated soda, and eating chocolate regularly you will see a wired cranky mom and baby!

No worries about drinking that much caffeine. The information was actually for myself. I have a darling little one that is 3 weeks old and to be honest I need my coffee back - I am so tired and used to love getting up way earlier then everyone else and just enjoying my coffee and watching the news. It was almost like my own little thing to do and now that I am not pregnant I am really missing this ritual I had going

I don't drink soda unless I go out and chocolate is a special thing especially since I am looking at trying to lose a few pounds and coffee is homemade at home and not Starbucks

I have to admit that five cups seems like an awful lot!!! I am looking at one cup - sometimes a large mug at most especially when it starts to get colder out.

 

[Miasmamma]

I don't drink anything but tea and water, and most of my teas are not decaffinated. My DD has been fine with it since day one. She loves tea now, but also has a taste for coffee the way my mom drinks it. She adds sugar and cream, so it's sweet. Her's is decaf now though. My dad had a heart attack in Jan so he had to cut back on the caffine. I will say that she LOVES the samples at Starbucks!!

 

[Ammaarah]

Coffee and sometimes caffeinated soda were my lifelines in my daughter's first year. Since they didn't seem to bother her I didn't worry. Now i'm no longer caffeine-dependent but I wouldn't be afraid to try drinking coffee while nursing again.

 

[mamato3cherubs]

I think it woudl take a really sensitive baby to be affectd by what you describe. I never gave up my caffine entirly. I saw really no point in drastcally adjusting my diet to nurse. Everything in moderation of course, but I think to many people go overboard on cutting things out thinking it is making a difference.

I think it is good for baby for mom to continue a normal diet. I nursed 3 kids this way without trouble and I think it can help to prevent future food allergies as well (i dont mean the caffine does this, i was just going off topic here

).

 

[laneysprout]

Anything in moderation.

 

[riomidwife]

my LO was VERY affected by caffeine intake, however i was not a regular coffee drinker, so perhaps that had something to do with it.