Breastfeeding and Caffeine

Breastfeeding and Caffeine

Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, cola-based soft drinks and chocolate, as well as in some medications. The quantity of caffeine found in breast milk after you’ve had some can vary widely depending on how your individual body processes it. However, peak levels of caffeine tend to be found in breast milk about 1 hour after intake. Caffeine can also be responsible for a poor milk supply.

The thing to remember is that your newborn baby won’t be able to handle caffeine like you can. Newborns actually metabolise caffeine very slowly, because when it goes into their bodies through your breastmilk, the milk itself has something in it that makes it hard for their little liver to process and break down the caffeine. This means that the caffeine actually builds up in their system, which can cause problems.

Mums who consume high volumes of strong tea, coffee or cola may sometimes complain that their babies show symptoms of edginess, colic, hard stools and are generally unsettled. Basically, caffeine in breastmilk may equal unhappy baby!

If your baby is experiencing such thing, then you may want to think seriously about limiting your intake. There are plenty of alternatives. Why not try decaffeinated coffee, water or a reduced fat milk instead?

Another idea is to wait until after you have breast fed to have caffeine. This will limit the amount present in your baby’s next feed.

How much caffeine can I have?

Currently, we recommend that breastfeeding mums only have the occasional intake of foods and drinks that contain caffeine. As a rough guide, it is suggested that you limit your caffeine consumption while breastfeeding to no more than three cups of coffee a day, which is about 250-300mg of caffeine. To put 300mg caffeine into real terms this is about the same as one large long black, or three cappuccinos, or four cups of plunger coffee, or six cups of tea, or 400g of plain chocolate.

If you find that a cup of tea or coffee helps you unwind and improve your breasts’ let-down reflex, it would still be good to try and find a another kind of hot beverage which might be equally effective.

Another thing to note, Smoking has been found to accentuate the effects of caffeine in breastfed babies, so that’s yet another reason to quit, for your baby’s sake.

Approximate caffeine guide

The following table serves as a guideline to caffeine content of different drinks. Keep in mind that the variation in caffeine content may vary widely from one product to the next, so be sure to read labels carefully when choosing foods containing caffeine.

(Nehlig A & Debry G 1994)

For more information on fluid intake during breastfeeding visit Do I need to drink extra fluid when breastfeeding? or call our Advisors for more advice.