Caffeine & Breastfeeding

We get asked every now and then about the health benefits of coffee and caffeine. More recently we were asked specifically about the effects of caffeine during breastfeeding with a newborn, so we caught up with our great friend, Emily from Mamas Milk to ask a few questions and hear what she has to say…

“You might be pleased to hear that our exhausted-mama-under-eye-bags can safely be treated with a daily caffeine fix. Caffeine is unlikely to have an effect on your healthy full-term baby.

The European Food Safety Authority (2020) states that a daily intake of 2 cups of coffee (200 mg of caffeine) is safe to consume while nursing a baby. The USA CDC (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention) states that 2-3 cups of coffee is acceptable (300mg).

Caffeine levels peak in your milk approximately 2 hours after ingestion and babies who are premature, under 6 months or who have other health issues are more likely to show symptoms of being affected by caffeine.

What might these symptoms be? Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, so babies may be unusually irritable, fussy, wakeful or they may have a harder time staying asleep.”

– Emily Page, Mama’s Milk

If in doubt, there’s always decaf…