Breastfeeding mums are given a lot of dietary tips.
I know when I was breastfeeding my daughter I was given a list of foods to eat for better milk production. I was also given a list of foods to avoid or at least cup back on.
One of those things to cut back on being caffeine.
Now anyone that knows me knows I love my tea. I’ve given up on trying to count how many cups I consume in a day.
During pregnancy I cut back a lot and was looking back to my regular routine once the baby was born. Little did I know the caffeine reduction would have to continue.
Luckily for me, it wasn’t an all-out caffeine ban, but more a caffeine cut back.
In fact experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics recently took a look at how a moderate intake of caffeine can effect breastmilk.
This info-graph by Breastfeedo.com shows the findings in a straightforward infographic and you might find their conclusion surprising.
The study found that an average intake of two to three cups of caffeine a day had little or no effect on a breastfed baby.
It also discovered that only approximately one to three per cent of a mother’s caffeine intake actually makes it to her milk at all.
So if you love a cuppa, fear not you can still have a brew with a nice biccie of two.
On the other hand if you really don’t like the idea of drinking caffeine while you breastfeed there are also a lot of caffeine free tea and coffee alternatives available from most supermarkets.
Do be wary if you do want to cut back on caffeine or stop drinking caffeine altogether that some herbal teas also contain caffeine, so check before you replace your coffee for them.
