EFFECTS OF COFFEE ON BREASTFEEDING: HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW - PARENTHOOD

Lactating coffee: the effects of caffeine on young children

The rule that applies to all breastfeeding mothers is that it is not necessary to change diet if it is rich in fruit, vegetables and proteins. However, there are foods and drinks that are recommended to be consumed in very moderate quantities, such as coffee, as they can annoy the little one. Before continuing, take a moment to find out which foods you need to pay attention to during the 9 months of waiting.

Practical advice for the nursing mother

For a breastfeeding woman, the rules at the table are more or less the same as always: it is possible to eat everything even immediately after the birth of the baby, as long as you maintain a varied and balanced diet characterized by the presence of all the macronutrients.

Nutritionists and neonatal development specialists recommend these good eating habits to a mother who carries out exclusive breastfeeding; are always useful indications that can also be applied once you have come out of the breastfeeding phase:

abound with fruits, vegetables and proteins;
integrate the daily intake of proteins to compensate for the greater expenditure of energy to which one is subjected during the period of breastfeeding; perhaps with small snacks based on milk and / or dairy products;
for new vegetarian mothers to include iron, zinc and vitamin B12 in the diet, through the administration of specific supplements;
drink a lot during the day, at least 2-3 liters of water. Hydration is essential to ensure the right milk production required by the baby in this rapid growth phase;
pay attention to foods that can trigger allergies, such as peanuts, shellfish, chocolate and spicy foods (based on curry, chilli ...);
avoid spirits and moderate the intake of wine, beer and coffee as much as possible.

To these purely nutritional advice must be added that of leading a healthy lifestyle, which includes moderate post partum physical activity.

As you read above, coffee is allowed in breastfeeding, but in small quantities. Let's find out together the doses indicated to be taken when breastfeeding and which types of grains have the least effects on the newborn.

Lactating coffee: the effects on infants

In Italy, having a coffee is a ritual, it is a moment of relaxation and a way to enjoy someone's company. Espresso is a panacea, both for the mind and for the body, because it gives the right charge to face the day with energy. In short, it is a pleasure that many of us do not miss under normal conditions, and in particular situations such as sleepless nights and exhausting days, typical of new mothers, is something you really want. It would really take a nice coffee, one might say! But what effects would it have on the baby if the mother drank one every now and then?

As seen in the previous paragraph, if the concept is to have a cup of coffee here and there, nothing tragic. The consumption of coffee is allowed while breastfeeding, but in moderation. If you are in this delicate period, always keep in mind that this delicious drink contains a "high dose of caffeine that typically goes to excite our nervous system, stimulating the production of adrenaline."
It is precisely the caffeine that causes problems for the newborn: at the feeding of the lunch, after the mother has drunk some coffee, he could be irritated and not inclined to sleep.

Caffeine "hurts" the baby, but relatively, because it passes into breast milk in small quantities (about 1%) and is assimilated over a fairly long period of time, which can range from 1 hour to 3 hours. once the caffeine has passed into the milk it is no longer reabsorbed, which is a good thing.
Therefore it is more correct to say that coffee overstimulates the organism of newborns, still in a phase of rapid growth, and that therefore for a breastfeeding mother it would be better to get it in small quantities so as not to unnecessarily disturb them.

How much coffee to drink while breastfeeding?

We assume that not all newborns react with irritability if the mother drinks a little coffee. However, it is possible to draw general lines: for example, we have analyzed how the smallest babies under the age of 6 months and premature babies are more sensitive. to the effects of caffeine and consequently make it harder than others to metabolize it.
The ability to tolerate caffeine is developed over time, around 3-4 months of life. You could therefore consider drinking alternative coffees in the very first months of breastfeeding and introduce espresso towards this period of the baby's life.

To understand how much coffee you can take while breastfeeding without irritating the puppy, we present the data developed by some studies. One is from "Pediatrics" magazine which tracked the sleep of the babies of about 900 women drinking coffee in moderation. From here it emerged that if the doses remained limited, the children's sleep was not altered in any way.
The other is from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which revealed that about 750ml of coffee taken while breastfeeding (about 5 cups a day) have repercussions on the mood of the children: at this point, the baby's body has enough caffeine to cause nervousness, sleep disturbances and even colic.

So until when is coffee consumption acceptable for a breastfeeding woman? The recommended dose is a maximum of 300mg per day, equal to about 3 cups of espresso.
Also remember that caffeine is not only found in coffee, but even in some energy drinks, such as Red Bull. If you abuse any of the other drinks on the market that contain it, you can still expose your child to severe nervousness, even if you don't drink coffee. Try to find a balance between these drinks; it is the best choice to protect your well-being.

Beyond espresso: green coffee and ginseng coffee

The searches listed above refer to consumption of the most standard coffee in circulation, namely espresso. However, there are many variations of grains, which can be more or less healthy in breastfeeding. Let's see the main ones.

Let's start with a coffee that has become very popular in bars in recent years: green coffee.
Despite being made from unroasted coffee beans (which has several benefits for those with heart disease or diabetes), green coffee has as high amounts of caffeine as traditional coffee and can lead to nervousness and irritability in babies just like l "express.
We advise you to wait until the first period of breastfeeding is over before drinking some (first 3-4 months), simply because there are no studies on it yet and the correlations in breastfeeding have no scientific basis.

Similar tip for ginseng coffee, but for different reasons. There are some studies on the subject and they show that this coffee variant has estrogenic effects: they are not very good for a breastfeeding woman. Indeed, they can even be harmful as they affect the production of milk and its quantity.

Barley and decaffeinated coffee

If green coffee and ginseng coffee are not valid alternatives to lactating espresso, barley coffee and decaffeinated coffee are better options. Let's find out why.

For obvious reasons, decaffeinated caffeine has a much lower concentration of caffeine than classic coffee, so one would think that it is the best alternative of all. In reality, if it is abused it has the same negative effects as caffeine. alternative to black coffee only if consumption is limited to 2 or 3 cups a day.

And what about barley coffee?
This is probably the most suitable standard coffee substitute for breastfeeding. It does not contain caffeine and its beans are ground and freeze-dried to create a fine powder. Finally, it does not count calories except those of the sweeteners that are added for personal taste and still gives some energy for the day.

To top it all off, barley has fantastic galactogenic properties that promote the production of breast milk.
Craving coffee while breastfeeding? Do not deprive yourself of this pleasure and immediately stock up on a good barley coffee!