Caffeine and breastfeeding
Breastfed babies generally do not suffer ill effects from mother’s moderate caffeine consumption. However, you may want to take the following into consideration:
- Babies who are under six months or have other health issues may be more likely to show symptoms 1).
- A baby who is showing signs of caffeine intake may be unusually irritable, fussy, or wakeful. They may have a harder time staying asleep 2).
It’s wiser to cut caffeine out while breastfeeding as it’s a stimulant which can make your baby restless. If you do drink caffeine, try not to have more than 300 mg of caffeine a day 3). According to the Mayo Clinic 4), an average 8 oz cup of coffee contains 95 – 165 mg of caffeine and an 8oz cup of black tea can contain 25-48 mg however, strength of coffee/other caffeinated beverage may be different for each individual so it may be helpful to review serving size and nutritional labels prior to drinking. Most breastfeeding mothers can consume a moderate amount of caffeine (2-3 cups of coffee or tea each day) without it affecting their babies. If a mother smokes, this can compound the effect of caffeine on her baby, so mothers who smoke should limit their caffeine intake further 5). Newborn babies however can be particularly sensitive to caffeine. This is because it can take a newborn baby a long time (i.e., half-life of 50–100 hours) to process caffeine. By 3–4 months, however, it takes a baby only about 3–7 hours 6).
The amount of caffeine that gets into a mother’s breastmilk is about 1% of what she takes in and the caffeine level in her breastmilk usually reaches a peak about 60 minutes after she has consumed it 7).
Some mothers find that their baby becomes unhappy, jittery, colicky and/or sleeps poorly if she consumes too much caffeine 8). Too much caffeine is different for every mother and depends on various things such as how well a mother’s body processes caffeine. The only way to know if you are taking in too much caffeine is to observe your baby.
If you suspect your baby might have an effect from your caffeine intake, try going without for a week or two 9). This will give enough time for the caffeine to clear your system. It is best to reduce your caffeine slowly, as you may experience headaches if you stop too quickly.
If a breastfeeding mother has nipple vasospasm she may find caffeine consumption aggravates it.
It’s not just tea and coffee that contains caffeine, it’s in chocolate and various energy drinks and soft drinks. Check the tables below for an idea of the caffeine content in popular beverages. Drink sizes are in fluid ounces (oz.) and milliliters (mL). Caffeine is shown in milligrams (mg).
Keep in mind that the actual caffeine content of a cup of coffee or tea can vary quite a bit. Factors such as processing and brewing time affect the caffeine level. So use these numbers as a guide.
To give you an idea of what that looks like:
- 1 mug of filter coffee = 140mg
- 1 mug of instant coffee = 100mg
- 1 (250ml) can of energy drink = 80mg (larger cans may contain up to 160mg caffeine)
- 1 mug of tea = 75mg
- 1 (50g) plain chocolate bar = up to 50mg
- 1 (354mls) cola drink = 40mg
Table 1. Coffee drinks
| Coffee drinks | Size in oz. (mL) | Caffeine (mg) |
|---|---|---|
| Brewed | 8 (237) | 96 |
| Brewed, decaf | 8 (237) | 2 |
| Espresso | 1 (30) | 64 |
| Espresso, decaf | 1 (30) | 0 |
| Instant | 8 (237) | 62 |
| Instant, decaf | 8 (237) | 2 |
Table 2. Tea drinks
| Teas | Size in oz. (mL) | Caffeine (mg) |
|---|---|---|
| Brewed black | 8 (237) | 47 |
| Brewed black, decaf | 8 (237) | 2 |
| Brewed green | 8 (237) | 28 |
| Ready-to-drink, bottled | 8 (237) | 19 |
Table 3. Sodas
| Sodas | Size in oz. (mL) | Caffeine (mg) |
|---|---|---|
| Citrus (most brands) | 8 (237) | 0 |
| Cola | 8 (237) | 22 |
| Root beer (most brands) | 8 (237) | 0 |
Table 4. Energy drinks
| Ounces per bottle or can | Caffeine Concentration (mg/oz) | Total Caffeine (mg) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Selling Energy Drinksb | |||
| Red Bull | 8.3 | 9.6 | 80 |
| Monster | 16 | 10 | 160 |
| Rockstar | 16 | 10 | 160 |
| Full throttle | 16 | 9 | 144 |
| No Fear | 16 | 10.9 | 174 |
| Amp | 8.4 | 8.9 | 75 |
| SoBe Adrenaline Rush | 8.3 | 9.5 | 79 |
| Tab Energy | 10.5 | 9.1 | 95 |
| Higher Caffeine Energy drinksc | |||
| Wired X505 | 24 | 21 | 505 |
| Fixx | 20 | 25 | 500 |
| BooKoo Energy | 24 | 15 | 360 |
| Wired X344 | 16 | 21.5 | 344 |
| SPIKE Shooter | 8.4 | 35.7 | 300 |
| Viso Energy Vigor | 20 | 15 | 300 |
| Cocaine Energy Drink | 8.4 | 33.3 | 280 |
| Jolt Cola | 23.5 | 11.9 | 280 |
| NOS | 16 | 16.3 | 250 |
| Redline RTD | 8 | 31.3 | 250 |
| Blow (energy Drink Mix) | 8 | 30 | 240 |
| Lower Caffeine Energy Drinksc | |||
| Bomba Energy | 8.4 | 8.9 | 75 |
| HiBall Energy | 10 | 7.5 | 75 |
| Airforce Nutrisoda Energize | 8.5 | 5.9 | 50 |
| Whoop Ass | 8.5 | 5.9 | 50 |
| Vitamin Water (Energy Citrus) | 20 | 2.5 | 50 |
| High Concentration Energy Drinksc | |||
| RedLine Power Rush | 2.5 | 140 | 350 |
| Ammo | 1 | 171 | 171 |
| Powershot | 1 | 100 | 100 |
| Fuel Cell | 2 | 90 | 180 |
| Classic Soft Drinks | |||
| Coca-Cola Classic | 12 | 2.9 | 34.5 |
| Pepsi Cola | 12 | 3.2 | 38 |
| Dr. Pepper | 12 | 3.4 | 41 |
| Mountain Dew | 12 | 4.5 | 54 |
Footnote: a Data on drink volume and caffeine content were obtained from the manufacturer via product label, website, or personal communication with manufacturer representatives. The one exception was that the caffeine content for BooKoo Energy was obtained from the CaffeinInformer website 10) which indicates the information was obtained from a Boo-Koo representative. When the authors contacted the BooKoo company directly, a BooKoo representative refused to disclose the drink’s caffeine content but did indicate that accurate information for the caffeine content of BooKoo Energy was available online.
b Top selling energy drinks in the U.S. 2006, listed sequentially as a percentage of market share (Packaged Facts, 2007 11)
c Examples of energy drinks drawn from the hundreds of energy drink products currently marketed in the U.S., listed sequentially on total caffeine content
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