Can You Drink Coffee While Breastfeeding?

If you've avoided or limited caffeine throughout your pregnancy, you may breathe a sigh of relief as soon as you hold your new baby in your arms - for more than one reason. Now you can finally have a cup of coffee or two!

But not so fast… Many women who breastfeed are still concerned about how much caffeine they can have on a day to day basis. Many people believe that drinking coffee could cause colic or upset a nursing baby.

The good news is that drinking caffeine is approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics for breastfeeding mothers. Dr. Thomas Hale confirms that caffeine in a mother's diet poses a very low risk to a baby since the amount of caffeine passed into a mother's milk is very low. Most babies who are breastfed do not have a bad reaction to drinking coffee in moderation.

In some cases, babies under six months may be more sensitive; a baby who has sensitivity to caffeine in a mother's milk at a young age will normally outgrow this reaction over time.

How much is too much, you might ask? The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding confirms that less than 750 mL of coffee, or five 5 ounce cups of Joe, will not cause a reaction in the majority of breastfed babies.