Coffee and Breastfeeding - Oakland,CA

If you are really only have 1 cup of coffee I doubt that is causing the problem. My LO is very needy and has to be held all the time too and I'm on decaf. You probably could easily give up the caffeine. You can still have coffee just make it decaf, you'll actually end up with more energy. Just start mixing caffeinated and decaf and within a couple of weeks you could be on decaf and you won't notice it. I'd switch to decaf before going to formula.

I drank a huge cup of coffee every day while I breastfed both of my kids. I had one kid that cried a lot and one that didn't. It wasn't the coffee. Some babies are more fussy than others. I drank more coffee when I had my second non-fussy baby. I was also a nanny for years and I never noticed a pattern with coffee drinking, breast feeding, and fussy babies. The only thing I sort of noticed is that first borns are usually more challenging, but even that isn't always the case.

Did you drink coffee while pregnant? An article I read on Kellymom awhile ago said data showed that if you drank coffee while pregnant, than your baby was less likely to react to it postpartum.

Are you especially sensitive to caffeine (drink it at 2pm and have trouble falling asleep)? I am. It's called "slow-metabolizer", and I wonder if I am whether my kids might be too.

In any case, I drank a small amount (half a cup to a cup) while pregnant and continued that amount while breastfeeding and didn't find it interfered with sleeping (though nursing before a nap sometimes did seem to perk my baby up - couldn't be sure if was the caffeine or the calories).

The amount a baby cries increases from day 1 to about week 7 or 8, as they sleep less and try to adjust to life outside the womb.

So, unhelpfully, I'd suggest the caffeine could be the culprit, or it could be something else or everything else (as in "just a phase").

You could try weaning yourself from the caffeine in the coffee (I switched to half-caf), or going without for just one day, to see if it makes a difference.

If you enjoy / would like to continue breastfeeding, I would try solving the crying & sleeping problem first (trying to put baby to sleep at first yawn, for example, in case he/she's getting overtired and then crying/fussing at naptime) and not jump to abandoning nursing as the only course of action.

Good luck!

D.-

A lot of experts say to avoid things with caffeine, spicy foods, alcohol as they'll all end up in breast milk. I never had a problem with my breast milk having much of an affect when I had a diet coke or ate spicier foods. But, all breast milk is a little different and all babies react differently.

Your baby will go through MANY different sleep patterns based upon their needs (perhaps they need more food, need it more frequently, just need the reassurance of having someone hold them).

My OB/GYN and pediatrician didn't advise me to cut out caffeine (I am not a coffee drinker), so I have a hard time believing that 1 cup is truly the culprit.

My next statement is going to sound harsh, but it's a question I had to ask myself when I wanted to stop breast feeding my son (I didn't have a choice with my daughter as I had to start chemo to treat my cancer): are you willing to stop doing what's best for your baby for selfish reasons? My answer was no, and I nursed the entire first year even though it was horrible as I was a traveling sales person and had to pump multiple times a day in my car.

Hi D.
I'm writing in response to "Kelseys mom L" and Kimmie G's comments. Don't listen to them! I suspect that if you have had a cup of coffee every morning since forever you get a massive headache if you don't. So all their comments would therefore be outrageous. If you don't get a headache, then by all means try cutting out the coffee and see what happens. My first born was like yours. She took every short nap in my arms and then slept peacefully in her crib at night. the second one always slept in her crib and took long naps. I had the same 1 cup of coffee in the morning with both.
Good luck and may both of you sleep well!

Congrats D. on your new baby girl!

It may or may not be the coffee. I noticed with my little girl that one cup of coffee was indeed keeping her awake and I cut back to decaf. Although, many breastfeeding mothers I know can drink 1-2 cups of coffee without any noticeable effects on their babies systems.

My suggestion would be to try and build up a milk supply of non-caffeinated milk (milk pumped just before bed or first thing in morning--I can't remember how long it takes caffeine to show up in breast milk). Once you have enough non-caffeinated milk pumped, try feeding her only the non-caffeinated for a day or two and see if it makes a difference. I wouldn't be too quick to "pump and dump"; save the "caffeinated" milk until you know if it's really having a negative effect on your little girl.

FYI: I had to supplement with formula due to low milk supply and it brought on a whole new set of symptoms/reactions/problems.

My little girl is now 8 1/2 months and I'm constantly trying to decipher what is causing this or that symptom. It's nerve-wracking sometimes, but I think it's just part of the process!

The best of luck to you and I hope all is well soon,

K.

I hear ya on the whole 'needing' that cup of coffee in the morning. I've had one cup of coffee throught my pregnancy and with breastfeeding for all five of my children and haven't had any problems. It's if you are introducing the caffeine to your system for the first time, and your baby isn't used to it, that there may be a chance for a reaction. Otherwise I would chalk your babies desire to be held while sleeping as his/her way of becoming more conscious of their surroundings and recognizing a good thing when they see it! ;). My 3 week old is the same way. She loves to be in someones arms. And believe me, this won't be the last time you'll see a shift in your little ones sleeping pattern. It's an ever changing process until they are well through the toddler years. Good luck!

Hi D.! All babies react differently to caffeine in the breastmilk and yours sounds sensitive. Since breastfeeding is sooooo beneficial, why don't you try half-caf and see if that makes a difference. You still get coffee and your baby might get rest. If this doesn't work you might switch to decaf. I know, I know...sounds torturesome but I was able to do this and found that the ritual and taste of coffee was what I needed and not the caffeine. It's worth a shot for a healthy baby! Good luck mama!

I doubt the coffee is affecting her that much. I have 5 children. I gave up coffee with the first two but found I just substituted it with chocolate. For babies 3-5 I have drank coffee while pregnant and while breastfeeding. IWth number five I had a c-section with a spinal anesethsia and ended up with a spinal headache that even really strong pain killers were not taking care of. My doctor suggested I drink up to 3 full strength cups of coffee a day and that was when she was less than a week old. My dd is 9 months old now and she had very erratic sleep until she was 5 months when we started sleep training her. She now nurses while I drink my coffee and then agian right before her morning nap and sleeps for 2 hours. I have switched to half caf. We blend it and grind it ourselves. But my main reason for switching is that I really like the taste of coffee and want to drink 2-4 cups a day.

The benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any possibility of caffeine getting into your breast milk. If you are doing only one cup a day, and that's all the caffeine intake you have, then its not nearly enough to have an impact. No offense to your nanny, but I don't think she has MD in her title ;O)
I have my one cup a day while pregnant, and currently while breastfeeding.

I doubt it's the coffee and is likely just your little baby, they love to be held. A little caffine in your breastmilk far out weighs switching to formula.

It seems pretty selfish to not be willing to give up coffee for a few months while you are breastfeeding your child. If you found that coffee really was causing your infant great pain wouldn't you want to stop drinking coffee for his/her sake? Why is your one little cup of coffee so important to you that you are willing to make your child miserable? Have you tried decafe? Have you tried not drinking it to see how the baby responds? You might find you are a more calm and content mother once you are off caffiene and your baby may relax and be more comfortable and sleep like an angel. What would you do if you found coffee was making her/you deathly ill? Would you still insist on that precious cup every morning? I don't understand how anyone can claim there is NO WAY they can give up something when they suspect it may be harming someone else. At least try, and then go back to your coffee later or just go ahead and buy formula. I hope your baby sleeps well no matter what you decide to do.

I didn't read all the responses but my advice is it's not strictly the coffee. While I was pregnant I would drink the Chai lattes because they had less caffeine but once I had my daughter and was breastfeeding her I started back to getting my usual cup of coffee each morning. I have heard that coffee has more caffeine than say lattes or specialty drinks.
I think it is just a phase and if you're going to be more stressed with not drinking coffee then the baby will sense that as well. Just relax, have your one cup a day, and things will be changing again before you know it! =)

I was a coffee drinker all through pregnancy (1 cup a day)and had my 1 cup while breast feeding both girls. and yes, they both went through phases of sleeping in my arms only. these were phases, and my doctor said 1 cup is not going to hurt anything. babies go through stages of growth and personality development where they want to be held. my babies also went through phases where they wanted to be held and fed every hour. weird question for you related to coffee... have you noticed that your baby's urine smells very strong? that may be some negative coffee effect but i personally never found my children to have suffered from my 1 cup a day.
good luck.
S.

Seriously???? OMG- don't feel guilty! I've been BF my little one for 9 months and I drink on average 2-3 cups throughout the day! My doctors said 2-3 was FINE, just as drinking some wine/beer is fine since very, very little actually enters the breastmilk.
Think about it....in the 70's all the moms were drinking/ smoking and doing other things.... and we are all just fine. A couple cups of coffee is NOT going to hurt your baby while breastfeeding.
People are just way too uptight now.

Are you absolutely sure you can't quit the coffee?? Not even cut back some?? It'd be good for YOUR health too, you know.

It seems backwards to me; you're saying the absolute is the coffee and the variable is breastfeeding. surely you cut out the coffe while you were pregnant when it does the real damage??? If it is a sleep issue that occurs with the nanny only, then the nanny could be (unknowingly) producing it because she wants you to cut out the coffee. So, trick her into thinking you have cut out the coffee and see if the problem resolves itself. Not the most ethical way to handle it, but if it works you have your answer.

I really don't believe that one cup of coffee is effecting your baby's sleeping. I drank a cup -- sometimes two -- strong cups every single day during the time I breastfed my children, and they were both good sleepers.

I personally can't see how one cup in the am could cause sleepless nights. It may be the strength of it, though. When i breastfed, I actually drank a mixture of dark beer (Guiness) AND MILK to prduce more milk, once or twice a day. Perhaps if you drink it during the day it could help calm you down and increase the goodies in your milk?

It's not the cup of coffee. The baby just wants to be in mommy's arms where she feels safe and secure.

Hi D.- I really doubt that small amount of caffinewould keep your baby up. I drank a cup a day through breastfeeding two kids with no effect. I drank an occasional cup while pregnant and even (GASP!) an occasional glass of wine during the last couple months of both pregananies. Americans are way too hung up on total abstinence during pregnancy. As long as their not some kind of addict Mom's know what's OK and the vast majority will always make the right choices for their children. The judgement from other Moms is just damaging to all women. That being said I would caution you not to take the breastfeeding thing too lightly. I had terrible medical issues trying to breastfeed my firstborn, it was devastating and the hardest couple of months of my life. I stuck it out to nurse her and her little sister 3 years later. There is little I wouldn't have done to breastfeed my kids as I feel it's important for so many reasons. Your daughter is only three months old and when you say you won't give up coffee to continue breastfeeding I can see how it makes people mad. You say you like "the idea" of breasfeeding but that really doesn't matter, maybe do a little reasearch to remind yourself why your doing it. There are lots of women out there who cannot BF thier kids and it's a little insensitive to them. Good luck and remember babies go through all kinds of phases, your at the very beginning of a long, rewarding, & extremely life altering experience. Good luck!

Hi D.:
I had a similar experience when my son was about 2.5 months, where I had my first latte and I swore he didn't sleep well that night and I was too sleep deprived to take the chance and test it out again :) So I don't know if it was just my child (who was not a very deep sleeper anyway and still isn't) or my coffee. I did return to my coffee drinking a few months later (one latte every other day) and it has all worked out ok and he sleeps thru the night starting around 1 year.
Best to you and I feel you!
C.

Well, every kid is different, but from what I have heard and experienced your one cup of coffee should not be effecting the baby! I drink two cups every day from pregnancy on and my daughter is still nursing at a year + and does not seem effected. Sometimes I did notice that if I have coffee too late in the evening that it might have a different effect but sometimes I think that is just my fears talking. Especially if the baby sleeps in arms vs out there is something else going on, and it may just be that she is wanting to be held more right now and is going through a stage. My kids, mostly because i was willing, were always happy to sleep in my arms more than off of me, so I just wore them more. I would definately look at other sources, including just a phase, for your daughter's need to be held before weaning her because you drink coffee! Good luck

I didn't read all of your replies, but I am sure you have gotten some great advice. This is what I did when I was breastfeeding and I LOVE coffee.
When we found out I was pregnant, we started making the coffee pot half decaf, half regular- my husband says now he can drink twice as much! I also made each cup (I have 2)about 1/3 milk, so again it is less coffee and adding a bit of milk, which I can use.
My husband (the scientist) did some research and it turns out that the baby would have to drink something like 32 oz of milk (as if you could produce that much) in order to consume enough caffiene for it to be the equivalent of you drinking the cup of coffee.
However, the acidity and taste of the coffee (even one cup) in your breastmilk may disturb your baby and cause fussiness. But the taste of the coffee will only be in one serving of milk, not all day. Also, there are about 1000 things each day that can possibly make a baby/toddler/preschooler fussy.
Most babies at 5 weeks only want to sleep in someone's arms. They still miss the uterus until about 12 weeks and should be cuddles as much as possible.
Don't stop breastfeeding over caffiene- that is way too drastic a measure considering the benefits and joy of breastfeeding. It's caffiene, not crack. Also, your nanny is not a pediatrician, so take her well meaning advice with some salt. YOU are the momma and you will do what is best for your baby.
Congratulations!

Hi D. -

I agree with a lot of the others that one cup doesn't sound like it's enough caffeine to really effect your baby, but you never know. However, before you think about making the switch to formula, maybe you can try some other methods to see if that will help your baby get to sleep. Does your baby have a hard time sleeping all the time? Or just at night?

I read Healthy Sleep Habit, Happy Child and I remember one of the things he said in the book was that around 6 weeks, sleeping habits can get really hard, so maybe your baby is just going through that phase? Also, I've learned from other moms that sometimes schedules/sleep habits just shift or change for whatever reasons?

If you're still concerned about the caffeine intake, perhaps you can talk to your pediatrician?

Good luck!

Hi!
I was in your situation! My ONE cup of coffee..... I seriously doubt that that is the problem! Even if it is, you have options..... and weaning shouldn't be one!!!
1. Try half caff (sometimes the compromise works short term)
2. "Pump and dump" use formula for the feeding after you'd have your coffee, then pump and dump what you've pumped. Then next feeding, feed normally. Won't affect your supply at all! Most moms I know do this so they can have the occasional glass of wine or after a night out, etc. :)
3. Wait it out. Sleeping goes in stages and some stages they just don't sleep as well and it has nothing to do with coffee!!!!!

But don't wean just because your nanny says so!!! I weaned my son before we were ready... he was turning one and my hubby and I were going for a weekend wedding and it seemed the thing to do... but I still had milk when I got back and it was a struggle... I could've picked it up when we got home and gone to just morning and night or just nighttime, but I didn't and it was traumatic and my son never liked milk as much as his sister. He drank more when he turned 2 and went to 1%, but at 4 and 6, he still doesn't drink as much as she does. So the lesson is do what you think is right, what your gut is telling you, it's probably right!!!!!

They go through phases. If you really think it is the caffeine, do a 1/2 caff blend and wean yourself down to decaf. See if it helps. I drank coffee with most of my children (5) and they all sleep fine, but have been through different sleep trials. I switched to decaf while nursing and limited any caffeine intake to 1 per day, it helped a couple of my children.

As far as the "I can't give up my coffee!" statement, yes you can, you just have to be willing. You most likely don't have to. Don't be a wimp. Don't do the "I can'ts", it's embarrassing to all of us who have had to give up something for our children's sake. That's why some of these mothers who answer get so upset. They don't mean to be rude, but they don't understand, so forgive them where they are.

Take care, take that statement out of your vocabulary, you are a mom now, there is nothing you 'can't' do. You'll appreciate that more when your children are a bit older.

Take care,
D.

5 weeks is a time when babies are naturally going through changes in their sleep habits. It's not the coffee. Don't let the sanctimonious moms tell you otherwise. (I might also add, if your nanny is guilt-tripping you about your coffee drinking, you should look for a new nanny. You're the mom and it's your judgement that you need to rely on.)

I just delivered by c-section last week and was having spinal headache. The doctors and nurses told me to drink lots of caffiene with water. They said only toavoid during the evening/night so that baby will not keepme awake.

One cup of coffee shouldn't cause that much problem.

Best of luck.

Is this message a joke? You seriously would consider depriving your child of breastmilk which is necessary to build a good immune system and much better and healthier for them than formula? All becuase you don't want to stop drinking coffee, which is totally bad for you??? Seriously? Do you smoke too? Good grief.

If one cup of coffee in the morning is your only coffee intake, I can't see that it would be the cause of your baby's problem. However, you might consider going to decaf coffee and see if that helps. I know you said you need the caffiene, but you might be surprised at how your system can be fooled just by having the taste of the coffee. Also consider what else you may be eating or drinking that could add to the caffiene intake in your system or other factors that might be affecting the baby through your milk. If you are drinking any colas, eating chocolate or drinking chocolate beverages, eating a lot of sweets... etc. you may find something in that you could and should cut out to help the problem.

Well, you can try this - just reduce the caffiene in the coffee by putting two scoop of regular coffee and one scoop of decaf. Then after you are used to that for a few weeks, put half regular and half decaf, and if you really try hard, you might be able to eventually take the caffenated stuff down to 1/2 scoop ,and less even. This is how I weaned myself off leaded coffee. Stopping abruptly and going cold turkey is painful.

I do not doubt that some of the caffiene is crossing over into your milk, but, I'm not sure thats the reason for your babies issue. It could be. But as babies mature, if they are used to sleeping in your arms, thats where there going to want to be. Humans, including babies, are creatures of habit. I remember my babies going through a "change" around the one month mark, being more fussy about falling asleep.
And I didnt drink coffee at that time so it couldnt have been that.