Tired Breastfeeding Mom Wants to Drink a Cup of Coffee (Daily). Anyone Else??

Sorry, I don't mean anything by it, I know you are doing what you think is right...

I can't believe I lived. My mom drank coffee all day, smoked, drove without seat belts, ate Tuna, and more. Life wasn't so regulated and we all lived and did just fine.

It's nowadays that kids are having more behaviors and allergies. What if that's what's causing them? Lack of coffee, tuna, and smoke???lol.

I know it's always better to be healthier but I agree with the other mom's. I don't know anyone who likes coffee that does not drink coffee while breastfeeding.

One cup of coffee a day should not be a problem.
First thing in the morning have a nice hot cup just the way you like it!

I drink 3-4 cups of tea a day, and have since baby was born. I did the same with my second. I was paranoid with my first, and she's the one who is hyper active.

I have a friend with 5 kids. She drinks a pot of coffee a day. All of her kids are fine.

I did with my first and I am with my second. I'm pretty sure coffee is god's gift to tired parents. Enjoy!

Sounds like coffee is the answer. (I'm not a coffee drinker so I wouldn't know.)

About him waking constantly at 18 mos., I have a question. What do you think is worth it for him to wake up? If someone gave me something delicious to eat or drink, talked sweetly to me, rocked and held me, I think I would wake up several times at night, too. He doesn't need to eat, be held, sung to, etc. at night. He needs his sleep as do you. The Ferber method (or similar method) might seem hard but it works in less time than you would think. It worked for my strong-willed daughter - only a couple nights! Then we had years of quiet nights.

If your son has health issues or something else that causes him to wake up, then just ignore my comments and you have my sympathies.

Of course I drank coffee while nursing my kids. If I hadn't, no one would've lived through it.

I wouldn't drink 3 pots a day......also drink a bottle of water per cup of coffee.

:)

Yes it's OK, unless you see an obvious reaction in your child, just like anything else that you eat.
I have continued to drink coffee while breastfeeding as well as through pregnancy. Don't over do it obviously, a cup or 2 is fine, but I wouldn't go 4 or 5. Moderation is key.
Kellymom has a fantastic article with information about caffeine as well as so many other breastfeeding questions and concerns.
http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/caffeine/

Sure! Who said you couldn't?! I wouldn't go and drink several cups a day every day, but sure-have a cup in the morning!

Have your coffee. But please try to nightwean him. An 18 month old doesn't need to nurse all night long. If you aren't actually night nursing, try the Ferber method. You deserve to sleep, and your son deserves to learn the necessary art of self-soothing.

Yep. Have your coffee.

OMG-drink the coffee! LOL! I'm also breastfeeding a 17 mos old, and haven't skipped coffee (or Dt Mtn Dew, for that matter) one single day. One of each. Every day. You gotta do what you gotta do to stay awake and sane!
Way to go for breastfeeding that long! It isn't always easy to stay that committed to your little one. Well done, and bravo. We moms don't give support for this nearly enough, and most of us are "closet nursers" by 9 months.

Have your cup of coffee, Momma!

Good job Mama. My OB told me in the hospital after having my 2nd that it was perfectly okay to have a cup of coffee per day while nursing! I did and he is fine. He didn't sleep through the night consistently until he was 2 (and he stopped nursing a few months before that) but his older brother didn't sleep until that age either and I only nursed him one year and didn't drink caffeine while nursing him.

If a cup of coffee helps you get through, do it.

I am not nursing - my baby is 3! I have started a new thing though - coffee first thing in the AM and a cup around 3:30pm. It helps me get through the pick up, drive home, dinner, homework, bath routine without falling asleep!

Hang in there! C.

Good Lord, have a cup or two! I drank my normal cup of coffee every morning while breastfeeding my son (for 18 months), he is fine and had no problems at all from it.

Totally sipped coffee ALL DAY while pregnant and while breast feeding.

Go for it!!!

I drank coffee while breastfeeding with no issues.

And you might want to look into some type of sleep training for you 18-month old. He should be sleeping pretty much through the night by now.

Good luck!

Do it. Absolutely. I am not a coffee drinker but I drank one coke a day all through breastfeeding both kids (over a year each). Plan to drink it right after one of his feedings so your body has some time for it to work through before you feed him again.

One cup of coffee will not hurt him at all. My OB said I could drink 2-3 cups a day during my pregnancy and be fine (I didn't, but it was nice to know I could).

Go make a pot now. :D

yes! drink a cup of coffee!
most things in moderation are fine. coffee certainly is.
not a gallon. not a pot.
but cup?
drink it!
khairete
S.

Drink a cup he will be fine. Why is the baby still up a lot at night? He may be hungry. Give him a big bowl of cereal before bed it might help.

Of course you can! I breastfed all of my kids, my youngest for 27 months. I had caffeine as soon as they were born. Not sure why someone told you that you can't, but that's bad info.

Girl, unless I'm having aversions to coffee (a few weeks during 1st trimester), I cannot function without my coffee! Just keep off the energy drinks and don't go overboard with the coffee. :)

My bigger concern is why your 18-month-old is still relying on you so much for sleep? By now, he should be eating real food, drinking milk, and sleeping most hours of the night. If you're relying on breastmilk to keep him full overnight (like his "dinner"), that is NOT enough. If he's nursing for comfort, maybe it's time to look for an alternative "lovey" (blanket, stuffed animal, etc)? I know some mamas breastfeed for years, but I was happy to go 1 full year--and my girl has always been a good eater! At some point, I think it becomes less about the nutrition and benefits of breastmilk and more about habit and comfort. As long as you're both still okay with the situation (and it sounds like you may not be), keep on. But, by 1 year, my girl was ready to do things on her own, and I was ready to have MY body back! Just something to consider.
Good luck mama!

If it helps you keep your sanity, go for it! Lol.

I take my caffeine cold, and my Pepsi addiction didn't harm my baby (so far as I can tell....)

I do know that eating an apple is supposed to provide the same amount of energy as a cup of coffee... So maybe try that if you feel like you need more energy than however much coffee you allow yourself to drink provides.

I would have a cup of coffee after the morning breastfeeding of my little
one.
I didn't have more than that but I think it was just fine.
I just waited until after that 1st morning feeding (you know after the 1 or 2
times after I woke up during the night, each & every night ;)!

I'm no doctor (so you should probably check with one), but if it were me, I'd go for the coffee. No questions asked. BTW, why is he still constantly waking up?

drink and enjoy your cup of coffee!!!!

I drank it by the gallon. Unlike pregnancy, very little caffeine makes it into breast milk.

I had at least 1 coke and sometimes 2 cokes a day..my kids are fine. they are in first and second grade and doing excellent in school.. have a bit of joe.. it is ok..

I drank coffee and breastfed 4 kids, one until she was almost 2. All are fine. Oh, and I drink a 12 cup pot of coffee, so strong you can almost melt a spoon in it, a day.

IMO: too much fear mongering about raising kids today. I am a baby boomer and I knew moms who smoked, drank coffee and alcohol while preggers and breastfeeding and the kids are fine and none of them had kids with 2 heads or six hands. In fact my aunt's doctor told her to have a beer while breastfeeding it would help her relax and produce more milk.

I drank coffee when I was breastfeeding.

I would drink a cup a day, especially at that age where you are likely also feeding him solid foods. You might want to keep the coffee for the AM and not PM nursing, but it shouldn't hurt him.

I had one 6 oz cup per morning (with my doc's permission - I get caffeine withdrawal migraines) throughout my pregnancies and nursing both babies. My doctor said that the threshold used in caffeine studies related to pregnancy and nursing was 2 6 oz cups per day.

Unless there's some medical reason you shouldn't, I'd say give the little one his morning milk, then have your coffee. At 18 months, he's not feeding every 2 hours any more. By the time he's ready to nurse again, much of the caffeine should have worked its way through your system.

Yep, I had a cup of real coffee since the day my kids were born. And I B/F till 17 month with my first and well, Breast Milk for my 2nd until 1 year. (she never took to nursing.

Kick dad in the middle of the nigth 3 nights.. when it is dad that shows up.. he will no longer find the need to get up. Even if you have dad provide a bottle, or some water.

Good Luck.

I'm breastfeeding my 4 month old currently, and all through my pregnancy and presently, I have a cup of coffee in the morning. Sometimes a little more. Go for it!

By the time the kid is 18 months you should be back to eating and drinking what like for yourself Your child is also able to drink from a glass or anything else. You have given your son all the necessary nutrients he needs in the first 9 months of life. Enjoy that café latte or whatever.

I come from a time that there were no seatbelts and the regulations of today to raise a child. My parents smoked and many of the family members did. We are all healthy.

the other S.

My child that never experienced caffeine is the worst sleeper in the world...sleep issues out the ying yang...he is nine, and we are seeking treatment for the sleep issues.

My child that consumed two pots of coffee a day (the only way I could function with the older one who was still not sleeping at 18 months) though her breast milk started sleeping through the night at about 3 weeks old (6-8 hours). And is now the best sleeper, out with in five minutes of her head touching the pillow.

My personal non proved hypothesis is the more caffeine the baby gets the better they sleep.

So have a cup of coffee or even two a day...you have my full blessings...and heck I will even join you!! Big hugs!!