During pregnancy, most women are aware of things they should avoid, as they could be harmful to their baby. Many pregnant women follow the advice from their doctors with regard to abstaining from drinking alcohol or taking drugs, as well as monitoring their caffeine consumption.
Although information about foods, drinks, and substances to avoid during pregnancy is routinely communicated to pregnant women by their healthcare providers, there is less information available about the safety of food and drinks for mothers with nursing babies.
Breastfeeding mothers are often concerned about which foods and drinks to avoid while breastfeeding.
Many breastfeeding mothers ask:
Can I drink tea while breastfeeding?
Caffeinated drinks, such as black tea, are safe to drink in moderate amounts for breastfeeding mothers.
Experts agree that 200 to 300 mg of caffeine, which is equivalent to two or three cups of coffee or tea per day, is a safe level of caffeine consumption for breastfeeding mothers.
Just like adults, some babies are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine and will react to very small amounts present in breast milk.
Newborn babies metabolize caffeine at a much slower rate than older babies do. This means that caffeine in a mother’s diet – whether it comes from drinking coffee, teas, soda, or other caffeinated drinks, or from eating foods containing caffeine – can accumulate in a baby’s body.
Herbal tea
Some people assume that because herbal teas are natural, this makes them suitable for breastfeeding mothers to consume. Even though herbal tea might contain natural ingredients, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe.
In fact, some herbs are contraindicated for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Some herbal teas that are naturally caffeine free and considered safe to drink for breastfeeding mothers are:
- Ginger tea
- Chamomile tea
- Raspberry leaf tea
- Peppermint tea
- Fennel tea.
Can I drink green tea while breastfeeding?
It is safe to drink green tea if you are a breastfeeding mother.
Sometimes, people mistake green tea for a caffeine free drink. Be aware, however, that green tea does contain some caffeine.
It has a lower caffeine content than coffee or black tea. A 240 ml cup of green tea contains around 29 mg of caffeine per cup. A 240 ml cup of coffee contains around 96 mg of caffeine per cup and black tea contains around 47 mg of caffeine per cup.
If you are avoiding drinking caffeine, you might like to consider drinking decaffeinated coffee or tea while breastfeeding.
What tea should you not drink while breastfeeding?
Some herbal teas are not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
This is not necessarily because they are known to have adverse effects on nursing babies, but because there has not been enough research into the safety of certain ingredients.
The following herbal teas are best to avoid while breastfeeding:
- Black cohosh. It could cause digestive irritation for a nursing baby
- Chaparral. This is potentially toxic to infants
- Dong quai. It contains estrogenic compounds
- Goldenseal. This tea could increased bilirubin levels in infants
- Guarana. It contains stimulant, which might be secreted in breast milk
- Kava Kava. This is a potential nervous system depressant
- Licorice root. It is potentially toxic to infants
- Senna leaf. I contains a digestive system irritant.
To be on the safe side, check with your healthcare provider before drinking any herbal tea while you are breastfeeding.
Fenugreek tea
Although fenugreek is commonly used as a galactagogue (a substance that can increase breast milk supply), it can have the opposite effect in some women.
Some women have found fenugreek to be helpful in increasing milk supply but there is a lack of scientific research to back this up. There have been only a limited number of studies about fenugreek as a galactagogue. Most of these studies are of low to moderate quality and most didn’t find fenugreek to be effective in increasing milk supply.
For more information, refer to BellyBelly’s article Fenugreek And Breast Milk Supply – Does It Help?
What can I drink to help produce breast milk?
Any product claiming to increase milk supply in breastfeeding mothers is based on anecdotal evidence alone. This is because breastfeeding works on the principle of supply and demand.
You can read more about this in BellyBelly’s article How Does Breastfeeding Work? An Explanation.
How do I know if my baby is sensitive to caffeine intake
The amount of caffeine a breastfeeding mother is able to consume without it affecting her baby varies, according to the individual.
It is recommended, however, that all breastfeeding mothers avoid large quantities of caffeine.
The amount of caffeine consumed doesn’t just come from drinking coffee, black tea, or energy drinks; caffeine is also present in foods and some over the counter medications.
Excessive maternal caffeine consumption can have adverse effects on a breastfed baby. Some of them are:
- Difficulty in sleeping
- Excessive irritability or agitation
- Tachycardia (rapid heart rate).
For some women, too much caffeine can affect milk production and breast milk supply.
If you think caffeine could be affecting you or your baby, it is best to reduce your intake or avoid consuming caffeine altogether.
Does caffeine intake affect breast milk supply?
According to LactMed (drugs and lactation database) drinking coffee in large amounts (i.e. coffee intake of more than 450ml daily) might decrease breast milk iron concentrations and result in mild iron deficiency anemia in some breastfed babies.
Peer-reviewed studies have not found any evidence of caffeine directly affecting breast milk supply.
It is thought that a link between caffeine consumption and low milk supply in breastfeeding mothers could be due to the effects of caffeine on breastfed infants (i.e. increased irritability and fussiness) leading to less time at the breast and insufficient milk removal, which causes a lower milk supply.
Interestingly, one study found moderate maternal consumption of caffeine stimulated milk production in breastfeeding mothers. However, there is insufficient high-quality data available to make evidence-based recommendations on this finding.
For more information, you can read BellyBelly’s article Caffeine And Breastfeeding – Everything You Need To Know.
