To drink four 'real' coffees a day whilst breastfeeding

[SodOffCovid]

I have a four month old and a crazy two year old toddler. DH wfh because of the pandemic. I am exhausted. Yesterday I had three coffees from one of those tiny cafetieres (1tbsp taylors ground) and a cappuccino from our dulce gusto machine. I've been drinking this much for probably a couple of weeks.

All evidence online I can see says dont drink caffeine if it causes irritability in your baby. My baby is a dream. Sleeps when he can (remember, the two year old) and sleeps 7.30-7.30 overnight with usually two feeds. We Co sleep.

I get the impression DH is abit 🤔 about it as I was religiously a one coffee woman with dc1, and he breastfed til he was 18mo. I feel like I may just die if I don't have caffeine right now... Am I doing some harm to my baby. Obv if there is evidence I don't know about I will stop. Does someone know something I don't...

please say no

OP, I think this is a personal choice for you. If you’ve researched the risks and you’ve seen no ill effects with regards to sleep patterns I would say crack on.
I breastfed for nearly two years and used to have 3 Nespresso coffees a day. Sometimes, I would swap one of those for a regular americano from Costa and the like.

Disclaimer: I bloody love coffee and would never forgive myself for actively discouraging someone else from drinking it

I have 3 nespressos a day and have been since my LO was born. He is breastfed and sleeps and naps well. I try to avoid them after 3pm (switch to g&ts then )

There’s some small evidence that caffeine stunts growth but it would be minute through breast milk, some babies are irritated by it but not all - I Could drink about 5 or 6 cups of tea a today Easily, I could do that with my eldest 2 but my youngest (14 months) doesn’t sleep if I have that many.

Just drink lots of water as well.

www.llli.org/breastfeeding-info/caffeine/

It seems fine, just obviously keep an eye out and reduce if it appears to cause any problems.

I was similarly nervous and was told it was fine, even when BFing during a week in hospital (with very knowledgeable breastfeeding advisers). I can’t see a problem.

If your baby is sleeping ok then I think you're fine. I just had to cut down to one (weeps softly into duvet) because my five month old noticeably sleeps worse in the evenings if I have more. I am so exhausted that I feel I may have to resume my habit for health and safety reasons!
I find advise on coffee so confusing as you never know if they’re talking about filter coffee or espressos

Another bf’ing coffee chugger here!
Do what works for you @SodOffCovid. If your baby is happy and you are happy, nothing else should matter. The evidence of it having any affect at all is sketchy at best.

After carefully sticking to one small coffee a day whilst pregnant, I couldn't wait to get back to 4 a day. DS is 6 and growing as expected.

Very unlikely to cause problems, you're not sharing a blood supply any more so the teeny tiny amount in breast milk is negligible. Same with alcohol - the amount required to even mildly affect a bf baby would mean you were paralytic drunk and in no state to look after yourself, let alone a baby!

My ds reacted to just about everything that passed my lips whilst bf, textbook colicky gripey ball of angst that hardly slept if I even thought about caffeine, chocolate, tomatoes, fruit...

If your dc is fine I say go for it you lucky bugger

It's fine! As is alcohol.

I honestly think scaremongering and over cautious advice on this stuff is behind our low breastfeeding rates

Haha thanks @Muppetry76. Tbf dc1 was a nightmare.....

Thanks all, you've cheered me up no end. I'm off to stick kettle on..

Disclaimer: haven't drank any alcohol as I am Co sleeping. Sob.