What effect does the mothers consumption of caffeine have on the breastfeeding infant?
THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, page 225, states that the amount of caffeine in five or fewer five-ounce cups of coffee (less than 750 ml) will not cause a problem for most mothers and babies. (It might be helpful to measure the number of ounces in a typical coffee mug, as many are 8 to 12 ounces or more.) The BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK, page 98, reminds mothers that when figuring caffeine intake, remember all sources of caffeine such as colas, some pain relievers, some cold medicines, and other medicines. Chocolate contains theobromine which can act like caffeine in both the mother’s and baby’s systems. A baby who is being over-stimulated with caffeine will be wide-eyed, active, alert and perhaps fussy. In Breastfeeding: A Guide For the Medical Profession (fifth edition), by Ruth A. Lawrence, M.D. and Robert M. Lawrence, M.D., page 369, the authors write: “Caffeine ingestion has been singled out for discussion because it is a frequent concern, but the data provided in most reviews ar
