When you are nursing your baby, you want your diet to be as healthy as possible. You may have given up caffeine during your nine months of pregnancy and may not be able to fathom the thought of not having a cup of coffee in the morning. It is OK to have caffeine in moderation -- about 300 mg daily, or one or two cups of coffee -- when nursing, according to the American Association of Pediatrics' HealthyChildren website.
Caffeine and Breast Milk
Your milk-producing cells and mammary glands help regulate how much of what you drink and eat ends up in breast milk. This is why caffeine in moderation is OK but too much is hard for your body to regulate. According to the website BabyCenter.com, less than 1 percent of the caffeine that enters your bloodstream ends up in breast milk, though if you overdo it, it may be too much for your baby. His little body has a hard time breaking down and excreting caffeine, especially at a younger age, so it can accumulate in his system over a period of time.
Foods and Beverages with Caffeine
Of course, there is caffeine in coffee, teas and sodas, but there is also caffeine in chocolate. This doesn't mean that you need to stay away from this sweet treat, however; just consume it in moderation like any caffeine-containing beverage. The amount of caffeine differs depending on the type of chocolate you eat. For example, a 1.45-oz. bar of milk chocolate has 11 mg of caffeine and a 1.45-oz. bar of dark chocolate has 31 mg of caffeine, indicates BabyCenter. There is also caffeine in energy drinks and coffee-flavored ice cream.
Caffeine and Baby
A moderate amount of caffeine is usually fine when you're nursing and doesn't cause a problem for most babies. If your baby is irritable, fussy, agitated and having difficulty sleeping, you may want to reduce your caffeine intake or cut it out of your diet completely to see if it makes a difference. You can try to introduce caffeine in your diet again when your baby is older.
Coffee Alternatives
If you're a coffee drinker but your baby is sensitive to caffeine or you just don't want to include the beverage in your diet, there are some alternatives you can try. Green tea and black tea still have caffeine but far less than a cup of brewed coffee. In addition, green tea contains plenty of antioxidants. Siberian ginseng tea is an herbal tea that is also known to tone the body, and yerba mate tea has a stimulating effect with no caffeine.
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