Caffeine

As soon as I learnt that caffeine isn't really good for preggy mums (although my ObGyn said 1 cup is ok), I stopped having my daily cuppa...I resorted to my choc malt drink and that was my daily staple until I realised that every morning when I had that, I will have diarrhea after. So, my daily choc malt drink in the morning became my tea-time drink. And for the subsequent months, that was it.

Then, after 32 weeks, once in a while I would slot in a cuppa for a change. I was dying to have it. After delivery, no-way-man, until after confinement. Then I was cautious. Up till when I started work again. I just seemed to need the caffeine fix in the evening but I controlled myself. 3-4 weeks down the road, and since baby didn't show any signs of being affected by my daily cuppa, I felt comfortable to increase it now. So 2 cups daily would be it.

Just as I've come to conclude that my baby isn't affected by caffeine, I have to think otherwise now....

1. Two weeks ago I sort of increased my daily consumption from 1cup to 2 cups a day.
2. Quantity by volume still much less than that stated by most of the articles I read or the US FDA, but approx a week later, the symptoms showed...
3. It supposedly takes one week or so before the effects can be seen, because of the cumulative effects...
4. So now I shall have to keep to 1 cup a day or less...
5. See exerpt below for details...

Extracted from http://www.kellymom.com/health/lifestyle/caffeine.html

According to the Breastfeeding Answer Book (LLLI 2003, p. 599-600), excessive caffeine consumption by the mother (more than 750 mL per day) can result in a baby who shows signs of caffeine stimulation. "A baby who is being overstimulated by caffeine is a wide-eyed, active, alert baby who doesn't sleep for long. He may also be unusually fussy." (Yup, he shows all of that...though he may not be fussy)

If your baby seems particularly wakeful or fussy and there is a significant amount of caffeine in your diet, you might want to cut back or stop the caffeine for 2-3 weeks to see if it makes a difference. If you cut out caffeine, consider decreasing it slowly since abruptly stopping caffeine can result in headaches or other symptoms.

If caffeine stimulation is a problem for baby, it may take a few days to a week after mom eliminates caffeine for baby to become less fussy.

So looks like I'll have to put step 4 into practise....and just as I was enjoying my cuppa twice a day...:) For the sake of AIR...nevermind...:P

So does caffeine consumption affect breast milk supply? It doesn't. There's no evidence, so to speak...read on for another extract from the same source.

There is no evidence that caffeine decreases milk supply.

The myth that caffeine will decrease milk supply is widespread. Many moms consume caffeine, and it ought to be easy to document any adverse effects of caffeine on milk supply. No such effect has been observed, however, despite a number of studies of caffeine intake in breastfeeding mothers and years of clinical observations. In fact, one study (Nehlig & Debry, 1994) indicates that caffeine can stimulate milk production. A baby who is fussy and jittery from caffeine stimulation may not nurse well, however, which could lead to a decreased milk supply over time (due to decreased nursing, rather than the mother's caffeine intake).

So there you have it..

The last time I stayed away from coffee for a long period of time (can't rmbr how long but approx 4-5 months) was when I was trying to prove to myself if coffee does affect my knee problem. And in fact I proved that it did have an adverse effect. But after that, since I wasn't training that hard anymore, I continued having it.

So what shall I have for tea-time now?