How Much Is Filtered?

Updated on June 30, 2008
T.P. asks from South Beloit, IL
18 answers

Hi, Moms! I just had my daughter almost 3 weeks ago. We have been very successful with breastfeeding so far and pray that it continues. My question is this...How much of what I eat or drink is actually in my breastmilk? Is some of it "filtered" out? I don't drink alcohol but I do have coffee every morning and the occasional soda. I don't care for diet soda a whole lot. She doesn't seem to be bothered by it but I was just curious.
Thanks in advance for your help.
T.

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So What Happened?

Thanks to everyone for your caring responses. There were acouple of days that I had twice the coffee I normally do. Once I cut back Cady seemed to be better. I try to stay away from the foods that make her gassy. They do that to me, too. LOL Thanks again for your advice.

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R.A.

answers from Chicago on

if she isn't bothered by it, then why worry? there are plenty of other things to worry about with kids! lol
according to LLL .6-1.5% of the caffeine you drink gets to baby.

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D.N.

answers from Chicago on

I am also a nursing mom. I also have a cup of coffee-though I have more of a latte, lots of milk since I don;t care for the taste of straight coffee. I do have a soda now and then. You should eat like you were when you were expecting. Keeping the caffeine level low--no more than 300m should be fine. If you notice she gets an upset tummy or gets colicy, then cut it down to see if that is the problem. Broccoli hurts my daughters tummy more than other stuff.

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D.L.

answers from Chicago on

Hi Tracey,
Everything you put in your body does go to the breat milk as well. I had to stop eating all dairy products because it was causing my baby to have to much mucas. Some babies are more sensitive than others. If you have to have coffee than try & limit it to 1 cup & don't have any other caffeine drinks during the day. You should also stay away from diet drinks & foods.

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C.G.

answers from Augusta on

Breastmilk is basically a by-product of what gets into your blood so consider anything that gets into your blood can get into breastmilik, but in small amounts. Some babies are bothered by caffeine and some aren't so I would not go too overboard and just judge how your baby reacts. Alcohol in moderation is fine, no more than 1-2 drinks as far from feeding time as possible and no need to pump and dump. Check out the La Leche League website (www.laleche.org) and www.kellymom.com for breastfeeding info.

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C.S.

answers from Chicago on

Check out kellymom.com for breastfeeding info. I know caffine affected my second baby.

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S.E.

answers from Chicago on

Truth is that everything you eat and/or drink can end up in your breast milk. If you drink coffee it can end up in the babies supper, same with broccoli or chocolate (both very gassy foods). Your emotions can even play a part in your breast feeding. If you are filled with anxiety or very high strung that can come through to your baby.
When my son was 4 months old i had to quite breast feeding because my anxiety caused my son to have terrible colic. I watched so close what I ate and drank but when he was 4 months I was having anxiety attacks and did not want to take medication so I quit breast feeding.

Good Luck with your 2 blessings.

S.

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E.B.

answers from Chicago on

The nutrition that you take in is what nourishes the milk. The wider variety of foods you eat the better...the milk will taste different depending on what you consume...garlic, onions, broccoli, chicken...

I drank coffee during the breastfeeding period (I nursed both my kids for a couple of years!) and there was little effect. That being said, I would cut out the soda. It has absolutely no nutritional value.

Kids born early need a little more time for their nervous system to develop. Your babe may be more sensitive to foods than your 2 year old.

Keep nursing whatever you do. Studies have shown that kids that are breastfed do better than kids who aren't. It is the perfect food for our babies...picture your wonderful breast milk soothing their nerves and flowing through their veins...awesome!

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A.W.

answers from Chicago on

A cup of coffee in the morning and the occasional soda should be fine. I nursed each of my three kids, and never noticed any problems or disruptions in my childrens sleep when I had a cup of coffee in the morning. I really needed this cup of coffee to help me stay alert-especially on the third child!

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A.M.

answers from Chicago on

pretty close to everything you eat and drink gets in there. Some caffeine isn't bad but I would limit it - maybe half decaf/half coffee. I wouldn't worry all that much about this but I would try to eat as healthy as possible. I took some omega-3 as I don't eat fish and calcium and extra folic acid and kept taking my prenatal vitamins.

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G.H.

answers from Chicago on

Everything you eat or drink ends up in your bhilds lood stream....that's how they get their vitamins. That caffeine is running amuck thru baby. Child may become accustomed to it but bowel movement, at the very least, will be splattery water let alone the damage caffeine does to us....better think it over mom

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A.S.

answers from Chicago on

Pretty much everything you eat gets to the baby...just in very very slight amounts.

Caffeine should be in moderation (just like in pregnancy no more than 2 8 oz cups...some babies are more sensitive than others). And with alcohol the rule of thumb is that if you can feel it, then baby will get some. So feed a bottle of expressed milk and "pump and dump" or plan your drink so that it is not close to feeding time. I never have more than a drink or two while nursing. I try not to eat artificial sweeteners just cause there is so much chemical stuff in there that they still don't know all the answers to so I just prefer to say better safe than sorry.

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A.S.

answers from Chicago on

Moderation is the key. The only thing that really caused a problem for my baby was when I ate corned beef and cabbage (St. Pat's Day) then breast fed. Major explosion!!! Other than that, she was fine---a small amount of Diet Coke and occasionally a beer or glass of wine--no biggie. I did the pump and dump if I had more than 2 alcoholic drinks. Again, no problem.

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S.R.

answers from Chicago on

When I was nursing my first child there was a remarkable difference in her behavior if I had consumed large quantities of espresso. My sitter could always tell if I had left a bottle of milk expressed after work (where I would drink two or three americanos) or if it was fresh from the morning. And she didn't sleep consistently until I cut down to one latte a day. So I'd try moderation.

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E.P.

answers from Chicago on

I breast fed both of my babies. I am not a huge coffee drinker but I do enjoy a 12-oz. cup in the morning and around 3 pm. I would breast feed in am, then have my cup with breakfast Same for pm - I would have it with a snack. I rarely drink soda anyway so that was the only caffeine I had during the day. I never saw any problem in my child's bowel movement, related to coffee and my dr. was perfectly fine with the amount that I had. However, I did notice other things that affected my babies. Chocolate - big time, and foods heavy in garlic and spices! You'll figure out your culprits soon enough. It is fantastic that you breast feed. Enjoy the baby and your hubby. It's a great time in your life!

K.L.

answers from Chicago on

You're a really good filter in general. It's good to know, however, that if you have an alcoholic bev that it reaches max strength in your milk approx 2 hrs later. That is what I was told so if you are having a drink, nurse your baby before or while you have the drink! hth

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L.P.

answers from Chicago on

I took the breastfeeding class at Northwestern in February and was told that you can have 500 mg of caffeine in a 24 hour period (that's about 5 cups of coffee a day and a lot more than was allowed in pregnancy), but now as a parent I would say every baby reacts to things differently. So, I would say to use the guidelines you are given and then adjust for your child as an individual. I hope that's helpful.

By the way, my son was also 5 weeks early (born in April) so if you have any questions or want to talk about any of the preemie stuff feel free to send me a personal message.

Good luck with the breastfeeding and glad to hear it's working out well so far!

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K.G.

answers from Chicago on

I have no scientific insight to share, however I will share what my daughter has gotten used to in my breast milk. Grande Iced Mochas (1 at most in a day), short mochas (one in a day), occasional (one a week or less) Dr. Peppers or Cokes, onions, red peppers, broccoli soup and all kinds of other delicious spicy food, dairy delights and other food items said to taint the taste of breast milk. Most babies are so adaptable to your diet because they've already tasted all those things in utero. Some are more sensitive to certain foods, but until confronted with actual discomfort from eating (undending crying etc) I won't change the way Ieat. I eat a balanced and healthful diet with several treats throughout the week. All in moderation and good taste (for your tasted buds) that is all you can do.

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L.F.

answers from Chicago on

hi there. it takes drinking @ 5 cups of coffee to have an effect on your baby. some babies are more sensitive than others but because what you eat and drink goes into the milk at a drawn out rate coffee doesnt effect them. i too breastfeed and drink one cup a coffee each morning. at first i thought it had an effect on her, but it just happened to be a coincidences. if you are concerned about alcohol in the future, there are strips you can buy to test the alcohol content at whole foods.
good luck with everything!

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