Does tea make milk? Does drinking tea or coffee increase milk? topics are one of the most curious issues for mothers who have recently given birth. Tea and milk consumption during breastfeeding does not increase breast milk, and tea and coffee consumption should be reduced as much as possible in order for breast milk to be more efficient during this period.
Tea and coffee consumed excessively during breastfeeding are factors that negatively affect mother and baby health. Breast milk is one of the most valuable nutrients for the baby, and no nutrient in the world can be as beneficial to babies as breast milk.
For this reason, since the foods consumed by mothers during pregnancy are passed into breast milk, mothers should show great sensitivity to the foods they consume during this period. Accordingly, it is an important issue to minimise the consumption of tea and coffee containing caffeine during breastfeeding.
How Should Tea and Coffee Consumption Be During Breastfeeding?
Since caffeine is a stimulant during breastfeeding, mothers should consume as little tea and coffee as possible. If tea and coffee containing caffeine are consumed too much, the health of both babies and mothers are negatively affected. Excess caffeine intake during breastfeeding causes irritability, insomnia and tension in the mother and baby.
At the same time, in case of excessive caffeine intake, calcium absorption of infants is adversely affected and bone development of infants is also greatly damaged. Excessive drinking of tea and coffee passes from breast milk to the baby, causing a decrease in iron absorption of babies and the emergence of anaemia in babies is inevitable. For this reason, mothers should consume a maximum of 5 cups of tea and coffee per day during breastfeeding.
In terms of tea and coffee consumption during breastfeeding, it is necessary to pay attention to drinking a maximum of 1 cup of coffee and 4 cups of tea per day. Apart from tea and coffee, the consumption of some foods such as chocolate and soft drinks containing caffeine should also be reduced. Since there are also medicines containing caffeine, mothers should never use medication during breastfeeding without consulting their doctors.
What are the Harms of Tea and Coffee Consumption During Breastfeeding?
During breastfeeding, mothers should drink a maximum of 1 cup of coffee and 4 cups of tea per day, and if even these amounts make the baby restless, it is the best solution not to drink tea and coffee at all during this period. Breast milk is of great importance in the development of babies during breastfeeding, and mothers should definitely stay away from harmful foods and drinks that pass into breast milk.
As a result of women drinking too much coffee and tea during breastfeeding, caffeine begins to accumulate in the bodies of babies. As a result of this accumulated caffeine, side effects such as restlessness and insomnia begin to be seen in babies. As a result of the mixing of caffeine into breast milk, the development of babies begins to be negatively affected. Due to the caffeine accumulated in the bodies of babies, bone development is adversely affected and the risk of bone fracture increases accordingly.
In addition to causing insomnia, caffeine accumulation in babies directly affects their mood. Babies become more irritable and moody. For this reason, it is always better for both their own health and the health of their babies if mothers do not consume tea and coffee at all during breastfeeding. During breastfeeding, mothers should always drink their tea and coffee openly. The time of drinking tea and coffee should be at least 2 hours before breastfeeding.
