Is it okay to drink coffee for a breastfeeding mom?

Most women who love coffee managed to wean themselves off their habit during pregnancy – after all, doctors do not recommend drinking this drink to expectant mothers. But those who did not heed this advice may think about the possibility of drinking coffee when they start breastfeeding. Let's be honest: it is better to abstain from drinking the drink during this period as well. According to experts, caffeine often causes insomnia in children, and babies become restless and capricious.

If you really want to drink a cup of aromatic drink, you can use its substitutes - for example, there are analogues based on barley or chicory. Of course, these analogues will not replace full-fledged coffee, but - isn't the baby's well-being more important?

Can a nursing mother drink instant coffee?

Many women believe that instant coffee is safe for the baby because it contains less caffeine. This is not entirely true: the difference is actually small. If a cup of brewed coffee contains 80 mg of caffeine, then a cup of instant coffee contains about 60 mg.

In addition, instant drinks may contain a lot of not very healthy additives: dyes, preservatives and flavoring agents. Ground coffee is devoid of these additives, or contains them in small quantities.

Instant coffee has other disadvantages: it increases acidity in the stomach, irritates the mucous membrane, and promotes the removal of vitamins and minerals from the body (and they are so necessary for a small child).

In its effect on the baby's nervous system, instant coffee is in no way inferior to regular brewed coffee. Therefore, it is better to refuse it during breastfeeding.

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Can nursing mothers drink green coffee?

After giving birth, every woman dreams of getting her body back to normal: some need to lose weight, while others just need to tighten their stomach. Since it is not recommended for nursing mothers to go on a diet to lose weight, other ways to get rid of extra pounds and cellulite come to mind. One of these ways is green coffee.

But: is green coffee safe for babies?

According to scientists, the effect of green and roasted beans on the nervous system is approximately the same, so there is no significant difference between these types of drinks. Both types of coffee are not recommended, both during pregnancy and during breastfeeding. In addition, green coffee can provoke allergies and digestive disorders in infants (loss of appetite, colic, diarrhea).

Green coffee is unlikely to be useful for a nursing woman. It is better to exclude it for a while, replacing it with more useful liquids.

Can a nursing mother drink chicory?

Chicory tastes a bit like coffee, so it is often chosen by those who for one reason or another are contraindicated to coffee - for example, pregnant and nursing women. Chicory is a root that is ground and roasted. It is the roasting that gives the drink its characteristic coffee flavor.

Unlike coffee, chicory drink does not cause overexcitement, does not increase blood pressure, does not increase heart rate, does not affect sleep. Therefore, it is allowed to drink it without problems during breastfeeding.

The benefits of this drink are undeniable. But the most useful is chicory, which is produced in the form of a thick extract. The soluble product can be both useful and useless - sometimes manufacturers dilute the root with apple pectin, which makes the final product cheaper. Some, on the contrary, add various vitamins and microelements to the root. In any case, none of these drinks will cause harm. Therefore, you can safely drink it: with honey, lemon, sugar, or on its own.

Can nursing mothers drink cocoa?

When talking about products that are undesirable to consume during lactation, they invariably name such as chocolate and cocoa. These products contain caffeine, but in much smaller quantities than in coffee or tea. But the greatest danger of cocoa is that this product can cause allergies.

A woman should definitely not drink cocoa during the first month of the baby's life. If someone in the family has an allergy to chocolate, then cocoa consumption should be postponed until 3 months. A possible allergy to milk is also taken into account.

If a mother wants to indulge in cocoa while breastfeeding, she should start with small portions - first 50 ml, then 100 ml. After drinking the drink, you need to monitor the baby's reaction. In order not to miss a possible allergy, a woman should drink cocoa in the morning - and monitor the baby until the evening. If any rashes, swelling, redness appear - you must immediately show the baby to the doctor, and exclude cocoa from the diet.

Even if the baby tolerates cocoa well, a nursing mother is not recommended to consume it more often than two or three times a week.