Do carbonated drinks affect a breastfed baby? Not really, unless they're caffeinated. (Caffeine has been reported by some moms to cause irritability and colic symptoms in their breastfed babies.)
When caffeine enters your bloodstream, a small amount can be passed along to your baby through breast milk. Most babies aren't affected by this, but some sensitive little ones may be extra fussy or wakeful after drinking milk with trace amounts of caffeine.
Avoid drinking more than 2 to 3 cups (16 to 24 ounces) of caffeinated drinks a day. Caffeine in your breast milk might agitate your baby or interfere with your baby's sleep.
However, in one study, the average half-life of caffeine in breastmilk was reached 6.1 hours after consumption. To put it simply, this means that the average breastfeeding mother (6 hours after consuming caffeine) could still have 50% of the caffeine dose remaining in her breastmilk (CM Berlin Jr., et al., 1984).
Below are a few common questions that moms have about breastfeeding and gassy babies. Can drinking carbonated sodas cause gas in baby? No.
For example, alcohol from 1 drink can be detected in breast milk for about 2-3 hours, alcohol from 2 drinks can be detected for about 4-5 hours, and alcohol from 3 drinks can be detected for about 6-8 hours, and so on.
Mercy Pediatrician, Dr. Ashanti Woods, Discusses Effect of High Sugar Levels in Breast Milk. Mothers who consume large amounts of sugar could be passing the added sugar to their infants through breast milk, which could hamper the child's cognitive development.
Chocolate contains theobromine. Because theobromine is a stimulant, it could, in theory, cause the breastfed infant to be wakeful and fussy. If indeed the chocolate does contain caffeine, there's a double whammy.
Michael Goran, PhD
Added sugars should be no more than 5%-10% of daily calories, which is not much.
Certain foods may cause a chemical reaction in the body that increases your desire for them, one being sugar. Breastfeeding gives much of your body's nutrients to your baby which can leave you feeling lacking and subsequently craving sugar as a quick fix.
A mother is described who observed her babies becoming restless during nursing whenever she had eaten foods containing sugar. The problem ceased almost instantly when she adopted a sugar‐free diet. The extensive literature on sugar, physical and mental illness and behavioural problems was reviewed.
Eating chocolate while breastfeeding should be done in moderation. Recommended serving sizes for nursing mothers are 1 ounce of dark chocolate or unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon of raw cacao nibs per day.
Sage, parsley, peppermint, and menthol have all been noted to decrease milk supply in breastfeeding people who consume large quantities of each. For this reason, these herbs are often used for weaning. (Note that peppermint contains high levels of menthol, which is a chemical found in various types of mint.)
Yes! You can enjoy ice cream while breastfeeding.
Foods like beans, broccoli, cauliflower, or some dairy products can cause fussiness, gassiness, or colicky behavior in some babies. Foods like cow's milk, soy, wheat, corn, oats, eggs, nuts and peanuts, and fish or shellfish are common allergy-causing foods.
Typical gassy foods include broccoli, cabbage, beans, cauliflower or spicy foods. Some people also think dairy makes their babies gassy for others it's caffeine, although there is no evidence for that. Each baby is different so it's possible.
Eating too much sugar when you're pregnant may increase your risk of gestational diabetes3 and pre-eclampsia4 and increases the risk of your baby becoming overweight later in life2.
It's not a good idea to diet when you are breastfeeding. Still, it's fine to have a diet drink or foods sweetened with sugar substitutes now and then. Just be sure they don't take the place of the nutrient-rich foods you need when breastfeeding.
If you want to enjoy your postpartum period, stay away from such drinks. Having carbonated drinks while breastfeeding shouldn't be a problem for your problem, but it may make you feel bloated, thus causing you to drink lesser throughout the day. In that sense, it is best to avoid them!
When you metabolize alcohol, your body processes and breaks it down. Once you've metabolized the alcohol, it's out of your breast milk, too. So, you can safely breastfeed about two hours after you've finished one drink. Wait four to five hours if you've had two drinks.
Other studies have suggested psychomotor delay in infants of moderate drinkers (2+ drinks daily). Avoid breastfeeding during and for 2 – 3 hours after drinking alcohol. Heavy drinkers should wait longer.
The body clears alcohol from breast milk and the bloodstream at the same rate, so pumping and dumping won't make milk any safer.
Often when babies have had enough they'll detach and pull away from the breast. They can sometimes get frustrated and cry when their mother tries to get them back on. Another thing they do is fall asleep. Lifting the little arm that's most likely resting on your chest is a good way to tell.