Home Forums Etc... Related Issues Caffeine and supply (not while nursing!)

Hi.

I posted this at another site too, and am just very interested in how this is working (I'll copy & paste the post below). As I say in the post, way too much time to think about these things without a definitive decision from dh about a baby. <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/frown.gif" alt="" />

Here's the post:

"Don't yell at me!

First, I would NEVER drink any caffeinated beverages while breastfeeding (I drank Postum with my 3 bio children). Back in the spring when I first started to induce, I gave up coffee (tea, diet Coke), chocolate, etc., and started drinking Postum again.

But I am very curious about caffeine?s effect on supply because of how mine has been changing.

I have seen my supply slowly, but steadily increasing from when I first taking domperidone until now. Initially I took 8-10 tablets/day. Eventually as my supply increased (to around 16-18 oz), I slowly cut back to 3-4 tablets/day.

When the adoption fell thru, I decreased to 2 tablets/day and saw a slight decrease (15-16 oz) each day, but significant breast changes (smaller, softer and less full). Since we were/are still undecided, I was afraid to allow myself to lose much more ground and went back up to 4 tablets/day.

Around this time, since I wasn't nursing or storing anything, and wasn't concerned about caffeine in my milk, nor its supposed side effect of decreasing supply, I started drinking a cup or two of coffee in the mornings again.

(For a short while I thought I was going to be donating what I express/pump, but my husband had issues with that (during that time I stopped drinking coffee again, but started again a week or so ago).)

Anyway, at this moment I am still taking 4 tablets/day, expressing 6 times/day, but over the past two weeks have increased to 19-21 oz/day (even had one day of 23.5!!!).

Sooooo, my question is, could caffeine?s stimulant effect actually increase supply, or is the increase that I have been seeing steadily since the spring, be the dom being in my system for so many months (even tho my dose is significantly lower), or is it the wonderful body?s way of thinking that there is a growing baby who simply needs more and more milk as time passes? I have to say that every once in a while if I end up with some spare time in the day, or am up later at night, I will express 7 times instead of 6. But I don?t think it would be often enough, or consistent enough to boost supply.

(This is what too much time with full breasts and empty arms makes me do -- think too much! It is truly fascinating tho.) "

I actually read something, somewhere, that said that caffeine can sometimes increase supply. It might have been at KellyMom, but I am not sure. I will have to look for that, and see what it says.
In the info I got from the hospital where Jeran was born, they said to cut back on caffeine, and that you shouldn't have more than 8 cans of pop in a day. 8 cans!! I don't know anyone who drinks that much pop! so I have been drinking some Diet Coke. I just make sure I still drink lots of water, too.

Hi Everyone,

Well this is where I put on my IBCLC hat. According to current research breastfeeding moms are allowed 2-3 cups of coffee per day. Now I'm not sure how that translates to soft drinks but you can guide yourselves accordingly.

It may interest you to know that they give pure caffeine to preemies to help regulate their heartbeats and prevent apnea.

As for milk supply...nothing I know of in the literature that confirms increased milk supply with caffeine. It's our feeling that the opposite is actually true since caffeine is a diuretic.

According to research by Peter Hartmann, Ph.D the MOST important thing you can do for milk supply is frequent draining of the breasts.

Hope this helps.
Fondly,

Lenore,

About Hartmann's concept of frequently draining of one's breasts:

I recently read somewhere that there was a French physician at an orphanage that had several wet nurses for the little ones. This was back in the 1800s. He said that the wet nurses had as many as 30 nursing sessions per day, and he estimated that they produced 5 QUARTS of milk. Amazing.