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Home › Expert Q&A › Medications Foods and Breastfeeding › Foods and Alcohol › How long after ingestion does it take for caffeine to enter and exit my breastmilk and get through the baby's system?

Expert Q&A

 

By Mary Kay Smith
IBCLC, Lactation Consultant

I have three questions about caffeine and nursing:

  1. How long does it take for caffeine (after you consume it) to reach the breastmilk so it goes to the baby?
  2. How long does it take for the caffeine to exit my body?
  3. How long does it take to exit the baby's body? (My baby is 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 7 days old.)
Thank you for answering my questions.

Caffeine is on the ""approved for breastfeeding mothers by the American Academy of Pediatrics"" list, however there are a few little-known facts about caffeine and its effect on a newborn or neonate (in the first month of life).

Peak levels of caffeine are found in breastmilk within one hour of ingestion according to Medications & Mother's Milk 1999-2000 edition. The pediatric half-life of caffeine in a newborn is 80-97.5 hours. Compare that to the half-life in a 6-month-old of 2.6 hours.

Medications and other substances that are excreted from the body are processed by the liver (and other organs) and the liver of a newborn is very immature and inefficient. There have been reports of high plasma levels of caffeine in a neonate due to chronic caffeine intake by mother in the last days/weeks of pregnancy. Adult caffeine concerns include insomnia, irritability and poor sleeping patterns. These can be concerns as well for the very new baby.

After 1 month of age, the average daily dose received by an infant is less than 3 lmg/kg/day in light-to-moderate maternal use. This averages to 0.06 to 0.15 percent of the maternal dose. These concentrations are well below doses of caffeine that are used to treat neonatal apnea in infants. Caffeine intake is a concern when baby exhibits signs of effect, especially during the critical newborn period.

I hope this answers your question.

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