Coffee talk.

I recently got this question* from Nola, a graduate student in my area who has a nine month old daughter:

I've realized that I need caffeine in order to effectively work otherwise I'm just trying to use too many brain cells on too little sleep.  The problem is my daughter reacts very poorly to caffeine (stays up half the night crying with a vacant look in her eyes like she really wishes she was sleeping and can't figure out why she's not).  So my new idea was to caffeinate myself right after she goes to bed.  That way I can get 2-3 hours of really focused work in.  My thought was that by morning (her next feeding) that the caffeine will have passed through me and there won't be any left in my milk.  

Now I know they say things like cow's milk proteins can be in your milk up to 7 days after the mother ingests them.  So I'm wondering if caffeine will pass through quickly or if it will linger like milk does?  Or better said - will my plan work!?

So, the general advice I usually give is that coffee in moderation is fine.  What's moderation?  A few caffeinated beverages a day is unlikely to cause any problems.

But I also say that every baby's different, and that some babies are probably more sensitive than others.  So, knowing that Nola's baby is sensitive to caffeine, will her plan to time her coffee work?

Here's what Dr. Thomas Hale says in Medications and Mother's Milk:  "While the half life (the time required for half of the dose to exit your system) in adults is 4.9 hours, the half life in neonates is 97.5 hours."

Not looking good so far. 

But wait.  Dr. Hale continues: "The half-life decreases with age to 14 hours at 3-5 months and 2.6 hours at 6 months and older...Peak levels of caffeine are found in breast milk 60-120 minutes after ingestion."

So it might work for Nola to get her fix a little before the last feeding.  That way she might be able to get a few hours of work in, and then have enough time for the caffeine to exit her system so that she can get to sleep, too! 

*Of course, this information is provided for education - and entertainment - and should not substitute for medical advice from your health care provider.

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