As a nursing mother, the quality of your breast milk is essential. And the kind of food or beverages you consume can significantly impact the quality of breast milk.
In this view, you may be wondering if you can drink green tea while breastfeeding. Of course, you can. But before you consider drinking green tea while breastfeeding, you must know some specific things. What are these things? Don’t you worry! Just read on!
Is Green tea Safe to Drink While Breastfeeding?
Green tea is good and safe to drink while breastfeeding. The tea is rich in essential nutrients that are good during lactation.
For instance, tea contains vitamin B12 and folic acid.
This duo when transferred to the breast milk can help in the child’s brain development and production of white and red blood cells.
Apart from drinking, you can also rub a wet warm compress green tea bag on your nipples. This will help alleviate nipple pain which usually arises when the baby sucks the nipple vigorously.
However, some precautions must be observed while drinking green tea during breastfeeding. This is because green tea contains caffeine (20-50 mg).
Caffeine can find its way into breast milk if consumed excessively during breastfeeding. And of course, this may cause disorders such as:
- Insomnia
- Fussiness
- Irritability and
- Colic, in your baby.
Therefore, if you must drink green tea while breastfeeding; ensure you don’t exceed 1 to 3 cups per day.
Research shows that only 1% of the caffeine consumed finds its way into the breastmilk. And this usually occurs when you drink more than 300 mg of caffeine per day.
So, taking one to three 8 oz cups per day is considered safe since an 8 oz cup of green tea contains less than 45 mg of caffeine.
What variety of green tea is safe to drink while breastfeeding?
There are different types of green tea, but the most common ones are;
No studies indicate the type of green tea to drink while breastfeeding. So, it is safe to say that you can drink all types of green tea during breastfeeding.
However, the amount of caffeine in green tea varies from type to type. For example, because matcha and gyokuro are shade-grown, they have high caffeine than other types.
Besides, bagged green tea always has more caffeine than loose ones. So, go for the type with less caffeine. You can even go for the decaf one. Decaf green tea is a green tea with little or no caffeine.
Lastly, drink warm green tea instead of a hot one. This is because, the hotter your green tea, the more the caffeine.
Can green tea affect the quantity of your breast milk?
If you are an avid green tea drinker, you may want to ask if green tea can reduce your breast milk volume. As of today, no studies have shown that green tea reduces the volume of breast milk.
As a matter of fact, green tea contains vitamin B12 and magnesium which are very good for breast milk supply.
Can Lactating Mothers Drink Green tea?
Green tea contains caffeine. And since there are many fusses about caffeine consumption during lactation, the question arises if a lactating mother can drink tea.
Green tea is safe for lactating mothers. As mentioned above, green tea does not reduce the production of breast milk in the body.
Instead, the tea contains magnesium and vitamin B12 which are essential in the breast milk supply.
However, how much green tea can you drink as a lactating mother? One to three cups of green tea is enough for every lactating mother. Excessive intake of tea can harm both the mother and her baby.
Side Effects of Green Tea on Lactating Mother
As earlier said, green tea is good and beneficial to lactating mothers. But, the excessive consumption of the tea can cause a series of health risks for lactating mothers. Part of which includes:
Lack of sleep: Green tea can cause lack of sleep which many refer to as insomnia. The main cause of this is the presence of caffeine in the tea. However, this can be prevented by taking one to three cups of green tea per day.
Inhibit Iron absorption: Green tea can block iron absorption in your body during lactation. Green tea has tannin, which usually binds with iron in the body.
What Other Teas are Safe to Drink While Breastfeeding?
Of course, not all tea can be taken by lactating mother. Some teas are not so safe to drink during the lactation period. But, apart from green tea, what other tea can you take while breastfeeding?
You should take tea that has little or no caffeine. You can take tea like:
- Chamomile tea
- White tea
- Peppermint tea
- Ginger tea
- Rosehips
Meanwhile, black tea is not advisable to take during the lactation period. The amount of caffeine in black tea is very high (14-75 mg) compared to many other teas.
However, if you must drink black tea while breastfeeding, ensure you are taking the one with low caffeine because, like green tea, caffeine in black tea also varies from type to type and brand to brand.
Final Thoughts
Green tea is completely healthy while breastfeeding. Green tea contains essential ingredients that can help nourish lactating mothers.
The tea is also good for the baby as it is rich in antioxidants such as vitamin B12 can be transferred to the breastmilk, thereby, improving the child’s growth and development.
Moreover, if you must drink green tea while breastfeeding, ensure you take it moderately. Taking beyond one to three cups per day can affect the baby and the lactating mother.
While stocking for your green tea, ensure you purchase the one with a very low amount of caffeine. With this, you can rest assured of hassle while drinking your green tea during the lactation period.