One to two drinks per week by the mother do not appear to affect the infant. Infants of mothers who drink a six-pack of beer a day show gross motor delay at one year. Large amounts of caffeine are contraindicated. Only small amounts of caffeine appear in breastmilk, but infants do not excrete caffeine efficiently. Thus if the mother consumes considerable caffeine day after day, the caffeine accumulates in the infant who becomes irritable and wakeful.
Herbal products vary greatly.
Some contain pharmacologically active components with potential for harm. Pesticide exposure in the U.S. is generally not a contraindication except for women in the Great Lakes area who consume large amounts of locally-caught fish. National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health. Commercial or private sites linked from this page are intended only to supply information. No endorsement of products or firms is intended, nor is criticism implied of those not included.