Is Starbucks’ ‘pink drink’ good for breastfeeding moms? Lactation specialists fight this and other breastmilk myths with facts
CLEVELAND, Ohio — From the time a woman announces her pregnancy, she’s bombarded with advice about breastfeeding. Most of it is a load of hooey.
Tik Tok will tell her to slurp the “pink drink” at Starbucks and eat lactation cookies to make breastfeeding easier. Others will tell her not to bother, since she’s returning to work right after the birth, and it will just ruin her figure.
Confusing messages about who can breastfeed, why nipples hurt, what to consume and whether to give up prescription medications are why so many women give up and go straight to formula, said Dr. Carly Dulabon, director of the division of breastfeeding medicine at Akron Children’s Hospital.
“They hear so much that they chose not to even try, or stop early because of fear and anxiety regarding it,” Dulabon said.
Yet some women may be unable to breastfeed, or may choose not to, and that’s OK, Dulabon said. “The most important thing is that a family receives the support that they need and deserve for whatever choice is best for their family,” she said.
Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for most babies, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Breast milk shares antibodies from the mother with her baby, protecting infants from illness and strengthening their immune system. Breastfed babies have a lower risk of asthma, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and sudden infant death syndrome, the CDC said.
Breastfeeding also lowers the risk of infant mortality.
A 2023 study, conducted in collaboration with the CDC, suggests that breastfeeding may reduce a baby’s risk of dying in their first year of life by about 33%.
Despite the benefits, a federal 2022 Breastfeeding Report Card showed that while 83% of American infants started life with breast milk, by the time they were 6 months old, the rate dropped to 25%.
Overall, breastfeeding rates increased from 2007 to 2022, the report card said.
Rates of breastfeeding among Black women are often lower compared to other racial groups in the United State, which ties into higher rates of infant mortality, health experts say.
“This disparity is influenced by systemic issues, including lack of access to culturally sensitive lactation support, fewer breastfeeding role models, and workplace barriers,” said Jazmin Long, CEO of Birthing Beautiful Communities, a nonprofit that provides doulas to support pregnant women who are at high risk for infant mortality.
Misinformation claiming that breastfeeding isn’t part of Black culture persists, Long said.
“During slavery, Black women were often forced to wet-nurse the children of enslavers, leading to generational trauma around breastfeeding,” Long said. “However, many Black women today are reclaiming breastfeeding as a natural and empowering act.”
Quashing myths
Because of the benefit of breastfeeding for women and children, Long and other area lactation specialists quash myths with facts.
“The No. 1 myth I hear all the time — and it just gets passed down from generation to generation — is that a breastfeeding mom shouldn’t eat foods that make people gassy, like broccoli, cauliflower or spicy foods, because those foods can affect the baby,” Dulabon said.
“There has been more research that has disproven some of these things,” Dulabon said.
And despite what the mommy blogs say, the “pink drink” from Starbucks — a high-calorie smoothie that supposedly increases a mom’s milk production — is no magic elixir
“I’m sure it’s delicious, but not something that you want to be doing every single day, if there’s no real benefit,” Dulabon said.
Here are some other common myths about breastfeeding, and what the science says. Mary Ann Blatz, lactation consultant at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Long, Dulabon, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Breastfeeding Support and the CDC provided information.
Myth: Small-breasted women can’t successfully breastfeed.
Fact: Breast size has nothing to do with lactation.
Myth: Breastfeeding ruins your body.
Fact: While breastfeeding can temporarily alter breast size or firmness, it doesn’t permanently “ruin” a woman’s breasts, and is linked to health benefits for the mother.
Myth: Formula is just as good as breast milk.
Fact: Everything a baby needs is in breast milk. “That’s how the human species survived and thrived for thousands of years; formula is a relatively new thing to the human evolution,” UH’s Blatz said.
Breast milk has more vitamins and components than formula, Blatz said.
“Formula companies are always working to isolate what’s in breast milk so that they can add to their formula, but they’re not quite there yet,” Blatz said.
Myth: Breastfeeding is only for women who can afford to stay home.
Fact: Working while breastfeeding is challenging, but not impossible. Federal laws like the Affordable Care Act require employers to provide break time and private spaces for breastfeeding, Long said. Lactation consultants can also help mothers find ways to manage breastfeeding while working.
Myth: Breastfeeding isn’t necessary for large, healthy babies.
Fact: A baby’s size doesn’t correlate with the need for breast milk. Breast milk provides essential nutrients and immune support for babies of all sizes.
Myth: Over-the-counter lactation supplements — cookies, pills and teas— really work.
Fact: Most women don’t need them, and they are not beneficial.
Myth: Something’s wrong if a lactating woman isn’t producing large amounts of breast milk like Tik Tok influencers do.
Fact: “These days, lots of moms think they have low supply, when, in fact, their supply is normal,” Dulabon said. “They’re just so used to seeing lots of videos on social media of women who have oversupply.”
While some women naturally have a robust milk supply, social media influencers who brag about having a large milk supply probably are pumping so much that they are creating an oversupply. Dulabon said. Over-pumping is associated with a higher risk of breast infection, inflammation and pain.
Normal milk supply is about one ounce per hour.
Myth: Yeast in beer increases breast milk supply.
Fact: If a mom notices an increase in her supply after drinking beer, it’s probably just from the increased calories, and not due to anything in the beer.
A glass of wine, beer or mixed drink per day is safe for lactating women and babies.
Myth: Moms of premature babies, or infants that are hospitalized, can’t breastfeed.
Fact: After 18 to 20 weeks of pregnancy, a woman can start to make milk. Premature infants who need help breathing, or can’t be put to the breast, can drink pumped breast milk.
“Your milk is like medicine for that baby,” UH’s Blatz said.
Myth: Breastfeeding is painful.
Fact: Soreness is common, especially at the beginning of breastfeeding. Painful nipples can happen when the baby is in the wrong position, or has a tongue tie that prevents the infant from getting an open, deep latch, Akron Children’s Dulabon said.
If the discomfort is still happening by the time mom and baby leave the hospital, or the pain is so bad that mom doesn’t want to feed the baby, she should be seen by a lactation provider.
Myth: Lactating mothers should “pump and dump,” which means pumping and discarding breast milk, if they are taking medication.
Fact: Most over-the-counter and prescription medications are considered safe during breastfeeding. They don’t enter breast milk and affect the baby. This includes antidepression medications, Dulabon said.
In order for a substance to get into breast milk, it has to be small enough to be transported from the woman’s bloodstream into the breast’s milk-making tissue, Dulabon said. Large molecules, such as most drugs, can’t pass into breast milk.
“Whenever a mom is told that she should pump and dump, it’s always worth thinking, is that actually the case?” Dulabon said. “It’s pretty rare that a mom truly needs to pump and dump her milk. So if you’re ever told by a healthcare provider to pump and dump for however long, I would definitely get more information.”
How the body produces breast milk
Milk production occurs within the alveoli, grape-like clusters of cells within the breast. Milk is squeezed out through the alveoli into the milk ducts, which carry the milk through the breast.
When a woman becomes pregnant, her milk ducts start expanding. This is why sore breasts is an early sign of pregnancy, Dulabon said.
Expectant women start making colostrum, an early type of breast milk that is high in antibodies, at around 14 to 16 weeks of pregnancy.
After an infant and placenta are delivered, the body receives starts producing breast milk. This happens between three to seven days after delivery.
The body adjusts milk production to the baby’s demand, Dulabon said. Every time a baby nurses, or every time a mom pumps and removes milk from the breast, hormones signal the breasts to make more milk.
Where to learn more
Birthing Beautiful Communities: This community of doulas provides social support to high-risk pregnant women.
Project Milk Mission: Nonprofit that is working to increase breastfeeding rates and achieve better maternal health outcomes.
First Droplets: This website promotes effective breastfeeding in the first five days after birth.
Kellymom.com: This website provides evidence-based information on breastfeeding and parenting.
LactMed: This database contains information on drugs and possible adverse effects for nursing infant. All data are derived from the scientific literature and fully referenced.
Akron Children’s Hospital: The hospital’s breastfeeding medicine team is dedicated to helping mothers navigate challenges while breastfeeding.
Ohio Health Mothers’ Milk Bank: This agency collects and distributes donated breast milk. Here is a previous story about the milk bank’s work.