Is sushi safe while breastfeeding?

What does the evidence say about sushi while breastfeeding?

1. For people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, one serving is 4 ounces, and the advice is two to three servings a week from the Best Choices list, or one serving from Good Choices. 1
2. The Choices to Avoid category, the highest mercury levels, is king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, Gulf of Mexico tilefish, and bigeye tuna. 1
3. Salmon, shrimp, crab, scallop, squid, sardine, and canned light tuna including skipjack all sit in the Best Choices column, while albacore and yellowfin tuna sit one tier down in Good Choices. 1
4. Nursing parents should follow the same FDA and EPA limits used in pregnancy, and fish supplies protein, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, selenium, and vitamin D. 2
5. Obstetric guidance for nursing is fish and seafood two to three times a week, albacore tuna limited to 6 ounces a week, and locally caught fish checked against local advisories, or capped at 6 ounces a week with no other fish that week if no advisory exists. 3

How sushi changes by nursing stage

• Early weeks. The same federal fish limits that applied in pregnancy still apply, so nothing about your mercury math changes the day you deliver. Salmon and shrimp rolls keep you inside the Best Choices column.
• Established nursing. Two to three 4-ounce servings a week is the target, not a ceiling to avoid. Fish carries omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, selenium, and vitamin D that show up in your milk.
• Weaning. Mercury guidance is about long-term intake rather than any single meal, so keep the weekly pattern steady even as feeds wind down.