diff --git a/native/chat/inner-text-message.react.js b/native/chat/inner-text-message.react.js
--- a/native/chat/inner-text-message.react.js
+++ b/native/chat/inner-text-message.react.js
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@
   filterCorners,
   getRoundedContainerStyle,
 } from './rounded-corners';
+import {
+  TextMessageMarkdownContext,
+  useTextMessageMarkdown,
+} from './text-message-markdown-context';
 
 /* eslint-disable import/no-named-as-default-member */
 const { Node } = Animated;
@@ -83,6 +87,7 @@
   }
 
   const rules = useTextMessageMarkdownRules(darkColor);
+  const textMessageMarkdown = useTextMessageMarkdown(item.messageInfo);
 
   const markdownStyles = React.useMemo(() => {
     const textStyle = {
@@ -95,21 +100,23 @@
   }, [darkColor]);
 
   const message = (
-    <TouchableWithoutFeedback>
-      <View>
-        <GestureTouchableOpacity
-          onPress={props.onPress}
-          onLongPress={props.onPress}
-          activeOpacity={0.6}
-          style={[styles.message, cornerStyle]}
-          animatedStyle={messageStyle}
-        >
-          <Markdown style={markdownStyles} rules={rules}>
-            {text}
-          </Markdown>
-        </GestureTouchableOpacity>
-      </View>
-    </TouchableWithoutFeedback>
+    <TextMessageMarkdownContext.Provider value={textMessageMarkdown}>
+      <TouchableWithoutFeedback>
+        <View>
+          <GestureTouchableOpacity
+            onPress={props.onPress}
+            onLongPress={props.onPress}
+            activeOpacity={0.6}
+            style={[styles.message, cornerStyle]}
+            animatedStyle={messageStyle}
+          >
+            <Markdown style={markdownStyles} rules={rules}>
+              {text}
+            </Markdown>
+          </GestureTouchableOpacity>
+        </View>
+      </TouchableWithoutFeedback>
+    </TextMessageMarkdownContext.Provider>
   );
 
   // We need to set onLayout in order to allow .measure() to be on the ref
diff --git a/native/chat/text-message-markdown-context.js b/native/chat/text-message-markdown-context.js
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/native/chat/text-message-markdown-context.js
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+// @flow
+
+import * as React from 'react';
+import * as SimpleMarkdown from 'simple-markdown';
+
+import type { SingleASTNode } from 'lib/shared/markdown';
+import { messageKey } from 'lib/shared/message-utils';
+import type { TextMessageInfo } from 'lib/types/messages/text';
+
+import { useTextMessageMarkdownRules } from '../chat/message-list-types';
+
+export type TextMessageMarkdownContextType = {
+  +messageKey: string,
+  +markdownAST: $ReadOnlyArray<SingleASTNode>,
+};
+
+const TextMessageMarkdownContext: React.Context<?TextMessageMarkdownContextType> = React.createContext<?TextMessageMarkdownContextType>(
+  null,
+);
+
+function useTextMessageMarkdown(
+  messageInfo: TextMessageInfo,
+): TextMessageMarkdownContextType {
+  // useDarkStyle doesn't affect the AST (only the styles),
+  // so we can safely just set it to false here
+  const rules = useTextMessageMarkdownRules(false);
+  const { simpleMarkdownRules, container } = rules;
+
+  const { text } = messageInfo;
+  const ast = React.useMemo(() => {
+    const parser = SimpleMarkdown.parserFor(simpleMarkdownRules);
+    return parser(text, { disableAutoBlockNewlines: true, container });
+  }, [simpleMarkdownRules, text, container]);
+
+  const key = messageKey(messageInfo);
+  return React.useMemo(
+    () => ({
+      messageKey: key,
+      markdownAST: ast,
+    }),
+    [key, ast],
+  );
+}
+
+export { TextMessageMarkdownContext, useTextMessageMarkdown };
diff --git a/native/markdown/markdown.react.js b/native/markdown/markdown.react.js
--- a/native/markdown/markdown.react.js
+++ b/native/markdown/markdown.react.js
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 
 import { onlyEmojiRegex } from 'lib/shared/emojis';
 
+import { TextMessageMarkdownContext } from '../chat/text-message-markdown-context';
 import type { TextStyle } from '../types/styles';
 import type { MarkdownRules } from './rules.react';
 
@@ -20,14 +21,18 @@
   const { style, children, rules } = props;
   const { simpleMarkdownRules, emojiOnlyFactor, container } = rules;
 
-  const parser = React.useMemo(
-    () => SimpleMarkdown.parserFor(simpleMarkdownRules),
-    [simpleMarkdownRules],
-  );
-  const ast = React.useMemo(
-    () => parser(children, { disableAutoBlockNewlines: true, container }),
-    [parser, children, container],
+  const textMessageMarkdownContext = React.useContext(
+    TextMessageMarkdownContext,
   );
+  const textMessageMarkdownAST = textMessageMarkdownContext?.markdownAST;
+
+  const ast = React.useMemo(() => {
+    if (textMessageMarkdownAST) {
+      return textMessageMarkdownAST;
+    }
+    const parser = SimpleMarkdown.parserFor(simpleMarkdownRules);
+    return parser(children, { disableAutoBlockNewlines: true, container });
+  }, [textMessageMarkdownAST, simpleMarkdownRules, children, container]);
 
   const output = React.useMemo(
     () => SimpleMarkdown.outputFor(simpleMarkdownRules, 'react'),