Pregnant after 35

No caffeine in 1st Tri?

So I had my first appt with my new OB yesterday, who I really really like, and he said zero caffeine in the first trimester as they believe it increases the risk of miscarriage.  This is going to be rough...I had already cut way back to a half cup of coffee in the morning and maybe a soda in the afternoon if I am really dragging, but normally I am a caffeine junkie.  To quit altogether, especially when I feel this tired, is going to be painful.

Did your OB's say the same thing?  My old OB was ok with a little caffeine as long as I drank plenty of H2O so when this doc told me I can't have any I was really surprised.

 

Re: No caffeine in 1st Tri?

  • I think many docs generally recommend no caffeine, or at least very little, throughout the pregnancy.  However I see this the way I see many of the other pregnancy restrictions, and I think it's a very personal decision.  One thing I have noticed is that many moms are very strict with the first baby, but not so much with the second.  I'm not a caffeine drinker (I'm very sensitive to it and it will keep me awake even if I drink a tiny bit in the morning), but I am a wine drinker.  My doc says no alcohol, but every 2-3 weeks I have a small glass.  My personal belief is that moderation is key and a little bit of caffeine or alcohol here or there is not going to hurt you or the baby.  I did this with DD and she's just fine, healthy and smart.  I think the docs go a bit overboard with this stuff but that's my opinion.  That said, I wouldn't drink a glass of wine every day either.  You have to do what works for you and what feels right for you.  If you cannot function without caffeine, then it's definitely something to take into consideration.  Maybe you can start a slow wean instead of going cold turkey?

    Melissa 

    Me - 38 DH - 38 DD - 2 pregnancy
  • Melissa,

    Thanks for the advice and I do agree with you about moderation.  My goal is to follow his advice, but I am expecting some serious caffeine withdrawals.  I have a feeling I may cave at some point.

     

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  • Well, if you end up like me, you may quit not by choice. Coffee made me nauseous in 1st tri and I naturally gave it up for a few months. :
  • I'm not really a caffeine drinker, either.  I have been off it as a general rule for many years now, but will still have the occasional caffeinated beverage (soda or iced tea) when dining out.  I've pretty much been sticking to a couple sips of DH's diet coke when dining out, rather than ordering my own, while in 1st Tri, but I relax a little after that, and will have the occasional full beverage whenever the mood should strike me. 

    During my last pregnancy, I was craving Coke Icees, so I know there was caffeine in those, but at that point, I didn't really care, and DD was totally fine.  Bottom line is, do what you feel comfortable with, but other than cigs/drugs, and in my case (it's totally a personal decision) alcohol, moderation and common sense are the keys in determining what to do.

    10/10: Married; 5/11: Dx: Blocked Fallopian Tube; 7/11: D&C/Hysteroscopy to remove polyp
    IVF #1: 9/11: ER: 12R, 11M, 10F, No Frosties; 5dt: 2 blasts, 1 morula; DD born 6/3/12
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  • My doctor didn't really talk much about it. I've been told in the past no more than 1 cup of coffee a day. I don't drink coffee but I've always been a big soda drinker. I think as long as you keep it in moderation it's not a big deal. Soda has significantly less caffeine then coffee though so I think an afternoon soda is no big deal. I agree though that you might not get a choice. For this pregnancy and with my last son, the biggest aversion I had was for soda.

    Mommy to DS#1 7/1/04 and DS#2 6/15/07
    M/C 2/16/10 at 9wks 5 days~ D&C 2/18/10
    BFP#4 5/17/11 C/P.    
    BFP#5 11/30/12 Surprise! DS#3 born 7/29/13

  • My doctor told me I could still drink coffee in moderation on a daily basis.  So I keep it to no more than a cup a day.  Although I discovered Starbucks coffee didn't agree with me in the first trimester due to its high caffeine content. So I just made the switch to cappuccinos or coffee at home which has much less caffeine than a regular SBs tall coffee.   
    IAmPregnant Ticker
  • Every OB seems to have a different opinion on this, but my Dr. said one cup a day is fine and actually recommended it when I was suffering from headaches late in my 1st and early in my 2nd tri and it definately helped.
    nate and teddy
    Me 41 DH 46  Not actively ttc, surprise BFP on 1/6/11! 4/1/11 m/c our sunshine at 16wks after complications from CVS test. TTC #2 **5th cycle 12/6/11 BFP! Missed m/c at 9 weeks 1/21/12, trisomy 14. Two Chemical PG 3/12&7/12
    ** BFP 8/16/12 beta #1 148! beta#2 407 beta #3 4000 u/s 9.10 1 lovely hb 126, Baby Boy is due 04/28/13!!
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  • My doc, and everything I've read, says <200 mg caffeine per day. I did wean all the way off of coffee over 2 weeks in 1st tri anyway. I started out drinking half decaf, half caffeinated. Then, switched to 2/3 decaf, 1/3 caffeinated. Then off totally. I had NO withdrawal symptoms.

    However, when headaches and constipation kicked in when I entered 2nd tri, I started back on an 8 oz cup of coffee every morning. Problem solved!

    GL!

    Me: 38, DH: 35
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  • My doctor said caffeine was ok in moderation. During the first trimester I had 1 small cup of coffee per day and tried to avoid soda - but I would occassionally have a soda in the afternoon if I was really dragging. Now that I'm into my second trimester I still just have 1 cup of coffee in the morning but I have been less cautious with soda in the afternoon. It's still not an everyday thing but if I really feel like a coke I will have one.

    6 year old daughter

    Fraternal boys born on May 11, 2013 at 36 weeks 4 days

  • My doctor told me a small amount of caffeine each day was ok...so I never fully gave it up, just cut back.   I would just hold to what your OB is telling you until you do some more research.
  • My OB is fine with me having a cup of coffee in the morning (or a soda or whatever). I've had a large coffee (or latte) every morning during this pregnancy, and I usually have a glass of diet soda with my dinner.
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  • I'm sorry.... but I cannot not drink caffeine PERIOD.  I did switch from 2-3 cups of coffee per day to 2 cups of black tea and 1 cup of green tea per day.  Even with that I am dead tired.... so imagine if I didn't drink that.  Over the holidays we had 4 days where we had to be running around to family members' houses and on those days I had about a half to a whole cup of coffee.  Sorry..... but that's my reality!
  • From what I have read there is not a clear link of caffeine to miscarriage but since its a possibilty they tell you to limit it.  My ob said 1-2 cups a day was fine.  I had pretty much quit caffeine awhile ago so it didn't matter much to me.  I still drink a coke or coffee now and then to help with a headache.  If quitting cold turkey will be too hard you could just taper down to a cup a day or something.  I wouldn't let this freak you out too much, just go with a rule of moderation.

    TTC since Dec. 2010. Me: 37, DH: 38...unexplained RPL
    BFP #1 - missed m/c 4.18.11 found @8w3d, d&c @13w 
    BFP #2 blighted ovum found 8.2011 @8w, misoprostol
    BFP#3 - missed m/c 6.11.12 @ 9w3d, d&c revealed extra chromosome 15
    BFP#4 8.10.12, DD born 4/26/13
  • I think something like 200mg per day is supposed to be okay.  I have had a cup of coffee in the morning throughout this entire pregnancy and every once in a while I have a small amount of caffeine in the morning.  I was also a major caffeine junky before I got pregnant with his LO and it was so hard to cut back but it only hurts for a few days.

     

    Good Luck! 

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  • Advice on this one is all over the map. I was also repulsed by coffee in the 1st tri and flat out didn't want it. Now I sometimes have half a cup in the morning (home brewed, so less caffeine than a Starbucks coffee), but not every day, and my doc is fine with that. Pre-preg, I enjoyed coffee if I was having something sweet or chocolatey, but now I get myself a glass of milk to go with it instead.

    I'd be more concerned about the sugar in soft drinks than the caffeine. I have a few of those tiny 8-ounce cans of soda in the fridge for the occasional desperate craving (I love Coke with pizza, for example), but I try hard to keep it to once a week or less.

    image
    Over-40 parents...what we lack in vigor, we make up for with cunning.
  • My OB recommended zero caffeine throughout the whole pregnancy.  I avoided completely for the first trimester, but have had an occasional iced tea now that I'm in the second.  Some believe that it's OK in small doses, maybe one cup of coffee a day.  I would go with what you feel comfortable with.  
    image




    TTC 10/11. IUI 2/12. BFP 3/8/12. 4/26/12 missed mc. RE consult 5/17/12. IVF #1 ER 7/13/12 53R, 41M ICSIed, 32F, 8 5d, 6 6d blasts - all PGD/frozen. PGD results 1 normal M and 1 normal F, 1 maybe M. FET 9/6, transferred 1 F embie. Beta 9/15 BFN. FET#2 planned for 11/2012 put off until 2013. Surprise BFP 11/21/12!! My son was born on 7/24/13!

    FET 4/28/2015 - Transferred 1 M embie. 5/6/15 BFP!

  • I love caffeine.  I cut back while doing IF treatments but when I had my transfers they said none.  When I got my BFP they said 200 mg per day.  I now have one cup of coffee and since I did not get to finish my coffee this morning, I am going to have a coke when I get home.  I am really excited about the coke.  I have been thinking about it for 6 hours now.  Really, you should be fine with half a cup of coffee.
    BFP on IVF #2 6/29/2012. Beta #1 7/3 = 522; Beta #2 = 1180; Beta #3 = 6491 image BabyFruit Ticker
  • I am in my 1st tri and age 38. I was so worried about caffeine. I love my coffee in the morning. My OB told me no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day. I now brew a mix of 50/50- leaded/not leaded every morning. I feel fine and need that little bit of caffeine to get going :)You should do what you feel is right. Good luck.
  • Most OB's recommend no more than 200-300mg of caffeine per day.

     I haven't cut it out, but keep it to a small cup of coffee or iced tea daily.

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  • I think the studies show increased risk with 200mg of caffeine?  It is easy to find via google.  The increased risk is pretty small when you look at the study.  I have had caffeine through all my pregnancies, although I definitely scale back in the first tri.    
  • So it seems like my OB is the only one saying absolutely no caffeine. I managed to do it today, but I am sure that won't last 7 more weeks.

     

  • Both my OB and IVF doctors said no caffeine in the first trimester.  I actually had to go caffeine free prior to starting the IVF process.  Caffeine affects the blood flow to your uterus; slows it down.

    I was not a heavy caffeine drinker prior so I figured going off would be no sweat.  I went cold turkey and suffered withdrawal and felt awful for about 4 or 5 days.  It is amazing how addictive that stuff really is.

    Once you are off you totally don't miss it.  At 11wks I have never felt the urge for a caffeine pick-me-up.  I don't plan on drinking any caffeine for the entire pregnancy or while I'm nursing.  All I want is to be able to eat some chocolate but am being good and waiting until I get the okay from my OB.

    Lilypie - (4vrz)

  • I didn't drink any caffeine the first tri, just because I chose not to.  My OB didn't say either way.  I won't drink alcohol during my pregnancy either, because I think it's stupid to, no matter what anyone says.  I have an occasional soda with caffeine in it, but only when I go out.  I never buy it. 

    Personally, I think if your doctor told you to avoid it, I would.  They may be looking at other risk factors that involve your pregnancy that don't concern anyone else.

  • image*sparky*:
    So it seems like my OB is the only one saying absolutely no caffeine. I managed to do it today, but I am sure that won't last 7 more weeks.

    my 'RE said the same thing..transferred to my OB and he agreed...no caffine for me either. 

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  • The very first thing my doc said during my first pregnancy was, "No more caffeine!" I don't really drink it, anyhow, so no big deal, but I've also read about the 200mg thing (the first book I read was The Panic-Free Pregnancy, lol). I've read that cold turkey withdrawal can give mom more stress than a slower weaning, and to keep in mind that there are other foods that also include caffeine other than coffee and soda, so while I did my best to go caffeine free, if I craved a sip of Dr. Pepper or some chocolate, I would have just a bit. 

     

    Oh, I also discovered that Trader Joe's has a pretty decent caffeine-free, hfcs-free cola. It ain't Coca-Cola, but it did the trick for me! 

  • My doctors are fine with limited caffeine.  I had two early miscarriages before this pregnancy, though--and I was drinking a cup of coffee every morning.  I cut all of my caffeine this time.  

    I know that it's probably not related, but I will never drink coffee while pregnant again.  

    BabyFruit Ticker BabyFetus Ticker
  • I've always been a coffee drinker, ok, well maybe not always, but for a very long time!  When I first found out I was pregnant 15 years ago, my Dr didn't want me quitting anything cold turkey (I was a smoker, too) so he wanted me to take a week to cut back slowly so as to not shock my system which was already going through a big change.  His advice on caffeine was one a day.  I've always had a cappucino each morning and I never changed that through any of my pregnancies (this is my 5th, 4th was mc).  This, however, is about the only caffeine I have all day - I drink lots of water and milk, don't drink soda and if I drink sweet tea, it is decaf.  You have to do what you can handle - good luck and congratulations!
    Jessica (44) married to DH (50) for 17 years DD - 3/27/98 DD - 01/11/01 DS - 09/30/08
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