Question for coffee lovers

JoAnna914 · January 2011

I love coffee. I love the smell of it, I love the taste of it and how it rolls down the back of my throat when I drink it, I love having the hot mug in my hands in the morning, and the caffeine, OH, the caffeine - I love that kick first thing in the morning.

Over the past six months, I've cut back significantly on my coffee intake. I'm down to one large mug a morning (it used to be half a pot!). I seriously do not think that I will be able to give up that one mug when I get KU. It will have to be pried out of my hands with a crowbar. And decaf is not gonna work - it tastes watered down to me (and at that rate, I might as well just drink water).

So, if you have an intimate relationship with coffee like me, do plan to cut back or eliminate it all together? Have you found any alternatives that replaces that morning ritual? Have I not given decaf a real chance - are there any brands out there that taste good?

pinksweetpea2 · January 2011

One cup of coffee a day is fine when you are pregnant...heck, I think you could even have your mug and then have a soda in the afternoon and it would be fine. The max for caffeine intake when pregnant is a lot higher than people think.

Decaf is full of chemicals and IMO a lot less healthy than regular.

mrs.lizzieb · January 2011

This is exactly me. Before I saw your post, I was actually just searching online for the caffeine guidelines during pregnancy, lol. I NEED my morning cup of coffee (especially with my DS who's been getting up at 1am and 5am lately).

For my first pregnancy, I cut it out completely in the 1st tri and then I think I had it every so often in 2nd and 3rd tri. It's going to be worse this time around, because I'm a lot more addicted to caffeine now than I was a couple years ago. I'm going to start cutting back now slowly, by mixing decaf into my regular coffee which will then hopefully be only decaf at some point. I don't know any good decaf brands, so I'm looking forward to seeing what others have to say. GL in your caffeine journey

gaughan258 · January 2011

One of my girlfriends was on strict hospital bedrest starting at 20 weeks. Every day the hospital would give her one cup of coffee in the morning. This helped get things going for her, think bedpan;)

Anyway, if they are offering it to a high risk woman in the hospital. I think 1 cup a day is pretty safe. With that said, I switched to decaf when I was pregnant with C. When I get KU this time. I will probably still drink a cup when I really need it. With a 1 year old, it will probably be daily. So yes, I will still drink it.

SimoneRI · January 2011

i just plan on cutting back. when I was pregnant the last time my doctor said 1-2 small cups a day was absolutely fine (as long as you werent loading up on soda and caffiene in addition)

she actually recommending not stopping altogether to prevent headaches, help with fatigue AND most importantly "to keep things moving" (her words) since pregnancy constipation is so bad!

tmsetzer83 · January 2011

I drink 1 cup every morning, and I don't plan on changing that. I don't drink any other caffeine throughout the day.

jpellillo · January 2011

My obsession is just as strong as yours! I've cut down quite a bit but I still have one (sometimes two) cups a day. My doc said it was fine so I don't have any plans to change it

faydre · January 2011

I have 1 latte every morning. I don't have any other caffeine, except whatever amount is in chocolate that I occasionally consume. Unless the dr tells me otherwise for some important reason, I will not stop drinking mY morning latte.

calhoun53009 · January 2011

Some brands are making types that are "1/2 the caffeine". I know for sure that Folger's does b/c I've started buying it. I can't tell the difference at all. I don't know if they have it in every type of roast, but they for sure have it in medium roast. And I agree with the others, as long as you aren't consuming a lot of caffeine throughout the day, a cup or two won't hurt.

FyreFry5 · January 2011

Oh man! I am with you! I drink way too much coffee. I've mostly switched to half-caff, and decreased the number of times I refill my travel mug at work, but I know I still drink way too much.

There is no way I could give up my morning cup. I'm going to try my damnedest to cut the rest out, but I am scared sh!tless!

boymamaco · January 2011

I think its up to your doctor. I do know people that have been asked to cut caffeine out entirely. You could always do some testing out of different decaf products or look for some teas that might work as a substitute. As much as I love my coffee in the morning, I have a feeling I will be so excited to be pregnant that I really won't care. As a mother your mindset shifts... or so it seems since I've never been a mother.

cantalopes24 · January 2011

You can safely drink 200 mg. of coffee daily when pregnant. But I do like Starbucks decaf. And decaf still has caffeine.

amyu1977 · January 2011

Last time around I managed to survive on decaf for the first trimester. Then I mixed a can of decaf with regular coffee after that and drank one large cup of the blend each day. My husband drank the same stuff as I did as a way of being supportive! I love coffee like you do, though, so this time around it might be a bit trickier, especially on those days when Nate is up at 6 or 6:30.

annelise k · January 2011

I'm with you on the coffee love train. I've already cut down to 1 to 2 cups a day, and I'll limit myself to a morning cup when I'm pg. I remember going cold turkey a month before my wedding to get my teeth whitened. The headaches were brutal.

JoAnna914 · January 2011

amyu1977:
Last time around I managed to survive on decaf for the first trimester. Then I mixed a can of decaf with regular coffee after that and drank one large cup of the blend each day. My husband drank the same stuff as I did as a way of being supportive! I love coffee like you do, though, so this time around it might be a bit trickier, especially on those days when Nate is up at 6 or 6:30.

I may try the decaf for the first tri - if there's a light at the end of the tunnel, maybe I'll feel better. I doubt it, though, lol.

ajroemisch · January 2011

I LOVE coffee! My Keurig is my bff! I don't plan to quit, because I would DIE, but I will still have the one cup I need in the AM to get going, unless dr says to!

Mellimo83 · January 2011

Oh my OP, you got my blood running. Yes I love my coffee too. I think I'll have to do more research into safe/not safe levels, if it's not clear to me Ill cut right back I guess. There's always hot chocolate.

T&HLove · January 2011

They say one cup of coffee a day is okay when you are pregnant. If you are worried about it, why don't you try half regular half decaf? It might be a pain to make both, but you do what you gotta do!

doozer1345 · January 2011

I may go with hot chocolate

Temp878586125009588 · January 2011

I love my coffee. I plan to continue to have my one cup of coffee a day in the mornings.

branmuffin2112 · January 2011

doozer1345:
I may go with hot chocolate

It still has caffeine Sad

romigu · January 2011

cantalopes24:
You can safely drink 200 mg. of coffee daily when pregnant. But I do like Starbucks decaf. And decaf still has caffeine.

this is what the march of dimes website recommends.

https://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/nutrition_caffeine.html

mayo clinic website gives the same recommendation (page 2)

https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pregnancy-nutrition/PR00109/NSECTIONGROUP=2

RNsteph09 · January 2011

tmsetzer83:
I drink 1 cup every morning, and I don't plan on changing that. I don't drink any other caffeine throughout the day.

I drink one cup a day now.. I did cut out my diet coke at work.

mdiblasi10 · January 2011

I used to drink about 2 cups a day at work, but have cut back to just one cup in the morning. I will continue one cup in the morning when I am pregnant. I also bought decaf vanilla for my Keurig.

mrssoprano · January 2011

I'm just trying to stay below the recommended 200mg/day. Here's a good chart that lists caffeine amounts in certain items:

https://www.cspinet.org/new/cafchart.htm

UofMWolverines · January 2011

I'm a coffee/caffeine nut too, so I'm so relieved to see a set of women being honest about how difficult they anticipate it to be to give it up during pregnancy! Right now (pre-pregnancy), I have a venti nonfat latte from Starbucks every morning and then about 1 1/2 - 2 cans of Diet Coke throughout the day.

As others have said, the standard seems to be no more than 200mg of caffeine/day during pregnancy. Mayo Clinic cites a study from November, 2008 showing that fetuses with mothers who consumed right at 200mg/day showed signs of slower growth.

With all of that in mind, while I'd love to be able to just go cold turkey, I'll probably just aim for around 100mg of caffeine per day at most. My plan is to switch to a grande half-caf latte in the morning (which would have 75mg of caffeine) and try to have that be all for the day. To soothe my "cola needs," I'm aiming for 1 or 2 cans of Diet Rite Cola (no aspartame, no caffeine) per week (not per day).

I've heard a few women say that once they were pregnant, the thought of coffee totally made them sick. We could always hope for that!

PDXGal7868 · January 2011

I was told when I was PG that you can have up to three cups of coffee - or other caffeinated beverage - a day. With that being said, a cup is 6-8 oz, not a grande from Starbucks.

Honestly for the first four months my morning sickness was so bad I didn't even want coffee or tea. I usually drank a cup in the morning after that, it's fine!

ccansdale · January 2011

i work at starbucks so this may be especially hard for me Tongue Tied

but.. right now i've cut myself down to one cup per morning... it does the trick! when i get KU i plan on switching to half caf... then maybe decaf.. but i know one cup of half-caf per day wont kill me

blairy926 · January 2011

I go for half-caff and grind my own beans, occasionally I really need high test, so I go for it. I've also been into the french press lately, which has a stronger flavor, so I can have my cup and be completely satisfied with that. As for whether I give it up later, I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

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