Cocoa Butter and Caffeine

jersey_carrie · August 2011

I don't post a ton on here, but I've been following along with you ladies my entire pregnancy. I had my 36 week appointment today and when the doctor (I go to a group practice and this was only the 2nd time I saw this particular doctor) was measuring me and placing the doppler on my stomach she noticed I had lotion on me. She asked what I used and I told her it was Cocoa Butter. She told me I shouldn't use that because it contains caffeine and my skin absorbs it. I have been pretty on top of everything this entire pregnancy and have never heard this anywhere! I only started using Cocoa Butter over the last month, but this freaked me out. Per guidance from other doctors in my practice, I still have been drinking one cup of coffee per day (I tried to abstain completely but I get horrible headaches without at least one cup). I immediately Googled Cocoa Butter, Pregancy and Caffeine and found articles saying that Cocoa Butter doesn't even contain caffeine. Has anyone ever heard of this? I just can't believe I never have.

futuremrsmcnichols · August 2011

That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. First of all, caffeine is safe in moderation, I can't imagine that a few drops of cocoa butter lotion would be enough to put anyone in danger.

mdotm0904 · August 2011

i've never heard anything about it before, but a couple of months back i had to go for ultrasounds weekly to monitor an arrythmia they had found with LO's heart & one of the questions the doc asked was if I drank a lot of caffiene and if i was using cocoa butter. i assumed the cocoa butter question was because he had noticed a few stretch marks. but i guess not. he didn't mention anything after i told him no & i didn't think to ask why he would ask about cocoa butter.

but again, like PPs have said, i think it's ridiculous. i'm sure if cocoa butter was harmful, they wouldn't market it to pregnant woman TO use on their tummies

SoxFan777 · August 2011

I bet that there are SOME cellulite creams that contain BOTH caffeine and cocoa butter... But not ALL (I don't see the problem even if it did but whatever).

Your doc probably looked into those once and is basing something on that. I wouldn't worry about it, though, unless you're using some fancy anti-cellulite cream or whatever, which I doubt you are...

Fweetie · August 2011

I've heard of it too. I asked my mid wife and she just rolled her eyes and said "believe only half of what you see and none of what you hear or you will go crazy!" I switched to Palmers Cocobutter formula that says to use it during pregnancy. I think it's fine, and lo is fine...but I'm not a doctor. But yes, I have heard the same thing.

jersey_carrie · August 2011

Thanks ladies! I'm a research queen & have researched almost everything I ingest or place on my body during this pregnancy and never came across this. I'm definitely not using anything fancy. It's just Walgreens version of Vaseline's Cocoa Butter and Vitaman E lotion. It's just shocking that all of the docs in my practice (except for this one) do not seem conservative and then I encounter this craziness right before I have the baby! She's probably going to be the one doctor out of 6 that delivers my baby!!

StefanyaMarie · August 2011

When I was 13 years old I broke a disk in my back playing softball and ended up lying on the couch the entire summer eating pizza and peanut butter m&ms. Because of my wonderful eating habits I gained a ton of weight that summer and got stretch marks. My doctor at the time told me to use Cocoa Butter on them and I have been using the stuff ever sense. I had never heard about caffeine in it but when I got pregnant I asked my doctor is if was safe to use as I had read that anything I put on my skin gets absorbed and goes the LO. She said that it was perfectly fine. Also, I too am a caffeine addict and while I was able to stop drinking my Mt.Dew for the first 3 months I did start up again as soon as I hit the 2nd trimester. This too I talked to the doctor about and she said that as long as it's in moderation it is perfectly safe. So I wouldn't worry about it and keep using your Cocoa Butter...I know I am!

Jennairess · August 2011

i have never heard that...i used cocoa butter daily with both my pregnancies and never had an issue....in fact mentioned it to my doc when I was there a few months ago when he commented how I had no stretch marks and he never said anything about not to use it

jellybean0110 · August 2011

futuremrsmcnichols:
That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. First of all, caffeine is safe in moderation, I can't imagine that a few drops of cocoa butter lotion would be enough to put anyone in danger.

This. What a load of crap! Even if it does have caffeine in it you would probably have to eat 10 tubs of Palmer's Tummy Butter to equal the caffeine in 1 cup of coffee, which would still be considered a safe amount of caffeine on a daily basis.

Ripli · August 2011

My doctor actually told me to use cocoa butter as my stretchmarks are getting pretty bad. I've been using almond oil and she told me cocoa butter was probably better.

your doc sounds like she got hold of some misinformation tbh.

tuluwen · August 2011

https://www.livestrong.com/article/274166-does-cocoa-butter-contain-caffeine/

Hope this helps. Sometimes doctors don't understand as much about drugs/products as you would think. They know the effects of certain chemicals better than they know what is contained in certain products. I can say this because DH is almost a doctor. He said he will be getting an app on his iphone in order to check reviews of products and details of the contents of products and drugs and the interactions they have with each other. He said there is just way too much for them to know everything about everything.

Bridgetkaryn · August 2011

futuremrsmcnichols:
That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. First of all, caffeine is safe in moderation, I can't imagine that a few drops of cocoa butter lotion would be enough to put anyone in danger.

This 110%

angel_elr · May 2012

At a recent ob appointment the doctor noticed that the baby has an irregular heartbeat and sent me to a specialist who confirmed it. The specialist told me to avoid cocoa butter because it has caffeine in it (along with anything else that has caffeine). I've been careful not to have more than one caffeinated drink/food per day, but the idea that cocoa butter lotion would have caffeine in it never occurred to me. I'm avoiding all caffeine and cocoa butter from now on and hoping the baby's irregular heartbeat goes back to normal.

Want a personalized experience?

Cocoa Butter and Caffeine

Re: Cocoa Butter and Caffeine

Choose Another Board

Search Boards