Caffeine

MollySm · May 2019

What is everyone doing about caffeine? I usually only drink a cup of black tea in the mornings, so I've never worried about it during pregnancy before. But in the past month I have started having a cup of coffee every afternoon. I thought I would just cut it out no problem, but I feel queasy and starving and want coffee! Is anyone cutting down on caffeine? Having a hard time with it? Does anyone know what current research says about quantities?

laurenmicheley · May 2019

I usually have a latte in the morning and multiple cups 2-3 of regular ole coffee in the afternoon. I’ve adjusted to only my morning latte and feel ok about that.

Xstatic3333 · May 2019

The book "Expecting Better" has a really good breakdown on the research about caffeine. I am a pretty heavy coffee addict and weaned down in advance of last pregnancy, but sadly did not this time and it has been a lot harder. I've been doing one cup in the morning (brewed at home). A few days I've had a little more than a cup, either giving my cup a small top off, having an inch or so in the afternoon, or mixing a small amount of regular into some afternoon decaf (which really helps the taste!) I'm trying to keep it to a cup most days, but I'm sure a little more is probably actually fine. I think the standard rule tossed around is 200 mg of caffeine a day.

marebear15 · May 2019

I just limit it to under 200 mg a day, or a small latte.

It's looks like black tea has under 50 mg, and one 8oz cup of coffee has under 100 mg, so you are probably fine. It's the lattes and other drinks made with espresso shots that you have to watch out for.

leprechaunlady · May 2019

I have a small latte each morning which I dont intend giving up unless milk starts to make me feel sick (which it did last pregnancy).

KristinUM12 · May 2019

I have a cup of coffee in the morning and that's about it...but I do that when I'm not pregnant anyways. Since I'm in the habit of keeping it plenty under 200mg daily, I don't really worry about it if I occasionally have an extra afternoon cup or end up going over the 200mg here and there. Then again, I'm pretty relaxed about all the food rules in general.

Jellybeanqueen13 · May 2019

I usually am big on espresso beverages. I’m cutting back to two shots per day which puts me under the 200mg recommended limit. My doctor actually recommended not completely cutting coffee out after I complained about headaches. Moderation is key with caffeine. I drank coffee (keeping under the 200mg limit) through my last pregnancy and everything was good.

gabadoo · May 2019

As long as you stay under 200mg/day, you’re within the acceptable limits. I usually have either a grande espresso beverage or a small drip coffee a day. I always understood that drip coffee has more mg of caffeine per standard size drink than an espresso beverage.

shell142020 · May 2019

I am sticking with two shots of espresso a day.

laurenmicheley · May 2019

Anybody know what teas are pregnancy safe? My throat is killing me as a result of the horrible fluctuations in weather!

marebear15 · May 2019

@laurenmicheley - I don't know about teas, but you could try some warm lemon juice and honey.

gabadoo · May 2019

@laurenmicheley, I’d still with non-herbal teas. You can you a decaf black tea with lemon juice and honey.

kbrown2385 · May 2019

I don’t lower my caffeine intake. I only drink 1 cup regularly and may add in another once a week so I’d not a lot to begin with.

@laurenmicheley I’ve been told from my ob that most commercial brands (like celestial seasonings) of herbal teas are safe. I drank a lot of sleepy time tea with my son. Obviously ask your dr to be sure, but having some lemon honey tea for your throat should be fine.

hanshotfirst77 · May 2019

I switch to decaf while TTC/PG, last few months I tried to reduce intake as well and stick to just 1-2 cups a day.

@laurenmicheley I caught a cold this week and have been drinking a cup of decaf black tea with some honey.

MrsJessS · May 2019

Y’all I just looked up the caffeine content of Dunkin Donuts iced coffee (aka my drug of choice) and apparently I need to switch to decaf 🤦🏻‍♀️ The medium has almost 300 mg of caffeine. Decaf medium has over 100. Bah humbug

persnickity · May 2019

Caffeine amounts vary so much! Last time, I stuck with making a 6oz cup of coffee at home and leaving it at that. If I occasionally wanted an extra cup, I just got something small. Once I got used to drinking 6oz instead of 12 (or more on weekends) it wasn't bad.

justbeachy888 · May 2019

The struggle is real. I drink multiple cups of 10/12 oz coffee a day typically. Last time I was pregnant I was pretty good about having just one cup in the morning, but I find myself having at least 2 a day right now 😬 I was so much more diligent about all of this as a FTM...oops! I am going to try making my afternoon coffee half-caf this week

dumbledoredies · May 2019

I wasn't a coffee drinker when I was KU'd with my first and he's been a great sleeper and overall chill child so far so I'm paranoid. I only drink 1 cup of coffee in the morning now but this past week I weaned myself off of it. Today is day 2 of no caffeine. I feel tired but otherwise fine. I'm just really intent on mimicking what I did with my son even though I know logically the babies personality will have no bearing on these decisions.

But if our 2nd comes out a terror and I drank coffee throughout my pregnancy I'll be like damn, shouldn't have had that coffee. 😂

leprechaunlady · May 2019

@dumbledoredies we got one of the unicorns that sleeps first time round too. I figure you dont get that lucky twice & have the absolute fear that this one will be a no sleep warrior!

Xstatic3333 · May 2019

MrsJessS said:

Y’all I just looked up the caffeine content of Dunkin Donuts iced coffee (aka my drug of choice) and apparently I need to switch to decaf 🤦🏻‍♀️ The medium has almost 300 mg of caffeine. Decaf medium has over 100. Bah humbug

Oh man, I feel like an idiot that I never looked into this. I knew decaf had "trace amounts" of caffeine but didn't realize how high it could be! I didn't see the 100 mg quote from a Dunkin decaf when I searched just now (and it definitely looks like a regular small once a day is just fine) but it was still a lot more than I'd thought. I hit the decaf pretty hard the first couple of weeks of pregnancy to try to trick my brain (in addition to my one caffeine cup in the mornings). Honestly I researched the coffee thing a lot my first pregnancy, and I'm sure I didn't do any harm, but I'm more annoyed that I was wasting caffeine credits on gross decaf when I could have just had a smidge more of regular instead!

MrsJessS · May 2019

@Xstatic3333 yeah I don’t remember where I saw the decaf thing. I didn’t double check it but 🤷🏻‍♀️ I was not the best at limiting my caffeine w my first but I’m trying to do better this time. I just really love coffee. But last time I got acid reflux so bad I wouldn’t touch it

Xstatic3333 · May 2019

@MrsJessS most of the sources I saw said it really varies by brand but that Dunkin decaf is the highest. It’s also close to the worst IMO so no huge loss!

MollySm · May 2019

@dumbledoredies and @leprechaunlady - I have 3 kids and they were all pretty good sleepers as babies, so it's possible! In every other way they are all so different, but I will take that as an awesome similarity.

persnickity · May 2019

@dumbledoredies I drank coffee my whole pregnancy, then went back to my normal 12+oz when nursing, and I've got a chill kiddo who sleeps well. No need to blame the coffee if that's not the case for your second. ☺️

cicchettimama00 · May 2019

I have a cup of decaf nespresso. I try to trick myself into thinking I'm drinking caffeine!

laurenmicheley · May 2019

I went to lunch today and realized I couldn't get a Coke (which I wanted) or an Iced Tea becuase I had already had my caffeine for the day!

gabadoo · May 2019

Don’t forget to count your chocolate caffeine intake!!! I sometimes trade my 2nd cup of the day for some dark chocolate. Yum!

laurenmicheley · May 2019

So tired. Must. Stay. Awake.

marebear15 · May 2019

gabadoo said:

As long as you stay under 200mg/day, you’re within the acceptable limits. I usually have either a grande espresso beverage or a small drip coffee a day. I always understood that drip coffee has more mg of caffeine per standard size drink than an espresso beverage.

How did I forget about this. Guess I'm going to stick with my latte!

cweiss04 · May 2019

With my first I was very strict and would drink a half calf half decaf once a day. With my second I drank like 2 cups a day Doing the same with baby 3. Momma needs her caffeine to keep up with the kids especially my 19 month old lol

bumptink · May 2019

I loveeee my Pepsi but as soon as I saw the positive I quit cold turkey. I did the same with my DS & then slowly added in one every few days or if I had a headache towards the end. I'm feeling tired but know cutting it out will help with bloating too as well as not worrying about going over my caffeine intake.

dumbledoredies · May 2019

What a relief to know that coffee does not equal bad sleeper 😆

cweiss04 · May 2019

@dumbledoredies not at all. My second is actually things best sleeper lol and I drank tons of coffee with him

Xstatic3333 · May 2019

Caffeinated good sleeper here too. If you’re planning to breastfeed, and planning to drink lots of coffee in the early days (🙋🏼‍♀️) it can be helpful if it’s not totally new to the baby’s system.

valerie4786 · May 2019

I drink about 2 cups of coffee a day with an occasional pop here and there with a meal, and will probably keep it as is. With my first pregnancy I ended up developing a coffee aversion sometime in the 2nd trimester and it was so sad! Lol . I have no idea what will happen this pregnancy, but obviously I survived the last half of my first without coffee so I guess we'll see what happens this time around.

rae_q · May 2019

I've gotten lucky in a way that I was drinking a ton of soda before getting pregnant (my go-to when I'm tired) but I stopped the day I found out and have since realized I have an aversion to sweets (very weird for me since I have a huge sweet tooth usually). I think finding out why you want it so bad will help you to cut it out. Is it the taste? The caffeine addiction? The boost of energy? For me it was prob everything but especially the energy boost, but what's keeping me away from the soda is just leaning into the exhaustion. I'm letting myself sleep whenever I get the chance instead of reaching for a pick-me-up.

justsuzie · May 2019

Xstatic3333 That book got me through my last pregnancy! A strong recommend for FTMs.

jamidine · May 2019

I’m trying so hard to keep it under 200 mg/day, but I’m really struggling. Between my three older kids, work and keeping up the house, and the extreme fatigue during this pregnancy (guys it’s bad) I could really use one more cup. I’m between 5-6 weeks along and used to drinking about 24 ounces of Folgers pre-pregnancy. I’m thinking that one more cup is not going to hurt, and I could really use it.

kthiel22 · May 2019

I’m a first responder and work multiple jobs. I basically live on caffeine. Trying to cut down has been extremely hard because I never have designated meal breaks since you can’t predict when someone is going to have an emergency. I started trying to drink my coffee slower, trying to make it last longer. I’ve also cut out my energy drinks and never have more than 3 cups of coffee during a shift. I’ve also tried to substitute caffeine free Diet Coke and tons of water to help keep my energy up and keep me going throughout my shift. At home I try to limit myself to 1 cup of coffee and then the caffeine free Diet Coke and water after that. Not that Diet Coke is good for you at any time that’s just what I’ve found that helps me since I work 24+ hours at a time.

mrs_llama · May 2019

Pre-pregnancy I had 8oz at 5:00am and another 8oz around 1 or 2pm on work days. I was trying not to do my usual second cup at first, but in these first few weeks I'm hitting that slump at 2pm and can't keep my eyes open at my desk! It hits me like a ton of bricks. I talked with my nurse and she said it's perfectly fine since I am spacing them out. Long story short- two coffees per day here!

justsuzie · May 2019

I have a one year old so you cannot take away my caffeine. I have a grande coffee every morning.

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