What are your thoughts on caffeine?

[bethkate]

There seems to be a lot of conflicting stuff out there about caffeine and pregnancy: less than 200 or 250mg is ok, you should it avoid it altogether, etc, so I know it's a personal decision for a lot of people, but what are your thoughts?

In the past, I haven't completely avoided it, but this time, pgal brain is getting the better of me. I've switched to decaf, and 16floz of Dunkin decaf only has 13mg, so I'm feeling ok with that, but it got me thinking about what others are doing. 

[minae01]

I have been looking into this a bit, too. In my previous pregnancies, I had an aversion to coffee in first tri, so I avoided it from weeks 6-14. I would drink a pop or have green tea, so I did have some caffeine. Now that I have 2 rambunctious toddlers and am starting the school year, I cannot do without caffeine. Plus, I'm sicker than I was with them, so I'm on Diclegis, which also makes me tired. I cannot stand coffee anymore, so I'm currently drinking iced green tea. I bought some V8 Energy, which has 80mg of caffeine and I'm going to see how that goes.

I think that it's fine in moderation. I certainly won't go over the 200mg/day suggestion (although I did overdo it once last week and freaked out). I'll try to keep it under that, but to me, caffeine is a non-negotiable right now!

[jags8]

I've always heard to stick to 200mg or less. I prefer to keep it at zero if possible. We consume it all the time, so we don't think much of it, but it still is a drug.

But honestly, my body hasn't been able to handle caffeine for a few years. One cup of coffee and my heart races, I feel nauseated, shaky, and feel anxious. So I'm not losing out on anything by being KU.

[Deleted]

I drink it. Not a full French press a day like I was doing but I had an americano yesterday. I don't have more than 1 caffeinated drink a day. And I usually only have it maybe 4 times a week but that's because I hate the stuff we have at home. When we get better beans I will probably have a small cup a day.

[jags8]

Aug 16, 2015 8:16:35 GMT -5 @ismellbooks said:

I had been drinking two or three big mugs of coffee each day, and I just can't fathom giving it up completely. Most things in moderation is the policy I've subscribed to. Some days I'll have one cup of coffee; some days I'll have half a cola instead. Some days, like yesterday, I'll have no caffeine at all.

A can of coke has about 1/5 the amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. So you can have that full coke

[wittyandwaiting]

The tea I drink has anywhere from 1-15 mg of caffeine so I drink a two a day. Once every week or so I'll have a decaf macchiato from Starbucks which is about 50 mg.

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2015 8:22:13 GMT -5 jags8 said:

Aug 16, 2015 8:16:35 GMT -5 @ismellbooks said:

I had been drinking two or three big mugs of coffee each day, and I just can't fathom giving it up completely. Most things in moderation is the policy I've subscribed to. Some days I'll have one cup of coffee; some days I'll have half a cola instead. Some days, like yesterday, I'll have no caffeine at all.

A can of coke has about 1/5 the amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. So you can have that full coke

Soda certainly has it's downfalls though when compared to a black coffee.

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2015 8:26:57 GMT -5 wittyandwaiting said:

The tea I drink has anywhere from 1-15 mg of caffeine so I drink a two a day. Once every week or so I'll have a decaf macchiato from Starbucks which is about 50 mg.

Unless they changed it since I stopped working there each decaf shot has only about 7 mg of caffeine so it's probably even less than 50 mg.

I drank like 2 decaf americanos a shift when I was pregnant there.

[bluedot]

Lucky for me I'm not a coffee drinker. I do love my diet coke though! So I'll have a can here and there... I don't really taste a difference between regular and caffeine free, so when it's available I will choose CF. It's not everyday... but a few times a week.

[doublehammock]

Currently drinking a glass of cold brew.

I try to limit to one cup/glass every few days.

Remember, chocolate also has caffeine.

[jags8]

Aug 16, 2015 8:53:16 GMT -5 @aest said:

Aug 16, 2015 8:22:13 GMT -5 jags8 said:

A can of coke has about 1/5 the amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. So you can have that full coke

Soda certainly has it's downfalls though when compared to a black coffee.

True, but I was speaking to caffeine levels.

[jags8]

doublehammock luckily chocolate doesn't sound even a little bit yummy to me right now! However, milk chocolate had next to nothing. Dark chocolate, on the other hand, has a little more, as it's the cocoa that contains the caffeine.

[ladywolff]

I'm limiting myself to one cup a day, but I like really strong coffee, so they have about 150mg anyway. I'm used to having around five cups a day, so I'm trying to wean myself off. I'm definitely staying under 200mg a day though.

[doodler]

I'm not a coffee drinker but I love diet soda. I haven't had hardly any since being on vacation but I will have one can/day at work.

[PiradicalMaid]

I trust the 200mg a day, since that comes from the March of Dimes and is well researched.

I usually have one caffeinated drink a day- soda, tea, chai- so I feel confident that I'm below the 200mg point. Some days I just need it! And I would hate to have to cut out all chocolate :/

[danenikki]

I try to stick with one caffeine drink a day whether a coke or a half caf mocha from Starbucks.

[oreille]

I'm drinking pepsi right now. I don't like coffee. I try to limit myself to 16-20 ounces of soda or tea daily.

[MissMusic]

I think you've gotten the advice you wanted but I'll pipe up:

I think its fine in moderation. Of course, 0% caffeine is the best but 200mg/day is ok. My doc said this, I've read it, so I'm going with that. Right now the idea of coffee or soda makes me want to puke, so its not an issue...but if I feel better I wouldn't blink at 1 cup/day.

Everything in moderation!

[MissMusic]

Aug 16, 2015 8:07:34 GMT -5 @aest said:

I drink it. Not a full French press a day like I was doing but I had an americano yesterday. I don't have more than 1 caffeinated drink a day. And I usually only have it maybe 4 times a week but that's because I hate the stuff we have at home. When we get better beans I will probably have a small cup a day.

Off topic: how do you like your press?  I have a shitty Keurig which I hate for many reasons, and I had a drip machine I hated too (but it was a cheap one).  I've heard good stuff about french presses!

[PiradicalMaid]

Aug 16, 2015 17:00:31 GMT -5 heartbot said:

With DD I drank my usual amount of caffeine, well below 200mg/day, no issues, but since I've had 3 losses since, I'm basically walking around like I'm wrapped in bubble wrap this time. I've quit caffeine completely. I may resume in the 2nd tri, but for now, I don't, even if I know logically, a small amount of caffeine is not going to change the outcome.

I get that. PGAL brain has made me overly cautious about things I usually wouldn't care about- like I am not eating runny eggs or sprouts and I'm not changing cat litter (even though I'm supposed to be cat-sitting. They are indoor cats so it's really not an issue, but... Sorry, SO!). I think it makes me feel better to just do *something*, even if logically I know none of those things would really be a problem. 

[bethkate]

Aug 16, 2015 17:38:10 GMT -5 PiradicalMaid said:

Aug 16, 2015 17:00:31 GMT -5 heartbot said:

With DD I drank my usual amount of caffeine, well below 200mg/day, no issues, but since I've had 3 losses since, I'm basically walking around like I'm wrapped in bubble wrap this time. I've quit caffeine completely. I may resume in the 2nd tri, but for now, I don't, even if I know logically, a small amount of caffeine is not going to change the outcome.

I get that. PGAL brain has made me overly cautious about things I usually wouldn't care about- like I am not eating runny eggs or sprouts and I'm not changing cat litter (even though I'm supposed to be cat-sitting. They are indoor cats so it's really not an issue, but... Sorry, SO!). I think it makes me feel better to just do *something*, even if logically I know none of those things would really be a problem. 

I'm feeling the same way. I've even stopped running, even though I know it's probably fine for me to continue. Pgal brain messes with you, for sure. 

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2015 15:07:32 GMT -5 MissMusic said:

Aug 16, 2015 8:07:34 GMT -5 @aest said:

I drink it. Not a full French press a day like I was doing but I had an americano yesterday. I don't have more than 1 caffeinated drink a day. And I usually only have it maybe 4 times a week but that's because I hate the stuff we have at home. When we get better beans I will probably have a small cup a day.

Off topic: how do you like your press?  I have a shitty Keurig which I hate for many reasons, and I had a drip machine I hated too (but it was a cheap one).  I've heard good stuff about french presses!

I had a Keurig but it's too expensive to keep up with the cups. We don't have a french press right now, we were planning to buy one but since I'm the one who would've used it the most we'll just put it off. I was using my in-laws' FP and it was fine. I want a stainless steel one the next time I buy one. 

I like the FP because I drink a lot of coffee but we also have an Aeropress (wait... no we have two of them) that gets a lot of use around here. It makes single cups. DH has asked for a Chemex for his birthday... we're coffee people.

[wowcheezits]

My OB told me I can have 200 mg or two cups. I drank coffee with my 2 year old but this time around I quit. I haven't hada anything since Friday. Just a personal choice for me. I will drink soda but I don't keep it in the house.

[URMySunshine77]

I am a coffee fiend. I fear that I can't stop at just one mug, so I am taking a break for the first trimester. After that, I may have a latte once in a while.

[lilmonk]

I'm not a coffee drinker but totally want a can of coke now.

[Ann612]

I never drank much anyway - no coffee and only the occasional soda here and there, so this was an easy one to completely cut out for me.

Even if I were a coffee drinker, I would definitely be trying to cut it out as much as possible. But that's just me. My SIL drank a cup every day and I never judged. I'm a firm believer if the doc says it's ok, it's ok.

[steveo]

Pre-pregnancy: 1-2 cups of drip coffee in the morning, 1 diet pepsi / coke in the afternoon.

Pregnant: 1 cup of coffee in the morning, water for the rest of the day.

I'm not much of a chocolate eater, so that's really the extent of my caffeine. Well under 200mg, and keeps me functional at the office, so a win for everyone

[ciaobaby]

I've never been a big fan of coffee, but I used to be a Coke Zero addict. When I found out I was pregnant with DS, I stopped drinking it cold-turkey. Not so much because of a caffeine concern, I just didn't like the idea of the artificial sweeteners while pregnant. I'm a believer in moderation, so I would probably continue drinking a cup each day or try to switch to half-caff if I was a coffee drinker! I will say that I had DH bring me a big, ice cold Coke Zero soon after I delivered DS and I thought it was HORRIBLE! lol Funny how our taste buds change over time, so I just stick with water nowadays!

[sosayweall]

I'll drink 1-2 coffees and 1 diet coke a day.

[trufflefries]

I drink it. A can of diet coke has around ~46 mg of caffeine. It helps me function and the bubbles help settle my stomach. I drank it with my first pregnancy and no extra limbs or anything.