how concerned are you about caffeine?

[day-by-day]

I don't drink coffee or hot tea. But I do drink a lot of tea cooler (iced tea/lemonade mixed) and a fountain soda very occasionally. Would you be concerned with that amount of caffeine?

[nova22]

Not terribly. Even conservative OBs have said a pregnant woman can have a cup of caffeinated coffee day. That would probably knock me on my butt because I don't drink coffee at all but if you're weaning down from several cups a day I guess it's better than nothing. But an occasional soda is probably not much to worry about. If you're really drinking A LOT of the tea coolers, you could consider making iced tea with herbal (naturally caffeine-free) teas, particularly RRL tea. I brew tea to be super-concentrated, sweeten it with a bit of honey while it's still hot, and keep it in a pitcher in the refrigerator. When I want hot tea, I mix three parts hot water with one part concentrated iced herbal tea. When I want cold, I mix it with cold water 3:1.

[MaerynPearl]

I wouldnt worry about that at all.

[BlackSheepPDX]

I wouldn't worry about that at all. I avoid caffeine during pregnancy not because I think moderate consumption will cause defects/complications of any sort, but because I don't think it's something KIDS should have (I don't give my daughter cola, why should i let my fetus have any fun with my favorite drug either! ). I wouldn't be "concerned" about what you're describing in the least.

[WifeofAnt]

I still have caffiene but I've cut back because it gives me headaches and I already have too many of those. Unless you're chugging Monster I think the vast majority of people stay within a good caffiene limit without trying.

[paintedfire]

I had to quit drinking coffee because the smell of it made me sick when my morning sickness was at it's peak. DH wasn't even allowed to have any near me. I remember throwing up in my government-owned trash basket because a co-worker came too close to me with her latte.

The caffeine had nothing to do with it, though - I still drink a lot of tea.

[CookAMH]

I am not at all concerned about occasional caffeine.

[mckittre]

Not concerned - I usually have one cup of coffee each day. I will note though, that at least for me, pregnancy slows down caffeine metabolism a lot. So much so that near the end of my son's pregnancy, one cup of coffee at 8AM was enough to keep me up at night! It took me forever to figure out why I couldn't sleep, so I like to give others the heads up that for some it's possible YOU won't be able to tolerate caffeine while pregnant.

[Beverly]

I've never worried about caffeine during any of my pregnancies ... I'm not a huge partaker, but I might have a couple of cups of coffee (iced coffee these days!) or a Coke on any given day.

[Earthy Mama]

I wouldn't be concerned. I'm an addict straight up. Before I found out I was pg, I would drink about 8-10 cups of coffee a day. 4 in the morning and then 4-6 throughout the day.

I'm down to 2 in the morning and maybe one in the afternoon. My mw said that was fine.

[Bethusila]

I hadn't drank caffiene in about 4 months prior to conceiving because it was giving me the jitters so bad. However I was informed by my OB that I could drink up to 2 caffienated drinks per day. Once the exhaustion hit, I'll admit I did start drinking a couple of tea coolers a week just for a boost. Now I drink 2-3 caffienated drinks a week, and I am not concerned. If I felt overly jittery or anything I'd stop.

[Ianthe]

With #1, coffee made me sick so I started drinking tea instead.
With #2, I continued drinking 1-2 cups of coffee a day.

Both kids are super healthy, in fact, my child that I didn't drink a lot of caffeine with is my most hyper!

[umsami]

I wouldn't be concerned. The only thing I would worry about with regards to caffeine is that its a diuretic.. so make sure you are getting in non-caffeinated fluids as well. Dehydration is not good during pregnancy.

[kittywitty]

Not really. I eat chocolate at least once a day and a small cup of coffee with half milk a couple times a week when I have a headache. There are much more important things to worry about.

[louis]

I would not be concerned about it, but like a PP said, make sure you are getting plenty of other fluids (Water!) in as well.

[lunarlady]

My only issue is that many beverages with caffeine also trigger my heartburn. So I have to be careful because otherwise I regret it. But some days, I really need that boost to keep up with my toddler, so I reach for a latte or some iced tea and don't worry too much about it.

[terra-pip]

Wow...apparently I'm the only one who avoids all caffeine during pregnancy. I'm not concerned about chocolate, but I ALWAYS avoid all coffee, tea of any sort (except RRL or TM pregnancy tea..makes good iced tea in the summer), soda. The studies go either way...some showing no harm and some showing an increased harm of miscarriage, preterm labor so I rather be safer than sorry. I also abstain from all caffeine and chocolate too until breastfeeding babies start taking in solids and nursing less. Some of the tannins in certain types of tea can lower a person's ability to absorb iron. But that's just me I guess. <shrug>

[m0xxie]

Originally Posted by terra-pip

Wow...apparently I'm the only one who avoids all caffeine during pregnancy. I'm not concerned about chocolate, but I ALWAYS avoid all coffee, tea of any sort (except RRL or TM pregnancy tea..makes good iced tea in the summer), soda. The studies go either way...some showing no harm and some showing an increased harm of miscarriage, preterm labor so I rather be safer than sorry. I also abstain from all caffeine and chocolate too until breastfeeding babies start taking in solids and nursing less. Some of the tannins in certain types of tea can lower a person's ability to absorb iron. But that's just me I guess. <shrug>

You're not the only one... I just get tired arguing my case when it seems no one wants to hear. You can see a bunch of my posts in the "How much Chocolate" thread here: http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1237844

For me, it comes down to these facts:

1. Just like alcohol, caffeine crosses the placental barrier into your developing fetus, and that tiny developing body must work to process and break down that substance.

2. Caffeine is a drug that has been shown to influence (retard/stunt) development (which is why Starbucks is not going to serve espresso to your toddler).

I know lots of people report that they have ingested large amounts of caffeine with no noticeable bad results, but my thought is, why even take the chance, when it's something so easily preventable?

[Jules09]

I use second hand tea-bags after they've been used for my husband's cup of tea. Apparently most of the caffeine comes out in the first cup.

[peainthepod]

I drink a small cup of coffee in the morning, and eat a good amount of very dark (like 70-85% cocoa) chocolate. I love chocolate under normal circumstances, but when I'm pregnant I positively crave it. Sometimes I bake very dark, fudgy brownies with double the amount of cocoa powder.

Very, very rarely I eat too much chocolate and it makes me jittery. I dislike being jittery so I try to avoid that, but no...I don't worry about the baby. My OBGYN and both midwives I've had encourage eating dark chocolate during pregnancy, and my OB flat-out gave me "permission" to have a small amount of coffee in the morning, if I want it (and I do).

Moderation is key. Every woman is different and reacts differently to caffeine, so it's best to follow your body's cues and do what you're comfortable with.