Caffeine

[zakdat]

I've been trying so hard, but I can't completely wean myself off of it... I'm down to 3 cups of 2/3 decaf, 1/3 full caff, mixed with milk.  I've been able to limit my caffeine in other areas - no soda, minimal chocolate etc.  Coffee honestly tastes amazing to me - I'm enjoying it more than before I was pregnant.  Yesterday I tried full decaf, and it just wasn't satisfying.  I spent the rest of the day thinking about coffee. 

Anyone else have a guilty pleasure like this - one you know you should stop, but must continue?

[thecountrymouse]

I haven't given up coffee, but I've tried to cut down.  Some mornings I have been drinking one or two big cups of coffee in the morning- about 1/2 decaf, 1/2 reg but honestly heavy on the regular, some mornings mostly decaf.  I didn't drink any coffee with my first pregnancy up until I was 6.5 months along.  This time though, I crave coffee.  I think we are doing fine with our decaf mix.  If we are reading and writing on these threads we are pretty conscientious pregnant ladies doing the best we can!  

[hildare]

PSHAW.  you don't really have to quit or cut down that much... there's no real evidence that less than 2 cups is bad.  March of Dimes says that @200 mg is the cutoff, which is the lowest i've seen suggested.  with dc1, i did drink a cup- three cups a day, to no ill effects, and my ob supported that.

however, might i just say how lucky you are that it still tastes good?  it doesn't taste bad to me this time around, it just makes me feel icky, i can't have more than half a cup with milk in the morning, which is messing up my world, let me tell you.  i am dragging.  it's awful, i need it so much. 

[londongandert]

Being aware of what you're consuming and finding a balance is being a fabulous momma.  I am continuing my morning espresso soy latte (2 shots 16 oz.) this pregnancy. Like some of you, I totally cut everything with caffeine out with my first pregnancy. I wasn't as strict about my caffeine intake during second and third . I am not become complacent, I just have frequent flier miles with pregnancy!   I KNOW that I stressed out so much my first time (seriously OCD about every little thing) that I was a wreck for 9 months! Stress for me has way more adverse reactions. As I've learned to relax and forgive myself for being human, I am a much better mother!

Now in my life  = happiness! And let's be honest, this first trimester fatigue is a killer! Can't wait for it to fade (I hope!) Then my morning pick me up might just change to something else lovely!

Good job moms.

[zakdat]

Originally Posted by hildare 

PSHAW.  you don't really have to quit or cut down that much... there's no real evidence that less than 2 cups is bad.  March of Dimes says that @200 mg is the cutoff, which is the lowest i've seen suggested.  with dc1, i did drink a cup- three cups a day, to no ill effects, and my ob supported that.

however, might i just say how lucky you are that it still tastes good?  it doesn't taste bad to me this time around, it just makes me feel icky, i can't have more than half a cup with milk in the morning, which is messing up my world, let me tell you.  i am dragging.  it's awful, i need it so much. 

  With my first pregnancy, I couldn't even stand the smell of coffee - DH had to make it, drink it and dump it right away, or I would be so sick.  It wasn't as much of a necessity at the time (amazing how hard it can be to keep up with toddlers), but I still missed it like crazy.  I am very grateful that it still tastes good - better than normal, but at the same time, I want it constantly.  LOL.

Originally Posted by londongandert 

Now in my life  = happiness! And let's be honest, this first trimester fatigue is a killer! Can't wait for it to fade (I hope!) Then my morning pick me up might just change to something else lovely!

Good job moms.

  It definitely makes me happy. 

[mamanoish]

I definitely don't think that I'm addicted to caffeine, I think it's just a coincidence that everything I love HAS caffeine 

But really. I tried to cut back, not that I even drank that much in the first place. I drink decaff instead of regular, but I never make coffee at home anymore, so I'd say I drink it maybe 2x a week. Sometimes DH and I share one of those frappe things from McDonalds... mmmm. The amount of sugar and calories in that is probably worse than the caffeine itself. I don't think twice about chocolate. I try to have no more than one soda a day. I was honestly never a soda drinker prior to pregnancy. I would have it on occasion, usually only at a restaurant when a nice big coke sounded yummy with a burger. But NOW yeah, it's the only thing that settles my stomach. I just had a Mt. Dew. 60 something mgs of caffeine. I bet baby is happy right now.  I never have more than one can of soda a day, mostly because it's empty calories. But that intake is satisfying to me.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I did at first. I was trying to do everything right after two M/Cs. That lasted a week. DH always reminds me that women do far worse things than drink a little caffeine here and there and have perfectly healthy babies. 

[mrskatiekuj]

I have cut caffiene (besides chocolate of course), and yes it is hard. Especially when my husband drinks a ton, and coffee smells SO good to me. I agree with previous posters, most studies I've seen were pretty significant amounts of caffiene that showed ill effects.

[FrannieM]

ohhhh i love my coffee so much.  I have cut down but I totally still drink it.   I feel ok about it and I have my midwife's blessing.   Agreed the decaf just doesn't taste as good, so I'd rather have a cup of two of my regular yum rather than TRYING to make it work with something else.

Plus, I'll be honest, pooping is hard enough while pregnant, my caffeine really helps in that department!!! :)

 

[slimkins]

I just told my husband the other morning that he should live just one day in my shoes. He obviously declined.   I cut quite a few things out when I found out I was pregnant, coffee and caffeine being one of them. Once or twice a week, I have a sip of my husband's, but that is it. Right now I just want to get through the first trimester, then I will decide from there. 

[Right of Passage]

I'm craving coffee! But I'm super freaked out about caffine after reading in Holistic Midwfery v1 that caffine has a half life of 18-21 days. I did have a cup of chai after I had an all night birth then work at 7am. Then yesterday I did have a decaf latte as a treat to me.

[jayell79]

With my 1st, I ended up not being able to have any caffeine at all towards the end. At the beginning of the pregnancy I was waking up at 5:30 am for work. I'm not a morning person, and it was impossible without out my coffee (normally 3-4 cups before noon.) I was able to slowly reduce it to 1-2 cups. Then by chance I changed shifts to 10 am, then again to later in the afternoons. I didn't need the caffeine as much, so coffee became an occasional thing. That all changed in the start of the 3rd trimester. One day I treated myself to a huge latte, and I swear it felt like my baby was going to jump out of my belly! She was shaking, rolling, punching, and kicking so much I had to lay down. Not only did it hurt like heck, but was making me nauseous and I felt like I had motion sickness. After that, anything with caffeine, even chocolate, would make her soooo jumpy! I just couldn't take it, plus I thought it couldn't be good for her.

This time around, I'm kinda starting the same way. (only I'm a SAHM much easier!) I'd cut all caffeine now, but I've been getting terrible headaches that only coffee will cure. It's weird, I haven't been drinking very much coffee at all before I got pregnant, maybe once or twice a week. But since I've been prego (9 weeks) I have to have something with caffeine every day or I get a killer, full, head in a vice ache.

[Kaydove]

I cut out coffee all together and switched to tea, but then tea was making me sick to my stomach. I've been waking up between 4-6am every morning having to pee, or the dog having to pee (not sure who is waking up who at this point), and then I can't go back to sleep because my DH is snoring. I usually don't have to get into to work until 9am or lately 10am, so I get home at 6:30pm, which doesn't put me in bed usually until 11pm (DH has been missing me a lot, so I've been trying to stay awake to hang out with him). I NEED caffeine, so I have a 1 cup of decaf and if I'm super tired a green tea frappacino from Starbucks. Also the cup of decaf is helping SO much with my constipation! I poop everyday now! Its amazing!

[jayell79]

Thank god for decaf!

[hildare]

  i posted earlier that i'd cut down on the caffeine b/c it makes me feel icky... and i was so proud of getting a decaf caramello from the coffeeshop on campus where i work.. i posted on my fb and got verbalspanked by a friend reminding me of how awful the decaffeinating process is & that it leaves traces of carcinogens.  big boo.  it's like a daM*d if you do daM*d if you don't, isn't it.  grrr.

[slimkins]

I have just recently started drinking half a cup of coffee every morning. And boy, is it good!!

And hildare, I do think there are a couple of processes for removing the caffeine, and there is one that doesn't leave carcinogens. I think it is some type of water process? Maybe you can check into that, and find coffee done that way.