How bad is coffee really?

[cornflake girl]

I'm wondering exactly how bad coffee is and why. I'm 19 wks along and dying for some! I am so not a morning person and it's even worse now. I feel like a complete zombie until about 2 pm. I've still got 5 months to go and i've already started counting the days until I can have coffee again. Would it really be that bad if I had a cup in the mornings?

[Helix]

well before i was pg i sometimes drank 10 cups a day no kidding. i hear that 3 cups a day isn't that bad especially past the 1st trimester but i was just too nervous so i quit drinking it till postpartum. now i only drink 2 cups a day maybe and i don't think it has ever affected bfing.

[MysticHealerMom]

I heard if you're in need, have a cup.

Besides caffiene being a diuretic, it removes water from your system and dehydrates you, so you have to drink a lot more water, and that combined will make you pee even more. the process of making the beans creates a lot of carcinogens that your body has to deal with. If you've got high blood pressure, the hyping can be bad. And it's acidic, so could cause your body to become more acidic, and I believe baby services require an alkaline state. Could also cause more heartburn.

On the other hand, it can be an effective and natural [sic] laxative.

I am a recovering espresso fiend. While I haven't had coffee in about a year, I still want some. Although the effects of the smell are starting to wear off - I can walk into a coffee shop and not want to lick the walls (ok, that was gross), I still miss the whole coffee thing, going out, sitting around, sipping. ah.

Perhaps you're having a problem with mantaining your blood sugar? Caffiene can mask blood sugar issues, too. Consider cutting back on your refined carbs, esp if you have them without protein.

Best wishes,

Lori

[indiegirl]

A cup is fine IMO. My midwife said I can have two cups of coffee max but I can get by with one--and I make it half-decaf. I make sure I only drink water until lunch to combat the diuretic (sp!) effects of the caffine.

Jesse

[OceanMomma]

I've read it increases the risk of miscarriage so at 19 weeks you're OK there. I've also read it can make conception more difficult - so you're also OK there The other thing I read was that they did some study where they fed caffeine to pregnant rodents of some kind & it effected the development of the enamel on the baby rodents teeth. I have no idea how or whether this would even relate to people.

I am a recovering caffeine addict. I used to sometimes drink 10 cups a day as well However, every time I have been pg ( am currently 15 weeks with #3 ) the mere smell of coffee makes me feel like spewing. In early pregnancy it has even made me spew.

I know the process they use to make the beans into instant coffee is a bit dodgey healthwise. &, if the coffee is conventionally grown, the pesticide residues are a bit iffy. So if you feel like one, just try to find an organically grown ( fair traded of course ) naturally decaffeinated coffee. Then I'm sure, if you keep it minimal, you'll be fine

I'm still trying to find out if mate tea is OK in pregnancy as that has mateine in which is similar to caffeine in its effect but much healthier.

[sevenkids]

I don't think a cup of coffee a day will hurt you or the baby, I guiltily admit to not abstaining from coffee during my pregnancies, but I restricted myself to one (small) cup per day. Decaf is worse than coffee IMO, becuase the process involves soaking the beans in either carbon dioxide or ethyl acatate (a known carcinogen), that the FDA allows:
You can also limit your caffeine intake by eliminating sodas and chocolate. The stress caused by jonesing for a cup of coffee can't be too good either! If you must partake of coffee, make sure you drink plenty of water and calcium rich foods. Perhaps just a couple of sips will ease the craving?

[dotcommama]

From the studies I read the negative effects of caffeine that people here have mentioned have only been seen in women who drink three or more cups a day all through pregnancy. I think, especially since your past the first trimester, that one cup a day isn't going to hurt at all. Tons of women that I know drank a cup of coffee in the morning and had perfect healthy babies.

[Cindi]

No real advice here, just amazement that you are having a craving...was it different in the first trimester? I am at 14 weeks and this entire pregnancy I have insisted dh make his coffee in the garage, and I won't walk down the grocery aisle that has the coffee bins. I also cannot go to cafes, which is terrible because I miss that venue for both daytime socializing, and when dh plays music in the evenings ds and I used to go and watch. But I am so sickened by the smell. The first pregnancy my big aversion was chocolate. And in non-pregnancy state I love the smell, taste, warmth in my hands and tummy of coffee...and chocolate.

I wish there was something to takes its place as a comfort drink, but I haven't found it.

[Pynki]

i personally switched from coffee to earl grey tea in the morning... I drink it the same way i drink my coffee with come cream and sugar.. It has a bit o caffeine, but not as much as the coffee.. It satisfies my craving, perhaps it will help yours as well...

HTH..

Warm Squishy Feeligs...

Dyan

[safe womb]

it robs the body of Calcium and dehydrates you. but I know of many clients that craved it. I would really try and listen to your body.
its not so healthy for you and that is the truth, but you need to believe that....not me.
keep up, you are great

[geomom]

From the dehydration standpoint, that will only affect you as you once again become used to drinking it. People build a tolerance to the diuretic effect if they consume it on a regular basis. Also it doesn't dehydrate you on a cup for cup basis. If you drink a cup of coffee about a third (it's been awhile since I needed this info, it may be closer to half) of that cup is lost to the diuretic effect, giving you a net gain of 1/2 to 2/3 cup of liquid.

Personally, I don't drink coffee in the first trimester because of morning sickness. It just smell terrible. But by the middle of the second trimester it smells heavenly. So I indulge in 6-8 oz of coffee on most days.

[Elphaba]

2 or 3 issues ago (of mothering) they talked about how caffeine exposure in the womb affects development of teeth. of course i read that article AFTER shosh was born, so there was one more thing to feel guilty about, right?
i drank frozen cokes (not a lot) during my pregnancy, because sometime coke syrup was the ONLY thing that would settle my stomach.

[samsara]

hi all; i'm new here so i hope no one minds my input. i'm at 31 weeks and have been drinking a few ounces of coffee every morning since my first tri. my midwife (and countless other reading sources) tell me that more than 18oz/day (about three cups) is pushing it, but i drink mine au lait; that is about half steamed milk, half coffee. i probably take about 10oz total per day. i am under the impression that too much speeds up the baby's metabolism and prohibits it from gaining weight; i've heard the dehydration thing, too.

go ahead, mama! have a bit and don't beat yourself up.

[safe womb]

some thing to add. is that if you injected it into your blood stream via the arm. you would die right there. the body does every thing it can to dilute it, the moment it goes into your mouth.
its an addiction, just like sugar and yeast and many other common foods.

[Peppamint]

I just took to drinking Organic decaf. Then I don't have to worry about caffeine or pesticides. I only drink a couple of cups and not every day because I don't have time to make it every day! LOL

Moderation is truly the key to most things!

[cornflake girl]

Thank you, ladies, for your opinions. I think I'm not craving the actual coffee as much as the boost from the caffeine. In a nutshell, my marriage has been to hell and back in the past two months. I am pretty sure it's going to be ok now, but the stress of that along with being pregnant and taking care of a toddler has left me so unbelievably drained. Drinking it just feels wrong to me, I mean, I wouldn't even take a Ricola cough drop during my first pregnancy and here I am drinking a drug. Yuck. I think this is the way the universe is paying me back for thinking judgemental thoughts in the past when I've seen a pregnant woman consuming caffeine. Right now I'm taking it a day at a time and only drinking it if I feel like I absolutely would not make through the day. Thanks again.