Weaning yourself from coffee?

[LaLibertad]

Hello! I am newly pregnant and trying to cut back on the amount of coffee I drink. I didn't drink much before, maybe a cup and a half per day. I'm also having a hard time wading through all the info regarding the effects of caffeine and pregnancy. Right now I have a killer caffeine withdrawal headache, and a little nauseous .

Any coffee drinkers out there? Any new research showing the effects of caffeine this early in pregnancy?

[Beppie]

I admit, I'm a coffee drinker. But during pregnancy I've been restricting it to 1 cup in the morning. I haven't read anything that says one cup is too much. I think that cup has about 115 mg caffeine, and "too much" caffeine is closer to 500 mg. Not sure if I have my info 100% right, this is just what I remember reading offhand.

[twilight girl]

Everything I've seen recently says that 1-3 cups of coffee a day is acceptable during pregnancy. I have been drinking one cup in the morning. Somewhere it tells you what you should limit your caffeine intake to per day, remembering that caffeine can also be found in some sodas, chocolate and tea.

Coffee is not a bad beverage. In fact, it is high in antioxidants, specifically polyphenols.

"Polyphenols are antioxidants that naturally exist in coffee beans and tea leaves. According to cancer research, an increase in polyphenol intake results in a decreased incidence of all cancers. These antioxidants also protect against cardiovascular disease, immune dysfunction, inflammatory diseases and other degenerative diseases."

Hope this helps some!

[molive]

I drink coffee. I drank coffee through my first pregnancy too. I found that as the pregnancy went on I wanted coffee less and less. I generally have at least 2 cups of coffee in the morning, by the middle of my first pregnancy I was drinking maybe a half a cup or a cup of coffee per morning without even trying to restrict myself. I just didn't want more after the first cup.

I take care of myself very well otherwise, but I love my coffee in the morning, I consider it an acceptable vice, kept under control. Maybe not even a vice.

[mama2rey]

What I've been told is that it's OK to drink less than the equivalent of 3 cups of coffee. I love Coffee, but for some reason, I haven't wanted to drink it since I got pregnant..

[Mewsin]

Eh, I always drink my morning coffee. No expressos or anything of that nature, just my warm up, wake up.

[mothragirl]

try decaf, that is what i drank my last pregnancy. the morning sickness helped me quit coffee easily this time

[twilight girl]

If you are going to switch to decaf, make sure you stick to Swiss water process decaf. Otherwise the coffee is decaffeinated using chemicals.

[FroNuff]

I'm so glad this thread is here because I've been waffling back and forth with my occasional 1 or 2 cups per day coffee habit. I guess I could hardly call it a habit since there are days that go by when I don't want any coffee at all, and some days I could drink 2 or 3 cups, max.

With my last 2 pregnancies, I cut out all caffeine because I was fearful that if anything happened to the baby and it was due to something I could have changed, I would have SUCH a hard time dealing with it. I'm trying to drop that sense of paranoia this time around because it probably caused more stress than my lousy cup of coffee ever could!

I've gotta be honest, I just bought a ton of coffee that my DH will gladly drink up, but it's like some of it is calling my name.

[zjande]

I get slightly more lax with every pregnancy. During my 1st, my diet was practically *perfect* . At this point I don't plan to stop drinking my cup of coffee in the morning. I just don't think I want to give up that little caffiene that helps me move my sluggish body into the day.

[noah's mom]

Well, since I have 22mo DS who still wakes up at least 1-2x/night to nurse (and has therefore kept me chronically sleep-deprived for the past 2 yrs), and I work f/t - I would say my morning cuppa joe is non-negotiable, unless I have a strong desire to get fired!!!!! I drank a cup a day throughout my first pg as well.

Seriously, though, I have cut back a bit - I still have 1 cup when I get up in the AM, then a small-size (which I think is still 12 oz) half-caf when I get to work. And I plan to buy some decaf this week and make half-caf at home to sort of "trick" myself into drinking less. I think no more than a cup a day would be reasonable for me.

I did get the raging withdrawal headache/nausea the first couple of days too, when I cut out the afternoon cup and the full 16 oz cup at work!

[twilight girl]

Forgot to mention that the darker the roast the less caffeine, and espresso brewing actually extracts about 30% LESS caffeine from the coffee as a regular light/medium roast brewed in a drip coffee maker. Espresso brewing forces steam quickly through the grounds and extracts less caffeine. With drip brewing the grounds soak in the boiling water for a little longer before it drips through the filter to the pot, therefore, more caffeine extracts to your cup.

Everyone always assumes that espresso has more caffeine because it tastes stronger. But the opposite is true. Espresso has less caffeine than drip. So, don't feel pressured to give up your morning latte if that's what you prefer!