Which hot drinks are safe during pregnancy?

[nicky98]

Hi I've recently discovered I'm pregnant and have been frantically reading up on what I can and can't eat and drink. I want to cut out caffeine completely but am wondering which hot drinks are safe. Is green tea ok? What about fruit teas? And which herbal teas are safe? Otherwise it'll have to be hot chocolate all the way . Thanks.

[belgo]

one or two instant coffees a day is ok. If you suddeny cut it out completely, you may get headaches - at least I do.

[belgo]

oh and congratulations, and well done for wanting to do everything right regarding your pregnancy

[pyjamagirl]

The only tea I think you should stay away from is raspberry leaf everything else is fine I think.

Congratulations

[pyjamagirl]

Oh yeah and not lots of coffee

[MuffinMclay]

Doesn't green tea cancel out the good effects of folic acid tablets (although doesnt actually do any harm in itself)?

I thought it was best to keep off it until 12 weeks.

[Peachy]

your local health food shop will do alternatives to coffee amde from other caffeine free plants

and there's always caffeine free tea and coffee!

[FrannyandZooey]

redbush tea is lovely and safe, and healthy

[Mum2b2BabyRoo]

I've been meaning to ask but keep forgetting - can you drink Ovaltine when you are pregnant?? I heard you should lay off anything with Vit A in, so wondered if that meant Ovaltine as well?

[Beck74]

I read in the rough guide to pregnancy that Ovaltine is a good, quick iron boost, so would think it's safe.

[Carolbrad]

Does anyone know if you need to limit he number of decaf coffees? I'm not really sure how caffine free 'decaf' really is.

[Kezza7779]

DECAF NESCAFE COFFEE and DECAF TETLEY TEA, tastes no different. I have one decaf in the morning and one decaf in the evening else i get really bad headaches - This is perfectly safe!xxx

[Kezza7779]

they say about 3-5 normal caffeine drinks, however decaf is no caffeine. If your drinking decaf tea its full of anti oxidants, its part of your water and milk allowance and its harmless as no caffeine!! Good choice!

[Peachy]

You don't need to limit coffee- it's a recommendation and a good idea but not a 'need' in the way that, say, raw eggs orendless amounts of oily fish / liver is.

Ovelatine is fine in PG- why wouldn't it be .

The only 'need' stuff is when something has been shown it can directly harm a baby by way of carrying potentially lethal bugs (eg listeria, salmonella) or high levels of mercury and polution. the rest is about not going to excess and common sense.

[cosima]

green tea is NOT advisable in pregnancy. Don't know why but i definately read it somewhere recently

[DaisyMoo]

One of my friends drinks hot water on its own or with a bit of lemon juice added. Don't fancy it myself, but she likes it and there's nothing in there that could possibly do any harm!

[PutThatInYourPipeandSmokeIt]

No green tea
No tea with aloe vera in

Yes to hot lemon & honey
Yes to cammomile
Yes to peppermint tea
Yes to Redbush tea
Yes to decaff coffee / tea

[Fleurie76]

Congratulations on your pregnancy Nicky.
Have to say I agree with Peachy, it is only a recommendation that you cut it down. If you have the odd cup of coffee or tea then don't worry about it!
In early preganancy you can feel overwhelmed with the amount of information you have to take in and all the supposed dos and don'ts, go with your common sense and what you feel comfortable with.
IMHO there is way too much hysteria over what you can and can't eat / drink when pregnant.

[dinnersinthedog]

It wasn't good for me to drink any hot drinks late in pg as evrytime I sat down all of my LOs wriggled and kicked and sent the mug flying

[madmouse]

If you are serious about no caffeine at all (and I think that is a bit too strict!) then hot chocolate is out too as it contains caffeine!

Try fennel tea, love it.

Can't imagine any reason why green tea would be unsafe, it is just black tea that has not been dried, same plant!

Fruit teas are generally safe.

My rule on herbal teas is not to take anything that makes any claims, eg to calm you down, pick you up, make you happy etc.

[PutThatInYourPipeandSmokeIt]

My understanding is that green tea CAN effect the way that folate is metabolised (i.e. folic acid) and can hence alter the amount that your baby can utilise...

[Kezza7779]

PS i didnt mean ONE DECAF in morning and ONE in evening i meant i drink CAFFEINE Once in the morning and ONCE in the evening the rest is decaf!!

[Habbibu]

There has been one study at least which suggested that green tea has anti-folate properties. Fleurie, yes, there's a lot said, and in most cases it doesn't make any difference, but if you are, like me, someone whose body may not metabolise folate terribly well, you may not find that out until you discover your baby has a birth defect. If it's just about not having green tea for a few months then maybe it's worthwhile.

Sorry if this comes across as harsh - it's rather close to my heart!

[Gingerbear]

Oh, just drink what you fancy in moderation.
I went off coffee completely when PG.
Mulled wine and hot toddy not recommended though.

[pigleychez]

Mum2b2BabyRoo In both the bounty packs ive recived since being pregnant theres been a free sachet of Ovaltine. States that its a good source of Folic Acid.

Must be ok or it wouldnt be in the packs they give to pregnant women

[makingnosense]

Surely a little of what you fancy does you good, right? Then again, a little of what I fancied is what got me knocked up in the first place!