Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Caffeine in pregnancy (tea, coffee, coke & chocolate!)

25 replies

moomin35 · 20/12/2013 22:20

I have read some conflicting advice about how much caffeiene is safe to have each day during pregnancy. I am a real tea drinker and having the occasional glass of coke in the evening (seeing as I cant drink!) but just how much is safe to be drinking...?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
ThedementedPenguin · 20/12/2013 22:22

I just reduced my tea intake. However, if I want a glass of coke I have one. Some days I have 3-5 cups of tea.

I also did this with my last pregnancy and all was fine.

I'm not sure how much they say to limit it to but I just try not to over do it. If I have a lot of tea I don't have coke/ if I have coke with lunch I try not to drink too much tea.

Mabelandrose · 20/12/2013 22:25

Look up the nhs advice - google the pregnancy book. Do
You like decaf tea? I'm already used to it.

rachyconks · 20/12/2013 22:29

I have one cup of coffee a day.
Craving red coke - sometimes have 2 cans.
Not a tea drinker.
Chocolate - lots.

I'm currently more worried about the post pregnancy diet plan after looking at that!

Anothermrssmith · 20/12/2013 22:44

I switched to decaf tea and coffee but I'm a ten cups a day kind of girl, reduced the amount of coke etc I was drinking as well but not cut it out entirely. That said if I'm at a friend's house and they offer tea or coffee I'll have it without a moment's hesitation.

Tetley decaf tastes pretty much the same as the normal tea but instant decaf coffee is another story!

theborrower · 20/12/2013 22:47

www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/limit-caffeine-during-pregnancy.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=130

This page has a guide to how much caffeine is in stuff, and the recommended maximum a day

puddleduck16 · 20/12/2013 23:50

Theres 128mg in 1 litre of diet coke and 96mg in normal coke. So you could have 1 and half litre of diet coke for your 200mg per day if you have no tea or coffee!!!!

GeekyBea · 21/12/2013 00:10

Giving it up is not the end of the world - It is hard, I sympathise as a Tea and coke lover that hasn't touched a drop in three months.

I recently went and had my first ultra sound, the baby was moving around quite happily, the midwife said. "Oh had it been asleep we would have made you have a cup of coffee, that would wake it". That kinda put me off drinking caffeine again.

It's a stimulant at the end of the day, it's not my place to say that you shouldn't have any at all or how much, you have to make that decision yourself, but we all know it is a stimulant, we take it when we want to wake up and when we have -too much- it gives us shakes and a rapid pulse. I personally like to think tea is a better option than coke as that has other stuff in it and doesn't dehydrate you as well as tea does, but if you can, and is willing, then yeah cut it all out.

If you do cut it out, I found after a week or so I was dealing with it just fine. It was more the association I had with tea and coke that was addictive, like I normally enjoy one while doing house work and that's when I missed it.

Finding alternatives to drink was hard to begin with, like getting used to drinking fruit tea. I began drinking a lot of milk, water, Juice, smoothies and sometimes squash. Having to resort to drinking water and milk is kinda a good thing though.

I began having hot milk, sometimes with a tiny bit of cinnamon in the evening, sometimes with some a bit of raw cocoa for flavouring and it anything it improved my sleep. I was struggling to eat during my first trimester and fruit was the only thing that seemed to go down with ease so I made smoothies and juice when I wanted to treat myself, when queasy I had warm water with a squeeze of lemon/lime.

I am sorry if anything I've said makes you feel guilty, that's not my intention. But I just want to say, giving it up, is not the end of the world, you just have to be a bit inventive with what you replace it with.

I still have a sneaky piece of chocolate now and again though.

louise182 · 21/12/2013 05:36

I think the nhs website will tell you safe amounts/limits of each, though i just have everything in moderation.

Tetley decaf teabags in my opinion taste no different to standard tea, i made my whole family tea using them when i forgot to buy normal teabags and nobody had a clue! I generally only drink decaf tea now and it doesn't bother me, can have as much as i normally would!Grin

I drink coffee for the taste rather than caffeine, so switching to decaf hasn't bothered me. The taste may differ for some but to me it seems the same. Maybe buy an expensive brand in decaf so its better quality and see what you think?

I do have occasional cups of standard tea and coffee, but try to keep it to 2 or 3 cups a day max. This tends to be when i am out and cant get decaf as easily.

I love chocolate, again i try to have in moderation. I wont have any standard tea or coffee if i have had a lot of chocolate in a day and vice versa.

Its just about being sensible really, i think of the little baby and it always stops me over doing it! Smile

Plateofcrumbs · 21/12/2013 07:23

This is what the NHS website has to say on matter:

"You don’t need to cut caffeine out completely, but you should limit how much you have to no more than 200mg a day..... Don’t worry if you occasionally have more than the recommended limit, because the risks are quite small."

Now compared to the advice on pretty much everything else (avoid this, avoid that..) the fact that the advice on caffeine is pretty laid back tells me a few cups of tea is not the end of the world.

Personally I've largely switched to decaf tea/coffee and rarely drink coke anyway. I still drink caffeinated if offered at a friends house or occasionally if i'm so tired i can't move without caffeine i fancy one. Probably only 4-5 cups a week which is well under recommended limits.

Ilovekittyelise · 21/12/2013 07:42

im 34 weeks pregnant, working full time, re arranging and decorating, preparing to host a big christmas, and have a toddler. there's guidelines and recommendations but facing the day would be impossible without several strong cups of coffee.

to be fair i ignore most of the (ludicrously over the top) recommendations.

catameringue · 21/12/2013 08:42

From what I have read the caffeine advice isn't based on solid evidence such as the known issues of drinking abd smoking whilst preg.

It depends how anal you want to be. I'm not. I ate brie the other day. I eat chocolate. I didn't have a vitamin pill yesterday. I have had TWO instant coffees this morning.

Shock

summerbaby2014 · 21/12/2013 10:01

I think one cup if coffee a day is fine. Although I totally went of it so haven't been drinking it. Also went off fizzy drinks too. Probably quite useful really.

I'm sure I'm getting my full caffeine intake from chocolate though :)

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 21/12/2013 10:24

The research on caffeine (which is by no means conclusive or exhaustive) shows that consuming high amounts is strongly correlated with first trimester miscarriage and, to a smaller extent, with low birthweight.

I'm a caffeine addict but I cut down a lot while TTC and during first trimester. I'm drinking/eating more now but expecting a big baby. My last baby, when guidelines were 300mg, was 9lbs.

Sorry but decaf tea and coffee is NOT the same. Grin

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 21/12/2013 10:26

BTW by high amounts I mean much, much, much higher than current recommendations. I think the first Danish study followed women who were on 6-10 espresso strength coffees a day.

Writerwannabe83 · 21/12/2013 10:37

I drink endless cups of tea but I'm on De-Caf.
I eat ridiculous amounts of chocolate every day..... Grin

Plateofcrumbs · 21/12/2013 11:44

For anyone looking for a decent instant decaf coffee, I swear by Percol Black & Beyond espresso.

Although my DH was drinking it this morning and the smell made me gag. Damn pregnancy.

CrispyFB · 21/12/2013 12:33

Without looking anything up, isn't the risk with caffeine mostly in the first trimester and increases the chance of miscarriage? And there was no link with low levels whatsoever?

Personally I do one "shot" of coffee a day in whatever form that falls in (either at home, or I ask Starbucks or wherever for one shot in it) or I have a cup of strong tea. Never drink fizzy drinks and have a bit of chocolate. That way I am sure I am under the 200mg limit or whatever it is.

Everyone is different though and has their own personal line in the sand. Like most of these things, it's all about how you'd feel if the worst happened and your tendency to blame yourself. Say you drank four cups of coffee a day and miscarried - you'd need to feel confident that it wasn't down to the coffee. With my "one shot" a day, I'd personally not blame that.

HumptyDumptyBumpty · 21/12/2013 14:15

Caffeine Free Coke/Diet Coke. Tastes identical, but you can have unlimited amounts (if you are worrying about amounts).

Decaf tea is okay, although not quite the same, and decaf coffee is only okay if in a barista-prepared latte/cappuccino, otherwise is vile and pointless. Occasionally I can stomach a decaf filter coffee, but the instant stuff is grim.

I have two or three caffeinated teas a day, usually a coffee (decaf if having nice caramel latte, or one good caffeinated one if not), and a can of caffeine free diet coke.

I've stuck to this pretty much throughout - felt better for having less caffeine, for one thing! - and am now 38 weeks, and baby is measuring and seeming perfectly fine and healthy.

HaleyDunphy · 21/12/2013 14:25

I don't drink tea or coffee, but I do practically inhale bars of chocolate at the mo.

Ilovekittyelise · 21/12/2013 14:47

i do find it bizarre that people get so uptight about coffee, tea and brie, yet think nothing of drinks loaded with artifical sweeteners, and the toxic excuses for foodthat are prepackaged and shrink wrapped for convenience. at least theres empirical evidence relatingto caffeine, all this other garbage is more questionable.

the obsession with listeria and toxoplasmosis in brie pate etc is just totally out of proportion with the actual risk. its not going to be until some pregnant women gets food poisoning from a nasty salad bar that the press reports any of this with a bit of perspective on what real dangers are associated with food, ie manufactured cheap rubbish prepared and stored in poor conditions.

comfyonesie2 · 21/12/2013 15:34

Have you read "Expecting Better" by Emily Oster? She looks at the conventional advice given to pregnant women about what to have and avoid in pregnancy and analyses the evidence behind it all. It's an interesting read. Personally I'm happy to enjoy a caffeinated coffee everyday, and a glass of wine a couple of times a week, but I avoid diet drinks because of the artificial sweetener.

hubbahubster · 21/12/2013 17:38

I'm doing the same this time as with DS - having a caffeinated cuppa or coffee in the morning and decaf the rest of the time. Don't drink fizzy drinks anyway but I'm definitely eating choc. Not all day long but the odd biccie or Kit Kat (and advent calendar choc at the moment).

sharkey1187 · 22/12/2013 08:45

I still drink tea, but I've cut down to one cup a day, sometimes two if I feel I need one! I've changed to decaf coffee - we have a coffee machine so decaf still tastes OK! I've never really been a fizzy drink person but will have the occasional small glass if we are out. I've found that it's not the end of the world for me.... But we will see if I still feel the same when I'm working nights over Christmas!

MissHobart · 26/12/2013 21:24

One full strength fresh ground coffee a day! Switched to decaf Yorkshire Tea, decaf ground coffee (instant is awful), decaf diet coke. Eat enormous amounts of chocolate so hoping I'm still hitting 200mg or less a day!

Stom91 · 26/12/2013 22:37

Sorry to jump in.
My midwife said that the equivalent of 3 cans of coke a day is fine. I don't drink tea or coffee when Ido tea rely have a tea I do have decaf
I usually have one or 2 cans of coke with my dinner and haven't really cut out chocolate proba eaten more lol I'm not 40+5 and have a good size healthy baby ready to make an appearance. She's just being stubborn lol.

You can get decaf diet coke from asda they are gold packaging but I hate it

New posts on this thread. Refresh page