Drinking tea, it's the new heroin don't-ya-know?

[Cuppachaplz]

quick history, I am 8 weeks pregnant (ish) after a history of RMCs. I had my booking in appointment with the midwife yesterday, who sent the history etc up to the hospital for booking of dating scan and their ante-natal clinic. They have just telephoned, and booked me in for next month, however one thing has really upset me.
The lady who spoke to me was horrified that I was still drinking 1 or 2 cups of tea a day, and told me to cut that our asap.
I have cut back, and try for caffeine free options as much as pos. I saw my GP for hyperemesis treatment, and mentioned at the time that most drinks made me retch, but tea was OK. He suggested I drank more to stay hydrated, and seemed unconcerned about a couple of cups of tea per day.
I now feel like I have done something utterly horrendous, and have had my notes stacked in the pile with crack smokers and mainline users.
Is it really that bad?
Any other serial tea abusers out there want 'fess up, and join me in the sin bin?

[squizita]

Monkey it was a receptionist!! This is a disgrace. I would complain, for someone pregnant after loss this could trigger clinical anxiety!

[monkeymamma]

Midwife was being ridiculous. Listen to your GP who speaks sense re hydration and not scaremongering and wrong midwife!
Ps my last pg I had a Starbucks latte every day I was still working and ds was nearly 10lb. Probably all the milk!
This time round the morning sickness has put me off drinking anything hot but I've made up for it in coke, oh dear.

[Cuppachaplz]

Thanks all.
Funny thing us I actually didn't drink tea at all until PG with DS. Was advised to drink more to stay calm and hydrated, so started drinking buckets ( esp as v cold winter gat year and I was out for most of it), was also advised to have a Guinness once a week!
I guess this kind of dates my last successful pregnancy. :0
With you zara hate the resting fag on bump look outside the mat. ward. Yuk

[FoodieMum3]

I try my best to stay within the NHS limits which is roughly 2.5 cups of tea per day. Sometimes I'll have more. I've almost given up coffee completely, I have a cup maybe once every 2 weeks but only because I was I was finding the taste awful.

My mum thinks I'm way OTT about these things. I'm not for a minute condoning it and she herself didn't do it but in her day, they drank tea ALL day, many smoked, drank alcohol and we're all fine

[MummytoMog]

Good lord. My (very well sleeping) DCs were grown on a diet of giant Starbucks lattes and a million cups of tea. They're fine (and were full term).

[Notonthisplanet]

About 10 cups of tea every day throughout both my pregnancies (although I do drink it weak). Not to mention the large amounts of coke to deal with the morning sickness oh and chocolate is a must everyday. As for birthweight they were 7lb 5 and 8lb 3 and I'm only short so looked like big babies for me.

[Zara8]

If my maternity care providers started judging me for coffee drinking I will point them in the direction of the antenatal wards full of cigarette smoking pregnant mums - was shocked when I was admitted for hypertension last time and I was the only pregnant woman on a ward of 8 that didn't go out for 3 hourly smoko

[Zara8]

This is hilarious. I have 1-2 cups of espresso coffee a day and I'm 19 weeks. Plus 2-3 more cups of decaff tea or coffee during the day!

My cup of coffee in the morning is what gets me going, especially to chase after 18 month old DS! And stops me overeating like last pregnancy

Didn't drink coffee at all last pregnancy, plus a bunch of other things. This time the only thing I don't ingest is alcohol. Mainly because even one quarter glass gives me horrific heartburn.

Enjoyed a nice cup of espresso after my (once a fortnight/three weekly) lambs' liver pasta for lunch with DS the other day

Everything in moderation, and be sensible, as my GP says!

[ikeaismylocal]

I drink a cup of coffee and a small glass of coke (to try stop me throwing up in the mornings) I did the smae with ds and he is fine if not a little too active, but I think that is normal toddler activity rather than coffee damage

Just ignore them, or if they ask again just say you have herb tea.

I live in a country where the recomendation is not to drink more than 3 cups of coffee a day and the helth statistics for pregnancy and babies are much better than the UK:

[Boogles91]

Sweet cuppas is all ive drank amongst juice and water. No medical professions have stated 3 cups is too much or whatever. Im only just being able to drink my coffee again :D missed it lol babys weighing in at 5lb already and am 32wks so its doing him some good :) we carnt wait to meet him our little chunk hehe x

[hartmel]

With my first I drank 2-3 cups plus one coke and an ice latte (that one not every day, it was more a weekend thing) and I have the healthiest 8 month old boy and active too .. Oh and very happy.

Now with dc2 it is the same except not so much ice latte (well not yet)

[squizita]

PS. Was the woman on the phone admin or medical? If she was office staff she is not qualified to comment.

[squizita]

St Marys RMC clinic and ante natal say 1-2 cups of tea are fine.
Tea is not a factor in RMC and given you should be assessed for anxiety and not encouraged to obsess, if you find in upsetting contact PALS or supervisor of MW and explain (armed with the NHS guidelines).
Silly reactions like this could have a massive effect on some women pregnant after mc.

[icklekid]

Definitely think 2/3 cups a day not going to do any harm. Sometimes I lie on my back just to rebel

[Heatherbell1978]

I drink about 2-3 cups of proper tea a day and the odd decaf latte at work (which still contains caffeine apparently) I couldn't cope without tea and considering my mum drank about 8 cups a day throughout all her pregnancies, I won't be losing any sleep over it!

[porcito]

I still have coke, tea, coffee... I also was made to feel like I'd been injecting heroin into my eyeballs!

[SpawningSalmon]

2-3 for me and a bucket load of chocolate

[iwantittobepink]

Gosh, I still have 3 teas and one coke a day because even at 23 weeks drinking will make me sick quite often! Baby is so far totally healthy as am I :) Doctor told me drinking something is more important than nothing, and the sugar keeps me going at work :) So i'm def in the sin bin!!

[KitKat1985]

Most days I have 3 mugs of (generally fairly weak, milky) tea. On those days that I have to get up at 5.30am for work (maybe once or twice a week on average) I sometimes end up having 4. So yep, I'm in the sin bin too! If it makes you feel any better I'm 23 weeks now and baby is doing fine.

[Toadsrevisited]

I wish I had asked this a year ago- I drank decaf earl grey for months: It tasted of beige water and was miserable. Gah!!!! Still ate a couple 8 slices of toast every day with it though

[Cuppachaplz]

The rest of the day I will happily drink mint tea, made with fresh mint from the garden, but NEEEEED that brew 1st thing to get my HG meds down, so I can stomach anything else for the rest of the day...

After a history of several MCs, one is inclined to panic though...
(maybe she would say that's the effect of all that dreadful caffeine ;) )

[EasyTigeress]

I drank tea and coffee throughout. Docs knew and never said I should stop. We're talking probably 1 cup of coffee and 2 cups of tea a day.

[NigellasDealer]

tea is fine that woman was probably of those types that just loves telling pregnant women not to do stuff.
get the kettle on!

[Greenstone]

Nothing like a proper cup of tea when you're miserable in 1st trimester. For me it WAS like heroin!
Best with toast of course :)

[Frances79FirstTime]

The NHS website recommends you have no more than 200mg of caffeine a day - that's pretty much 2.5 cups of tea a day. www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/limit-caffeine-during-pregnancy.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=216

Tell her to get stuffed and you are going by NHS guidelines (which is what they are there for!)

I've changed to decaf tea in the evening but only because I need (NEED!) a cup of coffee to get me out of bed in the morning and usually something to keep me awake at work in the afternoon with this ms!