Not to drink Tea during pregnancy? True?

[MumToBe2015R]

Hello,

I've heard about not drinking Fizzy Drinks, Alcohol & coffee during pregnancy. But is it true that you should also avoid Tea?

My daily intake is 2 cups a day (can stretch to 3 cups depending on how stressful my day is) not more that 3 though.

If its a must to avoid, I'm prepared to do that, just want to be sure.

Thank you x

2 cups a day is absolutely fine.

It's one of those OTT guidelines that the NHS put out there to cover their arses. You'd have to have tea in a drip for it to have any negative effect.

I drank tea all through both my pregnancies. And ate rare steak and runny eggs. But that's a different thread .

Caffeine isn't great for the baby (NHS recommendations here: www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/limit-caffeine-during-pregnancy.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=216)

They say no more than 2-3 cups of tea a day (if no other caffeine that day) but personally, I found it much easier to just switch to caffeine free tea (tetley is ok and I like the decaf earl grey) as there is no advantage to the caffeine and it isn't great for the baby.

I do still have a rare occasional normal tea / coke / small coffee if out somewhere but don't worry about it as my standard daily amount is so low.

When you feel baby start to move, you'll probably feel for yourself how affected they can be by the caffeine!

I drink 4 or 5 cups of tea a day and the occasional coffee, and coke. I'm 33 weeks and have never felt it have any affect on the baby's movements. (I'm in Sweden and its never been mentioned by the midwife that I should avoid caffine.)

well, it should be OK according to the NHS advice but actually these advices might vary across different countries so it is up to you what you choose to follow. I remember when I lived in US, any of my pregnant friends would not even touch regular or decaff coffee and tea.

Caffeine is bad for baby in general, their heart rate increases after you drink caffeinated drink.

I have completelly stopped to drink any caffeinated drinks. Even decaff coffee and tea still contain caffeine, just lesser amounts. So drinikng excessive amounts of decaff tea is also not an answer.

I have looking into replacing with herbal teas but here the information is also very confusing, the common teas are not recommended such as chamomille, peppermint, ginger, on the other side ginger teas are recommended for nausea and peppermint for bloating, so it looks like perhaps rotating them around and not drinking too much of one kind of herb would be the best.

Only tea which I found which was OK to drink was rooibos. But I hate the taste.

To a lot of people (i. e. me) decaff and herbal tea taste like the product of wringing out a tramps sock.

I was not prepared to spend the 9 months that I couldn't drink alcohol (would have but felt too sick) without the pleasure of a twice daily brew.

These guidelines are just that. Guidelines. It's our job to assess the risk and either do it or not. And our responsibility to deal with any negative consequences.

I drank 500ml of diet coke and a small cup of tea daily with DC1 during prenancy and breastfeeding and he slept very well from very early on.

I am now pregnant with DC2 and am having the same, 500mls of diet coke and a small cup of tea OR 2 small cups of tea and no diet coke.

I drink plenty of water though so I just drink a lot during the day.

If you are a chocolate fan be careful because that also contains caffine so that counts as some. I'm sure you are allowed 200mg or less a day but you might want to look into that as I could be wrong

The NHS guidelines are 200mg of caffeine a day, which is two mugs of instant coffee (100mg each) or two large cups of tea (75mg each). So two mugs is fine. I personally wouldn't worry about the occasional three mugs either, you would only be just over the guideline, but that's a personal choice obviously.

2 cups will be fine, My mum drank horrendous amounts of coffee throughout all three of her very healthy pregnancies as there wasn't the same guidelines in the eighties , as long you're sensible it should be fine!

I'm another who thinks the NHS guidelines are just that, with regard to caffeine intake. Most days I have 2-3 cups of tea, or 2 and a diet coke very occasionally. I have never read that you shouldn't drink peppermint tea and have 2 small cups of that most days too, along with at least 2l of water. No wonder I am weeing a lot!

I switched to decaf tea so that I can have an occasional coke without feeling guilty! but no, you aren't going to be doing harm with such a low quantity

Thank you so much for everyone's replies. Makes me feel better knowing I won't be doing any harm ??

And a big Congratulations to all the pregnant women out there xx

I wouldn't over-worry. I asked my midwife about tea and she said she would only be slightly concerned if I was drinking 5+ cups every day. I was having 2-3 cups 4/5 days a week. And then I stopped altogether for 2 months anyway when nausea turned me right off hot drinks!

When DH pointed out that there's caffeine in chocolate too, I threw my shoes at him. To be fair, I was lying on sofa with bad nausea and a few squares of Milkybar (does white choc even contain caffeine??) happened to be the first thing I'd managed to eat in the last 18hrs

I'm interested to read this as I have just discovered that I am pregnant. I have been drinking way too much coffee but am now limiting it to one a day, 2 tea and a ginger tea or two. Disappointed to read ginger tea might be bad?!? I also used to have one Pepsi max can maybe 4 days a week. I am drinking lots of water now and cutting the other stuff down, bit of a minefield isn't it?!

I had no idea herbal teas were bad!

I have one cup of proper tea in the morning then decaf. Not a big coffee drinker, have the odd one when out and about.

Interestingly I have had more headaches this preg than last (when I was a bit crap about tea and drank quite a lot, somehow without having absorbed the advice) and wonder if it's to do with less caffeine? Hmm.

You are recommended to have only 2 of anything with caffeine in a day so e.g. 1 chocolate bar and 1 cup of tea. 1 coffee and 1 cup of tea. 1 coke and 1 cup of tea.

To be honest since about week 6 in my pregnancy I went off tea completely (this is for someone that used to happily drink 10 a day before pregnancy!) and I don't drink coffee really. So I only have the occasional coke or chocolate bar now.