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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Do you ever go over the 200mg caffeine?!

28 replies

Findingthisdifficult1234 · 09/04/2015 20:37

Hello everyone!
I've panicked myself slightly! I'm currently 30 weeks pregnant and have had a busy day today.
I've just calculated in my head what I've eaten/drank and I've Feinstein gone over the 200mg caffeine intake :(
Today I've had- 2 cups tea
A penguin choc bar
A whole Easter egg
A can of coke
How much over would you say this is?
I feel awful! I didn't think when I had that second cup of tea. The Easter egg was a small sainsburies own one.
I've stupidly googled caffeine intake and pregnancy !
Please tell me I'm not the only one

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Original poster

Findingthisdifficult1234 · 09/04/2015 20:38

Not sure what Feinstein means haha!!

OP posts:

Picamix · 09/04/2015 20:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Findingthisdifficult1234 · 09/04/2015 20:40

I need to not ever google stuff! All this stuff comes up with low birth weight, developmental problems, problems sleeping first few days after birth!! Argh!

OP posts:

Marshpillow · 09/04/2015 20:43

I'm by no means an expert but you're probably absolutely fine. Occasionally I would go slightly over the recommended amount but most of the time I wouldn't have any, as long as you're not overdoing it every day you're probably fine :)

Phineyj · 09/04/2015 20:43

Please don't worry. I am sure I had too much most days. I felt it was better than crashing the car! (full time teaching job + long commute). DD was/is fine. She is quite chilled actually.

LurkingQuietly · 09/04/2015 20:44

Oh god, I daren't add up how many times I would have gone over in my first pregnancy. And my DS is 14 months, was a whopping 10lb 1 at birth, sleeps at night and is absolutely fine. Don't worry. You're doing a great job.

Original poster

Findingthisdifficult1234 · 09/04/2015 20:45

Thankyou for replying so quickly!
It's horrible as mind just goes into overdrive thinking all this stuff that 'could' now happen!
Ill not have any tomorrow to make up for it.

OP posts:

TheBookofRuth · 09/04/2015 20:46

All the time. Both kids healthy and gorgeous and DD weighed 9lb8.

Original poster

Findingthisdifficult1234 · 09/04/2015 20:49

Thank you Ruth, it's good to hear I'm not the only one! I can't wait to give birth now, I'm so tired of worrying and panicking about what I've eaten or not eaten or drank!

OP posts:

Snowflake15 · 09/04/2015 20:51

I don't think you've even gone over much - only 30mg in coke and hardly any in chocolate! Plus I read that 200mg is actually just an arbitrary amount

EffinIneffable · 09/04/2015 20:52

I'm pretty sure those ill effects of caffeine are far more to do with continual high consumption day in day out. A one off won't make any difference.

Snowflake15 · 09/04/2015 20:52

Plus even if you have gone over please don't worry there's no definite bad effects especially just one day going over! we may be pregnant but we need to stay sane

Original poster

Findingthisdifficult1234 · 09/04/2015 20:55

Haha I definitely don't feel sane when I end up having one of these google panics!
Thanks so much for replying everyone, I got very anxious about it all but feel so much better now. I love mumsnet!

OP posts:

comeagainforbigfudge · 10/04/2015 09:25

I'm pretty sure I read it was an random number as wel.

In fact, I may even have came up with a theory of my own that it was aimed at those who drink 2litres of diet coke/coke a day as their fluid intake. (Or exist on 20 coffee/day, although that is me exaggerating coffee intake slightly)

The point being to think about your overall diet. I couldn't get through a shift without some cold fizz (of the non-alcoholic kind) but it all balances out. For instance I would eat more chocolate in work.... its always around! But elsewhere, not so much. So 3 out of 7 days I might have chocolate.

IShallCallYouSquishy · 10/04/2015 09:29

I drank tea at my normal levels (ie a lot!) throughout both my pregnancies. My babies were 6.13 and 6.11. Perfectly healthy weights, especially as I'm short and DH is slim, they were never going to be giants.

OneFlewOverTheMumsNest · 10/04/2015 09:33

Please step away from google and read the nhs guidelines. They say occasionally going over the guideline amount isn't a problem. One day really won't make a difference.

Elledouble · 10/04/2015 09:35

Ah, yeh, I've probably gone over quite often. I read on the NHS website that the risk wasn't great so rightly or wrongly, I've had a cup of filter coffee AND a diet Coke some days. We're at 38 weeks today and measuring on the 90th percentile so hopefully I've not done any harm...

scatterbrainedlass · 10/04/2015 09:36

I don't think having an extra 50mg or whatever on the odd occasion is going to make any difference whatsoever. I try and stick to 2 or 3 cups of tea a day, sometimes I'll have some coke or chocolate. On the odd occasion (migrane, at parent's house) I'll end up having coffee and by the end of the day I have probably gone over my 200mg. I try to stay under most of the time, and I think my body can probably process a little extra without any bad things happening.

Remember, it's NHS guidelines, I know there are women who stick with their 8 cups of tea a day and baby turned out fine. Don't panic with little once-offs, just try (as pps said) to stick with a fairly healthy diet most of the time. We're all naughty sometimes, you have to be to survive pregnancy!

Number3cometome · 10/04/2015 10:23

I go over by a cup of tea every now and then, don't worry.

When I had DS (now 12) and DD (now 7) there was no caffeine guidelines.

I had my usual caffeine then (at least 7 or 8 cups a day)

DS was 9lb, DD was 8lb 2oz and 2 weeks early.

If caffeine made them smaller, i'm not sure how big they would have been!

Just be sensible, the panic will do you more harm than the caffeine

Mrscog · 10/04/2015 11:04

Really really don't worry. Once your baby is here so many more things will cause you much more worry than this! Think about how you're going to feel the first time they go off with friends in a car at 17/out to a nightclub etc. !!

NeuroticFox1 · 10/04/2015 11:44

NHS said if you occasionally go over the 200mg don't worry as risks are small. IMO they do tend to catastrophise things a bit so if they say risks are small I wouldn't worry at all. I would say if you were having lots over 200mg everyday or for long periods it might not be good for the baby but otherwise no worries - and this is coming from me, a full time worrier!

BatteryPoweredHen · 10/04/2015 18:48

There is evidence that women who miscarry in first trimester consumed more caffeine than those who didn't, so there is a definite correlation between the two variables.

It isn't clear in which direction the causation runs though - Women who miscarry also tend to suffer less from morning sickness, so it might be the case that the only reason women who miscarry consume more caffeine is because they were feeling less sick (and therefore still able to drink tea/coffee).

In other words, if you're going to miscarry, you're going to miscarry - whether or not you consume caffeine most probably plays a teeny tiny part.

MissTwister · 10/04/2015 21:54

I don't think that's even over is it? Tea x 2 = 100-150mg, chocolate is tiny 30g max and can of coke is 25mg. So at most 205g. And the limit was 300mg a few years ago too. There is nothing to worry about

BossWitch · 10/04/2015 21:58

All the time. Caffeine not really an issue. More harm likely to caused from stress by winding yourself up calculating mgs.

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 10/04/2015 22:14

I have three children.

Went off coffee in first trimester. Rarely drink tea or coke.

Didn't ever once calculate intake. The stuff on caffeine is very overblown

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