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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Caffeine?

27 replies

JessieMillz25 · 16/02/2017 09:48

How much caffeine do you consume a day? I tend to have a cup of tea in the morning and one in the evening. Sometimes I have a full fat coke but do try to stick to caffeine free coke. My biggest vice is chocolate though. I have developed the biggest sweet tooth and I always forget to take into account the caffeine in chocolate 🙈

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mummabubs · 16/02/2017 10:28

Used to drink a couple of cups of coffee a day, but when we started TTC I quit caffeine completely (and had the worst 48 hour headache afterwards!) I do still eat chocolate but only a v small amount and maybe not every day. Totally get that everyone is different but as caffeine is one of the very few things actually linked to an increased risk of miscarriage I thought I'd just cut it out completely. Decaf coffee tastes the same to me!

DrewOB0 · 16/02/2017 10:30

None. Since about 9 weeks I can't even stand the smell so I had to go cold turkey. No coke, no coffee.

user1468957349 · 16/02/2017 10:33

I moved to decaffeinated tea when I found out I was pregnant. Stick to one Diet Pepsi a day and same here in developing a sweet tooth and always forget the caffeine there! 41+3 and no issues!

Bear2014 · 16/02/2017 10:41

I have a sleep-dodging 3 year old so I allow myself the full 'allowance' if I want it - either 4 teas or 1-2 coffees per day.

I think you would have to eat a lot of chocolate for it to have a real impact.

Heatherbell1978 · 16/02/2017 10:47

Same as Bear. I have a 2 yr old so don't limit caffeine hugely. Mainly drink tea and decaf coffee although I'll admit to having a few real coffees on bad days. As with most NHS advice they need to cater for the people that'll take it to extreme so as long as you're not on 8 filter coffees a day I wouldn't worry too much.

arbrighton · 16/02/2017 10:59

One or two real coffees is fine as long as you realise a large latte or whatever counts as 3or 4

Instant, 3-4cups

I just drink one or two and stop, dislike decaf. No tea, never liked it. There was a brief spell in first trimester when i went off it and DH espresso smelt foul each morning. That's how mjm knew she was expecting me, she went off coffee

MrsG2017 · 16/02/2017 11:13

I have about 2 instants a day maybe a cup of tea in the evening and possibly a Diet Coke a couple of times a week.

I do worry a bit as to any harm I am doing ?

Blueskyrain · 16/02/2017 11:23

I'm having as much as I fancy, but don't like tea or coffee. I don't bother taking into account chocolate, and although I am a diet Coke fiend, the allowance is something like 5 cans a day.

I expect I hit the allowance on occasion and occasionally may go over it, but am usually under it. The baby is perfectly healthy sized.

MumBeth · 16/02/2017 11:36

Cut out caffeine completely in my 1st trimester but now in my 2nd I have one caffienated drink a day.

lilyborderterrier · 16/02/2017 14:40

I'm struggling without caffeine I admit,i work at home and have a hyper just 4 year old, I haven't gone off it and still love my gold blend throughout the day I do switch to decaf in the evening but I know I'm being bad drinking so much coffee !! I will mention it to the midwife at 16 weeks, and really try to drink the decaf but yuk it's horrid !!

MissMooMoo · 16/02/2017 15:47

I stopped drinking tea and coffee during the first trimester as I had an aversion to it. I have been back on since about 16 weeks.
I have a filter coffee every morning and a few cups of tea throughout the day.
I also sometimes have a diet coke but will buy the caffine free one if I remember.
Midwife doesnt seem concerned at all.

EpoxyResin · 16/02/2017 16:03

I was so strict limiting caffeine first time around... and it was AWFUL. Not because I'm particularly into my few cups of tea a day, but just because of the sheer volume of responsibility put on pregnant women about what they should or shouldn't consume in order to be the perfect incubator for 40 weeks. I actually had a hysterical melt-down over the phone to dp over the "two cups of tea" (as I thought it was after my morning coffee) that I was "allowed". TWO SODDING CUPS OF TEA! I mean I cut out drinking, smoking, runny eggs, soft cheese, vigorous exercise, the occasional red bull, god - so many more sensible recommendations taken to heart to boot - and if I'd had a horrible day I'd die of guilt if I had a third cup of tea!

But then again I am a bit dramatic.

I think the lesson is just to be sensible about it and not be too prescriptive with yourself. That's what I'm doing this time (I hope!) and thinking a few more cups one day, a few less another, I'm hardly a bloody addict.

PS from the first time around I can tell you if you half and half decaff instant coffee with normal it's much more palatable, and you can have two cups of instant for every one normal one :)

SnugglySnerd · 16/02/2017 16:11

First time around I only had 2 teas a day and it was a struggle. This time I've been having 3 spread throughout the day which has been better. In the last week of so I've been craving coke so I've had one instead of one of the cups of tea.
Be careful with tea though, it's not just the caffeine, it stops you from absorbing iron properly. I have been anaemic in this pregnancy and have to space out my cups of tea to give my body time to absorb the iron pills!

flumpybear · 16/02/2017 16:18

When I was pregnant I needed it big time!! Cherry coke was my friend... and enemy lol!! I had decaf tea and coffee due to my coke addiction!! Lol

Lunalovepud · 16/02/2017 16:24

I don't count chocolate into my caffeine allowance. There is hardly any caffeine in it anyway and I see chocolate as a pregnancy essential and not something to add to the endless list of stuff that should be forbidden or rationed.

I stick to one normal tea and then go onto decaf tea etc most days, although if I go over from time to time I don't worry about it - the NHS guidance says that the risk is very small and not to worry if you exceed the limit every now and again.

I am currently pregnant with DC2 - DC1 is completely fine, despite the caffeine, sushi and runny eggs I munched throughout my pregnancy.

NickyEds · 16/02/2017 16:31

I switched to decaf tea and coffee with the occasional bit of chocolate and coke when I was pregnant with ds. I've never been able to have it again! After he born I was getting weird spells of dizziness and sickness (like bad travel sickness)and it was weeks before I noticed they were coinciding with having a couple of proper coffees. Even now he's 3 I get sick after having too much caffeine. I used to have loads before I was pregnant.

Spam88 · 22/02/2017 12:49

I cut out coffee when we started TTC and didn't drink tea anyway. I'll have a coke occasionally when we go out but I'd never have more than one anyway (even before pregnancy). I don't count chocolate because I imagine I'd have to eat an awful lot to exceed the limit.

vfoster · 22/02/2017 12:53

Caffeine free Diet Coke has been my saviour! It's all I want to drink so I've stocked up. The decaf coffee and tea isn't too bad either. I have it in just in case I fancy a hot drink!

toffeeboffin · 22/02/2017 12:57

When TTC I cut out coffee completely. Once pregnant I really didn't fancy it for the first trimester.

Second and third I just had one cup per day. I found not drinking coffee really difficult : I'm a four or five cups per day kind of girl usually.

I think it's more important to cut it out during the first trimester.

toffeeboffin · 22/02/2017 13:01

`I mean I cut out drinking, smoking, runny eggs, soft cheese, vigorous exercise, the occasional red bull, god - so many more sensible recommendations taken to heart to boot - and if I'd had a horrible day I'd die of guilt if I had a third cup of tea!

This with bells on.

I remember thinking ffs I can't even have a nice bloody hot coffee! That's all I wanted!

EastDulwichWife · 01/03/2017 15:15

We're going to start TTC soon, so I thought I'd try and kick caffeine early so it doesn't feel like all the fun has gone. Yorkshire Gold Decaf tea is great, I'm a convert. But today is day one with no caffeine. I feel lightheaded and have a banging headache. Hopefully this is a 48 hour feeling..!

mummabubs · 01/03/2017 16:23

It is EastDulwichWife! I gave up caffeine cold turkey when we started TTC in January and I've never had such an extreme headache as the 48 hours after giving it up, it felt like hell. But it does definitely pass, so you're nearly there!! Xx

babynelly2010 · 01/03/2017 19:08

2 small glass bottles of coke plus 2 regular tea and then decaf tea.
I think this is within nhs limits.
Glass coke bottles have less chemicals and apparently caffeine is not as bad as some acids that are present in also non-caffeinated soda drinks.

Flowerydems · 01/03/2017 19:30

4-5 cups of tea and a few first cokes, with dc1 I was more strict but after giving up ciggies with 2 and 3 I needed the caffeine for the energy boost. Dc1 was my smallest baby as it happens and the other 2 were over 9lbs.

If you want a cup of tea have it, it's not like it's a bottle of vodka

EastDulwichWife · 03/05/2017 15:32

Sorry to bump, but I've been drinking Azera Decaf instant recently and it's DELICIOUS (well, as nice as decaf + instant can be). Plus it's decaffeinated using water so it's chem free. £3 asda.

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