Caffiene

[Tina]

Should I cut caffiene out altogether? I usually have a cup of tea a day..there's not much in a cup of tea.

[3sweeties]

A cup of tea is fine.

[theresak]

I cut it out completely before trying to get pregnant. Both times I became pregnant unplanned like, I gave it up cold turkey and it suuuuucked. :mad: I consume much caffeine generally. My doc bans it entirely, even sternly recommending against chocolate. I figure, what's the big deal about avoiding it while the baby's delicate system develops? Now, research does say one cup of coffee/tea a day is fine, I'm just a bit paranoid during the "cooking" phase. :lol: Plus I never stopped at just one cup of anything - at least two cups of strong coffee, and several Cokes or Diet Cokes per day. That's not okay for baby!

[MicheleSC]

I don't really drink much (or eat) caffeine pregnant or not, but I find that my body doesn't handle it as well pregnant - I feel my heart beating too fast from caffeine. When not pregnant I would have maybe a cup of coffee a week. I would think it would be good to limit it, but I don't think you have to give it up altogether.

[liberty]

I gave it up which was easy-peasy when I was barfy. Now that I feel good the smell makes me want it :( My last kid was soooo sensitive to caffiene that even the amount in chocolate or decaf would give him the shakes. It's such a short time I figure what the heck.
C

[Tina]

I'm still reading up on this.

March of Dimes (http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/681_1148.asp)

[fitnesschick]

i think it is best if you can cut it out ... can you replace it with herbal tea like red raspberry leaf tea :)

[Tina]

I thought herbal tea was bad :scratch:

Well I'm obsessing about this now because I may be going to London when I'm TTC :unsure: :p seriously.

[fitnesschick]

no no ... herbal teas are not bad. teas like red raspberry, nettle, alfalfa, dandelion, and oatstraw teas are excellent gentle cleansers and also provide important nutrients :) of course, some herbs you want to avoid during pregnancy but many are also safe to use.

[3sweeties]

Safety of caffeine consumption during pregnancy is controversial. Some studies suggest that modest caffeine intake of less than two average cups (defined below) of coffee per day presents a slight risk to the embryo or fetus, but others do not. There is stronger evidence that larger daily amounts of caffeine during pregnancy may increase the risks of miscarriage, preterm delivery and low birth weight, but no solid proof.
Highlights by me. Seriously, don't worry about a small amount of caffiene.

[darlacz]

I would go by how you feel and what your doc says. I'm not a big caffeine drinker but I do like to have 1/2 to 1 cup of hot tea in the mornings. I cut it out at first with the first baby and then finally had a tiny cup at about 14 weeks and my nausea subsided right away. Not sure if it was a coincidence or just timing but I continued to have half a cup a day up until DD was born.

With this pregnancy I didn't cut the tea out until last trimester as it started making me feel just a little "off" I just listened to my body.

Herb teas are nice but I'd be careful about the raspberry leaf as it can irritate the uterus in some people. In fact I was told to drink cups of it in my 41st week of pregnancy last time in the hopes of bringing on labor.

Regarding chocolate, I found a great article regarding the correlation between chocolate consumption and happy babies...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3604275.stm




but again, I'd go with how your body feels.

[dare]

What about decaf coffee? Okay or not?

[fitnesschick]

decaff coffee is fine. to my knowledge red raspberry leaf will not bring on labor ... it helps prepare your uterus and helpfully makes labor easily. do you have a source for that (i just finished my pregnancy class on herbs/nutrition and did not come across that so it would be good if i could see hte source).

[darlacz]

I have to admit that chugging cups of the raspberry tea did not bring on my labor, (castor oil did!)

my source was probably not the most accurate though, came from my doula and I have NO idea where she got it from.

That is so cool you've taken a class on pregnancy herbs... I'll go with your info.