Caffeine in First Tri: No? Yes? How much is safe?

[LostGirl]

Calling all pregnant women, past and present, did you drink coffee in your first tri? Or did you abstain? If you did drink it, how much and how often?

I'm dying to have a latte, but had one two days ago and I'm trying to not drink too much because I'm scared about articles like this one.

http://timespast.nytimes.com/plweb-cgi/ ... A%29%29%29

Got any advice??? Lostgirl

[Mbre]

hi lostgirl..

I have also heard that caffeine can be bad, But i was also told that small amounts are ok. like 1-2 8 ouce cups of coffee are ok, or one can of soda is in moderation. With that being said i am an avid coffe drinker, one a day to get me going, but funny thing is since i have been preggo, coffee makes me wana PUKE. so i do not have that prob, my issue is with the soda... I drink 1 can a day for dinner and nothing but water and fruit juice during the day. I think a latte every other day is ok, not a venti but maybe a grande! Weve come this far to be preggo and lets not do anything to disrupt the growth of our little miracles. Best wishes.....

[Mbre]

hi lostgirl..

I have also heard that caffeine can be bad, But i was also told that small amounts are ok. like 1-2 8 ouce cups of coffee are ok, or one can of soda is in moderation. With that being said i am an avid coffe drinker, one a day to get me going, but funny thing is since i have been preggo, coffee makes me wana PUKE. so i do not have that prob, my issue is with the soda... I drink 1 can a day for dinner and nothing but water and fruit juice during the day. I think a latte every other day is ok, not a venti but maybe a grande! Weve come this far to be preggo and lets not do anything to disrupt the growth of our little miracles. Ive also been told by pregnant females that once your are at the stage in your pregnancy where youc an feel your baby kick and move, that you will know if you are having to much amounts of caffeine, as the baby will respond back... Best wishes.....

[kholtan]

I am normally a coffee junkie!!! Although I quit cold turkey while doing IVF, the entire time I was pg and for the first 3 months of b-feeding. Now I am still b-feeding but have a cup in the morning. It wasn't so hard to give up since I was doing it for them and not myself. Everyone feels differently about it but because caffiene is bad for me in general I wanted by body to be as healthy as it could be for them. Having said that, I would still never judge anyone who feels they really need that cup of Joe. My guilty pleasure while pg were fruit/yogurt smoothies. Fruit has so much natural sugar that I thought I would make myself a diabetic!

all in moderation and remember none of us were perfect while pg no matter how hard we tried! Good luck to you! Hopefully you'll crave something like vegatables!

Enjoy being pg!

[waitingforMia]

Everything I have read (that was published in the last 2 years) says NO caffiene. It can lead to m/c. I used to love my white mochas. SO now once a week (sometimes less) I get a decaf. I heard there are lots of chemicals in decaf so I really try to stay away from it all. I quit my daily Pepsi - and now every now and then I take a sip of dh's and it makes me feel better. I know lots of pg women drink coffee and are fine (My mom did with all her babies) But I always think my mom didn't spend 24k on her babies like I have!!!

You can do it - just try to find substitutes!!

MP

[LostGirl]

kholtan,
I have been eating a ton of veggies. I can't eat enough spinach for some reason. I also am really into beef and am lucky enough to belong to a co-op where you can buy grass-fed hormone-free meat, so dh and I have been indulging. Made a great thai beef salad the other night.

Lucky for me most days I don't care about coffee. But today I was desperate for one. I, too, have been having some aversions, but not to food. I gag when i pass a smoker on the street, and well, I'm not as adventurous in my eating when we eat out, but for the most part, I've been heavily leaning on carbs in a way I never have, but always make such to get my protein and iron too.

I am also running through apples to get me through the dips in my blood sugar. Corn-syrup-free lollipops too.

lostgirl

[Aliann09]

LostGirl, I have also read that there are studies showing links between miscarriage and caffine, but I know a lot of people who have continued to drink it. I too am a latte junkie however one of my meds that I took before transfer I could not have any caffine with so I was already off it when I got pregnant and decided to stay off until the baby is here. All that being said I still hit Starbucks at least 3 times a week for a grande DECAF Latte. Good luck!

[kholtan]

So funny what we all craved or crave while pg! I too LOVED veggies!!! I ate carrots, salad, and pineapple like it was going out of style! Also, I became a fruit whore!!!! I couldn't leave the house w/o an apple, banana, avocado or something! I ended up being super low in the iron and that made me crave meat, chocolate, and cream of wheat like mad at the end.
I craved really healthy things and after my babies were born I think it really helped me return to my normal weight right away. There was so little fat gained and I am SOOOOOOOOO grateful for that!

Good luck!

[woodcliff]

I have had coffee from day one...normally 2 cappuchinos (sp) a day...my OB said all in moderation. I've had an incredibly healthy twin pregnancy, and I am in my 40s. go figure.

A study did come out last mo. stating it is bad to drink caffeine in the 1st tri. HOWEVER it's a self reported study ... and who the h*ll knows why a woman miscarries? pregnancy is variable.

My babies are here to stay and I always felt that if my embryos were healthy they'd make it...coffee was the least of my worries!

Dangerous coffee zones are the 4-5 cups a day...but only an idiot would do that!

Drink Up if you must.

[taylorjools]

Hi
the way I see it is you wouldnt give a baby a cup of coffee would you? Caffeine has a direct effect on the unborn baby's heart rate, and takes a longer time for a baby to eliminate from its system than from yours. Whatever the link to miscarrige, like acohol, it goes straight trough the placenta. I am lucky as I have aversion to verything right now, especially strong smelling drinks like coffee or tea UGH!

Everyone finds there own compromises, I am guilty and worried right now as I just cant eat veggies (ugh) or meat (mega ugh) so my sweeties are surviving on eggs cheese milk and fruit and whatever else stays down...which isnt much! The only thing I crave is custard (wierd) So no none of us are perfect, far from it.

love to all
BigJ

[LostGirl]

Not sure the logic holds Taylor. I wouldn't send my baby out for a jog or a walk, but I exercise most days of the week. So I tend to believe that a cup of coffee every couple of days isn't going to hurt, especially since my diet is varied, replete with veggies, meat, and dairy, and I am not overdoing it.

In the day since I asked for advice, I have done a lot more reading and stumbled on this quote by a respected expert:

Dr. Carolyn Westhoff, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and epidemiology, at Columbia University Medical Center, said:
''Moderation in all things is still an excellent rule. I think we tend to go overboard on saying expose your body to zero anything when pregnant. The human race wouldn't have succeeded if the early pregnancy was so vulnerable to a little bit of anything. We're more robust than that.''

We are robust !

[deepa100]

I always had a cup of tea in the afternoon. Even during the IVF. But no more.