Coffee During Pregnancy - Milwaukee,WI

Updated on September 21, 2011
J.K. asks from Milwaukee, WI
26 answers

Hello ladies, I am having a hard time giving up my morning coffee. I drink 2 large cups of caffeinated coffee every morning. (none the rest of the day, no soda or tea) I am currently 4 1/2 weeks pregnant. Should I give it up cold turkey? Or is it safe to wait until my body naturally has coffee-aversion? I'm drinking a cup of coffee right now and I'm feeling so guilty! :(

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So What Happened?

Thanks for all of the helpful answers! This morning I have made the switch to de-caf. :) I was able to find one brand that claimed to be "naturally" decaffeinated, as I refuse to drink anything that has been decaffeinated with chemicals. I remember my doctor saying that it was okay having one SMALL cup of regular coffee/day during pregnancy, which is what I did during my 1st pregnancy (but I was working back then and it was easy just to grab one small cup and be on with my day)...now I'd definitely prefer to have two LARGE cups, so de-caf it is! :)

Featured Answers

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I had one or two cups every day through three pregnancies, and continued to drink it through extended breastfeeding. All my kids grew up healthy and strong :)

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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

Don't feel guilty! It's fine to have one cup of coffee! I would probably stop at one since you said they are large, but a little caffeine will be okay!

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H.V.

answers from Cleveland on

Ya.. I always hear different things. I know that TOO much of it can be bad, but honestly I HAVE to have my coffee..
After working at Starbucks for 8 years...I'm too hooked to give it up.
When I was pregnant I just switched to decaf or 1/2 caf
Just Fyi. DECAF coffee DOES have caffeine in it.
There is NO way to have 100% decaf coffee. So even if you go decaf you will still be getting that needed caffeine boost. :)

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R.D.

answers from Richmond on

Switch to 'lite' coffee, it has 1/2 the caffeine :) Coffee is big for me, and decaff wasn't an option... I'm STILL drinking 1/2 caff!! It's so much better for you cutting out that little bit of caffeine.

After I gave birth to my first, the nurse brought in my breakfast tray at the hospital. I looked at the cup and said 'Is that coffee?' She laughed and said yes... I was like 'I can DRINK THAT?!'... she looked kind of surprised and said 'Honey, you could have been drinking that the whole time, didn't you know?!' NO!! ARGH!! and LOL... so switch to 1/2 caff, but try not to have more than 2 cups. I don't care what anyone says, I drank 1/2 caff with my other 2 pregnancies and the kiddos were FINE (and I was sane!) :)

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B.W.

answers from Washington DC on

I was like Rachel, drank 2 cups of 1/2 caf a day. My husband even switched with me so that was a great help!

If you think about it, you can really commit to the change if you really want to. I quit smoking cold turkey when I found out I was pregnant and it was a lot easier to handle when you are doing it for such a fabulous reason! Best of luck!

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I.L.

answers from Madison on

Hi,
I'm also a coffee drinker and , when I was pregnant, I started pouring myself half a cup and just adding a little hot water to it. Whenever I wanted a warm up, I would just add a little more hot water. I don't think it's necessary to give it up completely. :)

Good Luck!

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C.U.

answers from Omaha on

I don't think there is any reason you have to stop drinking coffee. My OB gave me the ok to drink coffee/pop but he said no more than 3 or 4 caffeinated drinks a day. So I would say you are ok. I think some people take to many things to extremes such as what you eat/drink while you are pregnant i.e. lunch meat, fish, coffee/pop, I mean really with the exception of drugs, alcohol or smoking (duh) my doctor did not give me any type of restrictions on what to eat or drink. Eat and drink and enjoy your pregnancy! Don't feel guilty at all!

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C.O.

answers from Minneapolis on

Try half-caf. Less guilt but you still get a little "wake me up".

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J.C.

answers from San Francisco on

You don't have to stop drinking coffee. I never stopped during any of my three pregnancies. My ob/gyn said it is absolutely okay unless I were drinking an entire pot. What does your doctor say? I'm very curious.

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S.S.

answers from Cincinnati on

you can have 300 mg of caffiene a day. one six ounce cup of coffee has 80 mg. So I think you are safe with 2 large (I am assuming no more then 12oz) cups. with my first pregnancy I couldn't stand the thought of coffee (one of the first signs I was pregnant considering I was drinking a pot a day) now I drink a cup or two a day. What you need to worry about more is what you put in your coffee. sugar is fine and so is splenda but don't use any other artificial sweetner especially aspartame which can pass through the placenta.

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L.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

I think I would wait to drink coffee until you are into your second trimester. That's what my doc told me. Thereafter, I had one cup (not a mug, so 8 oz) of coffee each morning. I don't drink anything else caffeinated.

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K.F.

answers from Cleveland on

Well I drank coffee during my entire second pregnancy. My doctor told me a cup a day during the first trimester was okay, and 2 cups a day once I was in the second trimester. Everyone has different opinions on this, but I did it and had no problems.

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

Cut back. Luck you that you can even have it! Tea and coffee made me sick so I had to go cold turkey. My OB said that one normal sized cup of coffee per day was fine, though. You might try to mix it with decaf so you wean yourself from the caffeine.

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M.M.

answers from Chicago on

OK, I'll ask...WHY are you giving up coffee?
You don't have to.

The studies show that it would take 42 cups of coffee a DAY to actually have negative effects on a fetus.
Your monrning cup of coffee is fine to keep having. Don't worry!

I drank coffee every day thorugh 2 pregnanices and have 2 beautiful, smart, healthy kids. Most women I know are the same.

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J.C.

answers from New York on

I think you'll be fine but I would try to cut back a bit. Perhaps dilute your coffe with some decaf? You probably won't taset the difference and if you do it gradually, you won't feel it either. Try diluting with hot milk, too. Just make it hot milk or your coffee won't be hot.

I need some Coca Cola mid day to make it to the end of the day. When I was pregnant, I would pour half the can in a cup and give the rest of the can to my assitant to drink (or I'd finish it - yum). Luckily, coffee made me sick during my pregnancy so I had no issue giving it up. But as soon as I gave birth, I was addicted again :)

Congrats on your pregnancy.

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R.S.

answers from San Antonio on

Once I could drink coffee again...ewww it grossed me out so bad the first trimester, but not until around 6 weeks along.

I would drink de-caff Monday - Thursday and then allow myself the real deal on Friday as a treat. I didn't need it on the weekends as I slept in until noon. (This was the first pregnancy...)

The second pregnancy...I think I drank 2 to 3 cups of the real deal a morning or I would not have been able to function at all.

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K.P.

answers from Seattle on

I was always told you can have 12 oz of caffeine a day. Why not try decaf or mix your reg coffee with the decaf and try and wean yourself down.

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R.C.

answers from Phoenix on

2 cups of coffee isn't really dangerous to your baby, but if it were me, I'd try reducing your intake to 1 cup caffeinated a day. Caffeine has been linked to slight increase in miscarriage. Don't stress over it too much--2 cups is still not considered high caffeine consumption. Congrats on your pregnancy! What a wonderful time of year to be pregnant. Nurse Midwife Mom of 3

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R.B.

answers from La Crosse on

I don't think your consuming too much caffeine. If it was a pot or two a day then I would say cut back.

I don't like coffee, never have, but my caffeine intake in the morning is Mtn Dew. I know coffee is much healthier lol. I limited myself 3 cans a day. My dr said that was fine. The baby is already use to it by the time you find out your pregnant and if you take it away and start having a caffeine with drawl my dr said that its twice as hard on the baby as it is you.

So I say enjoy your coffee. If your really worried about it or feeling too guilty, cut it down to one cup.

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T.L.

answers from Milwaukee on

With my first pregnancy I avoided all caffeine, but I wasn't a regular coffee drinker before I was pregnant. With my second, I limited myself to one cup every other day. My third was once cup a day. Now after each baby, my coffee consumption went up to get through the day :) I have heard that up to 3 cups of coffee is safe during pregnancy, but it can be more harmful during the first trimester. I would say that one, even two cups should be fine. I would sometimes drink one cup of regular and if I wanted a second cup it was decaf. I also had a single serve coffee maker, so that made the switching back and forth easy.

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L.L.

answers from Topeka on

What do you consider large?Are they over 12 oz cups if so then yes cut back gradually if not you'll get headaches from withdrawl.Choose to add more milk or creamer less coffee in the mug.Drink other bevergaes water,flavored water,sparkling water,tea I love sweet iced tea but I add more water to my glasses now that i'm 11 weeks,but I love Dr.Pepper not everyday but when I do I drink it up it helps with the queasy stomach.They say 3 cups of caffeinated beverages is fine a day if more it increases miscarriage,as your placenta begins to function for baby it can cross the placenta

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A.G.

answers from Houston on

You really shouldnt be drinking it in the first trimester at all, In fact it should make you sick. In the second trimester you can have 1 cup on occasion, like once a week, or half caff more often. Everything in moderation, but when you are pregnant you have to practice serious moderation.

I always have a little half caff as a pick me up maybe twice a week.

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J.B.

answers from Houston on

I drank coffee with my last pregnancy and this one, I don't think it is a problem. I just do one cup of coffee per day. That way if I want tea or something out, I am cool, and I don't do that everyday, just sometimes. With my last pregnancy I did 1/2 caff coffee and that worked well too. I just prefer one nice strong cup of coffee to two 1/2 caff cups, just depends on what works for you. My dr has no prob with a little caffeine. I cut it out cold turkey my first pregnancy and it was rough!! Both my children are perfectly healthy and smart, no low birth weights etc so I say have your cup of joe and enjoy :) Of course, talk it over with your doc if you like and then make your decision. Congrats!!

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S.F.

answers from Utica on

You really should avoid caffeine while pregnant but since you said that you always have 2 cups a day you will surely go thru caffeien withdrawl if you quit cold turkey. I would start to cut back as much as you can without feeling the effects until you are off of it. Start with just one cup a day and then try half and then maybe switch to black tea which has less than half the amount of caffeine in it than a cup of coffee. I was only drinking 1 cup a day after my daughter and when I became pregnant with number 2 I quit the morning I found out. It was horrible withdrawl but it only lasted 2 days and I was fine after that
Good Luck and congrats

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K.R.

answers from Minneapolis on

Buy some really good decaf and start doctoring your coffee. Go with 75% caffeinated at first, then slowly (after a week?) go down to 50% caffeine, etc. Also, talk to your doctor about this immediately!

It's probably best to avoid caffeine this early in the pregnancy. Later on, with your doctor's permission, you might be able to have some.

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K.W.

answers from Madison on

Ooof! So tough to stop the coffee cold-turkey! Give yourself a week to wean down to 1 small cup, and from there I think that amount is okay unless it causes problems for you or your baby. Bets are you ob will say that amount is fine.

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