Is Decaf Really DECAF????

it is actually true. Not all decaf is caffeine free. I know Waffle House decaf is 98% decaf so if you want a cup try there and FYI they are running a promo right now till December 31st that all to go coffee is free and for dine in order something to eat and the coffee is free.

I know you already have a bunch of responses, but I wanted you to know that my cardiologist actually recommended Starbucks as the best decaf coffee to drink, meaning that it is the closest to decaf that is out there. So indulge a little and don't worry about it!

I was told by my doctor that having caffeine every once and a while was ok just not everyday. Have a Mocha girl!

Good morning Alexandra,

Well thats a good question... But I think starbucks would be the one to ask, of course you might get a funny look. But I think one or two cups a week should be fine. Just remember to take into consideration how much tea and soda you drink too. As long as your doctor says your healthy and the baby is doing fine thats all that matters..

Stay warm,
D.

I'm not sure about the whole 'is it really decaf thing' but here's my take on it - one or two coffee drinks a week is not bad. My doctor simply told me that as long as you keep things in moderation, and are wise about your other food choices, one or two 'semi-bad' things won't make a difference. I don't drink alcohol, never smoked but I really liked my Coca-cola back when I was pregnant. I had one a day (I was having 3 a day prior to getting pregnant). My daughter is perfectly fine. She's 3 now.
My mom also gave me the advice that let's just remember what mothers ate, drank and did 30 years ago - they ate greasy food, drank alcohol and smoked throughout pregnancy (because no-one told them they couldn't). That really helped me get things into perspective. If my only vice, and I mean only, was to have my one Coke, it wasn't going to have any effect.
If your only vice is to have one or two possibly not-good coffee drinks a week, I would seriously stop worrying.
I honestly think there's too much hype out there about what's good and what isn't. There's enough stress when you're a mom, or about to become one, already. Just breathe, make sure you're getting proper nutrition, vitamins, exercise and rest. Stress alone is worse for your pregnancy than any caffeinated or non-caffeinated coffee drink might be.

No not all DECAF is well DECAF.... I am not a coffee drinker myself but do kkep on up things about it because my husband is. Starbucks I do know is one of the worst places to buy coffee however. Not sure if there DECAF is DECAF you might want to research that. However some doctors will say coffee will not hurt the baby...

I'd probably worry more about the chemicals in the decaf, used to make it decaf, than the caffeine. Go organic, less worry all the way around!
D.

You might want to look at Starbucks website and see what they have to say about their decaf coffee. They are very good about answering questions if you email them. Perhaps getting your answer from the actual source might be more comforting.

Let us know what you find out.

Congratulations too!

A little caffine really won't hurt. My doc told me I could have 2 cups of coffee or 2 sodas a day, or a combo of both. I'm not sure about the decaf really being decaf question. Sorry.

I see you've got a ton of responses, but I wanted to give my two cents. I used to work at a coffee manufacturing facility in town and yes, Decaf is not 100% decaf. It has small amounts of caffeine in it (the nature of the seed) & to remove it, well, it wouldn't be coffee at all.

I don't know how you can ever be sure if it's really decaf. However, I am 19 weeks along, and if I go to Starbucks I just ask them to make some steamed milk and honey with a little vanilla in it or some hot cocoa. It is actually really good on cold mornings and better for you than coffee period.
A while back researches found a sunken coffee ship that had been in route from England to America. Every where they looked in the ship they found little round black rubber balls. They couldn't figure out what they were, so they took a few of them back to their lab and ran tests. What they found shocked them. These black rubber balls were human stomachs. Coffee not only is bad because of the caffeine, but it also has the same chemical in it that is used to tan cow hides. The people in the ship had literally tanned their own stomachs by drinking coffee. That's just gross. I won't touch the stuff now, even though I still love the smell. But there is always gourmet hot cocoas which really help and are very yummy! I didn't mean to freak you out, but this is something everyone should be aware of!

Don't worry too much! The worrying is worse for the baby than the caffeine is. lol

As long as your body was used to caffeine before the pregnancy, i.e. if you drank coffee and sodas regularly, a cup or two a day won't hurt.

Enjoy!

I can't say for sure. But talk to your obgyn. That amount of caffiene may be fine. My doctor was fine with a can of soda per day.. not that i did that but it was okay by him.
Best wishes!

2 cups of real coffee per day (every day) had no effect on either of my pregnancies, or my babies - except maybe to make me easier to live with. Yes, most decaf still has a little caffeine - but so does chocolate candy, coffee flavored yogurt... I'd savor the hot drinks and move on - there's plenty of things to be worried about while you're pregnant, like lead and radon and smog. :)

S.

Alexandra,
Congrats on your pregnancy! You need to read even more about decaf. It really isn't that good for you because of what they have to do to it to make it decaf. And yes, it is not entirely caffeine free. I am sure your baby is fine so try not to worry - the stress is NOT good for the baby. Just try and look forward to the fact that it won't be long until you can go back to drinking coffee again. I LOVE coffee so I COMPLETELY understand! :)

Decaf is not non-caf, but here's an interesting website I just pulled up: http://www.energyfiend.com/2007/10/the-complete-guide-to-.... It gives you the complete rundown on Starbucks as far as caffeine content. My husband and I toured a coffee plantation in Costa Rica long ago on our honeymoon, and if I remember correctly, coffee beans are put through a rigorous "rinsing" process to remove the caffeine, or the majority of it anyway; it doesn't remove all of it. I hope this helps. :-)

A little caffeen while pregnant is fine. Just remember that it adds up, so if you have the decafe coffee in the am, don't have tea or chocolate etc the rest of the day. I followed that recomendation thru my 3 pregnancies and all went well.

Alexandra,
Decaf Coffee does have small amounts of caffeine in it but it is a very small amount.

Here are some facts about the caffeine levels that I copied from a reputable website:
A cup of drip brewed coffee has about 115 milligrams of caffeine, an espresso (and percolated coffee) about 80mg, while instant coffee has about 65mg of caffeine. Decaffeinated coffee is not totally caffeine free, containing about 3mg of caffeine. A can of Coca-Cola has about 23mg of caffeine, Pepsi Cola 25mg, Mountain Dew 37mg, and TAB 31mg. Tea has about 40mg of caffeine, while an ounce of chocolate contains about 20mg.

You should not worry so much about getting small amounts of caffeine into your system. I am a regular coffee drinker and when I got pregnant, I stopped immediately. I started getting migranes and when I talked to my OB about it, she said I did not need to stop drinking coffee but just limit my consumption of caffeine. I didn't drink soda at all so I would allow myself half a cup of regular coffee everyday. It will not hurt your child, don't worry. Just make sure you are not consuming 3 or 4 cups a day. My doctor had said a cup was fine but I limited it to a half a cup since I was drinking the regular coffee. Just make sure you drink a lot of water and stay away from juices, they are full of sugar and add on the pounds quickly.

If you still are not sure, a quick call to your doctor will confirm this.

Good luck!

-M.

All decaf has some caffine, very little though. If you brew it at home look on top of you cup of coffee, before you add anything, caffine floats and looks kind of oily. If you don't see anything, or very light you are probably good. I as well do not drink caffine pregnant, I'm 7 months, and I do miss it, but you should be fine as long as you don't drink large quanties, like all day long. You might also ask starbucks what their caffine content is in the decafs you drink from them.

To be honest, I drank iced tea and diet cokes throughout both of my previous pregnancies, and am doing it throughout this third one that I'm going through now, and I gave birth to big, healthy babies. My husband, on my second baby asked the doctor during one visit, "Do you know how much diet coke she drinks in one day?????" The doctor said, "If it's DIET coke, then leave her alone." LOL! I'm sure that you could have your decaf or even your regular drink in moderation, like not have them every single day, but once in awhile as an indulgence. You will also find caffeine in a lot of other things like candy and medicine, so you're not going to totally rid yourself of it even if you try, but usually moderation for all things that you eat or drink is key during pregnancy.

I went decaf free for about 3 months of my pregnancy... then i couldn't take it anymore. LOL. I drank cokes and such.... and hunny my daughter is 7 months now and healthy as an ox. The caffiene is fine, so long as you're not doing like a million cups of it a day. I drank cokes almost my whole pregnancy (from 2nd trimester on) and my baby is fine.

Yes there is a SMALL amount of caffeine in 'decaf' coffee, but please don't worry about it. From what I have read about (as well as what my past two OB's have said), pregnant women should LIMIT caffeine intake but you don't have to avoid it completely. I drank occassional sodas during both my pregnancies (sodas don't have nearly as much caffeine is regular coffee) and decaf coffees during my entire pregnancies. No worries.

Enjoy your decaf! It is fine for you to have one cup of regular coffee daily, so the decaf won't hurt. It may even help since it destresses you and gives you time to relax.

Congrats!

Congrats on your pregnancy! when i was preg. i had decaf also. my doc said it was o.k. my baby is 9 months now and she's great!!

You can drink 2 cups of regular coffee without any effects on the baby.

Even if it's not, my doctor told me a regular size cup of regular coffee is fine once a day.

I'm sure it's ok, but I would talk to your doctor if you're really unsure. I tried to be careful while I was pregnant, too, because I'm addicted to drinking Coke. But I heard that some caffeine is ok, and the frequency that you are drinking it doesn't sound like too much to me. In my opinion, it's better to do things like that in moderation and not worry so much about following all the rules to a T. Your baby will be fine with a little caffeine, sugar, etc. :)

Hey Alexandra M

I was reading your question, and i know how you feel cause i use to do the same thing. The only thing i can actually say is just to be on that safe side just wait until Janurary comes by and have those nice lattes and good coffees cause i really dont know the whole facts behind the caffeeine but yet you cant belive everything you read on the internet so im assumeing it hasnt hurt you did u do that with your first or no? An does it get you shaky if you havent had any all day, One thing i must say though is i use to work at restraunts and they told us if you were to give some one a caffeeinated coffee instead of decafe we could really do some damage to some one cause of the sugar and everything else that caffeeine pretty much has, so maybe it doesnt have any real cafeeine cause i know people who love the way coffee smells an stuff but they cant drink the caffeenated ones so just ask your doc and if he says something else then go with that one! Take care have a great Halloween!

About me!!!
First time young mom as well im 22 going on 23 and i have one handsome 3 year old lil guy his B-Day is 10-18-04 and My husband is currently in Iraq he will be over there for about 11 months almost a year the navy loves to say almost but not all the way! An its been an adveture ever since he left so thats all about me and my family. Take care!

If you don't want to give up your coffee, try Foldgers Crystals Instant Decaf. It is the only decaf coffee that does not contain any trace amounts of caffeine.

My daughters like to drink their coffee with me. I started using the Foldgers Decaf so we can all have our morning coffee together. They love it.

Oti
www.shoppingforyourbaby.com

This may have already been said, but everything I read while I was pregnant said that a little caffeine is fine, and that you just shouldn't get over 300mg a day. So you can have a cup or two of regular coffee. And like some others said, regular is better for you than decaf because of the chemicals used in it. It's also better if you're happier and not stressed out! Happy mama=Happy baby.

I work in a coffee shop and it is true that decaf is not completely decaf. The way it works is that the beans are sprayed with water to "wash off" the caffine. As the majority of the caffine is in the oils of the bean (which are on the outside). The downside to this is that most of the flavor of the coffee is in the oil as well (that is why many notice that decaf is never as flavorful as regular). Then for the espresso that is in your drink, it is roasted and roasted. During the roasting process more of the caffine is burned off. So there is almost no caffine left by the time it is all done. Even your decaf breakfast bled does not have much of a trace of caffine. So I think that the decaf coffee and espresso are fine. What I would lay off of though is the mocha. Chocolate has MORE caffine than a regular cup of coffee. But again I don't think it is that big of a deal since you have only had one once or twice a week, and if you have not noticed increased heartbeat (you or baby), hyperactivity, etc. I think you and baby are fine. There are things that your OB will look for and she can tell if you and baby have been having too much caffine. I was taken completely off caffine when I was pregnant with my son. That was hard. It seems that so many things have caffine in them. The reason though was that my blood pressure was increasing with every visit. By the time I delivered (even after no caffine for several months) my blood pressure was almost dangerously high. Hope that helps. Have a great day.

While it's true that decaf doesn't mean 100% decaffeinated, once or twice a week won't hurt you when you're pregnant. In fact, you can actually have a cup of regular coffee everyday and be fine too (although, I don't do this). I am pregnant with my second and with both of my pregnancies, I made sure to get off of caffeine before becoming pregnant. I have a decaf Starbucks once a week or so also, so don't worry! Enjoy it...we have to have our treats! :-)

It has a lot smaller trace amounts of caffeine, but no, it's not completely de-caf. I think it will be okay to drink as long as you counter it with lots of water. that's the main concern with drinking caffeine b/c it can dehydrate you.

Hi Alexandra,

Decaf is not totally decaf - it still gives me the jitters. But, if it makes you feel any better, I had a cup of real coffee everymorning (with my doc's blessing) of my pregnancy and no problems. As always ask your doctor, but a little caffeine does not hurt your baby - you'll probably just end up with a coffee achiever!

Take care,

M.

"Decaf" is really never 100% caffeine FREE, but definitely a lot less than regular. It's a process that the coffee bean has to go through to remove the caffeine from it.

Since you're not even drinking them every day, much less several times a day, I would say you are definitely NOT doing your baby any harm! But if you are that concerned about it, ask your OB at your next visit. (The baby is very well protected, so for as little caffeine as you are consuming, he's getting MUCH less than you are!) If you are planning to nurse, you will need to continue with the decaf, because it will be passed to the baby through your milk.

Congrats on the baby on the way! :)

I worked right up until the day I went into labor. I could not have gotten through my pregnancy with out my daily dose of coffee/sugar/milk in a 16oz mug. I read that a 6oz cup of coffee has approx 80mg of caffene and a 12 oz coke has about 50-60mg of caffene. It doesn't start to become toxic for a baby until you reach about 300mg of caffene. It just depends on how the baby reacts to your decaf mochas. Does your baby seen extra jumpy in your stomach? I do know that when I had my daughter, she did not tolerate any caffene when I breast fed, It made her extra fussy. Contact starbuck to see how much caffene is in their coffees(regualr and decaff. I think that as long as your not over doing it on triple expressos every day you will be fine. Make sure you are still drinking lots of water to help flush the caffene from system.

Don't worry a little bit of caffeine while pregnant is ok. My doctor told me one soda a day was fine.