Tea While Pregnant

Most of the Celestial Seasonings teas are great for pregnant women. They are herbal teas. Regarding caffeine, though, I just wanted to let you know that when I was pregnat with my second, I started getting horrible headaches. I talked with my doctor, and he said that I should have one or two cups of coffee per day. The caffeine really helped to cut down on my headaches. If you have had coffee before pregnancy, especially, having one or two cups are not bad for the baby.

I am not an herbalist, so take it with a grain of caution...
As far as I know most "everyday" herbal infusions are ok, such as peppermint, chamomile, fennel. You can make tea from ginger (recommended for morning sickness) and various dried fruits and berries (whatever you like).
My personal fave is fennel tea with a splash of apple juice!

I agree that a little bit of caffeine during pregnancy is no big deal, unless you are overly sensitive to it. My friend was prescribed caffeine as a good substitute for migraine medication, which wasn't safe to take in pregnancy. I wouldn't do exotic herbal teas personally, because herbs can do all sorts of things. They are the basis of modern medicine. But the herbal teas you find in regular grocery stores are really nothing more than dried fruit. My husband bought some (popular brand- I don't remember which) while I was nursing and they are basically nothing. The apple one was just apples and peels. But because of that, they probably aren't going to give you any kind of lift either. You'd do better actually eating an apple. I did find that fresh fruit gave me a natural sugar lift. You could do some checking and figure out which coffees have less caffeine and have small servings of those (I know arabica has less caffeine than some others. Usually breakfast blends are milder, which I think also means less caffeine.) I can't think of anything else that is going to give you that energy you want that is natural besides fresh fruit. Good luck!

hi,
with my second child i was a tea machine!!! starting at 4 months i craved the stuff!! i personally just bought a big box of lipton and i was also obsessed with tazo black tea! lol after the first trimester i wasn't worried about caffeine intake, i was drinkin frappucinos, teas, you name it! lol but i cant understand u wanting to stay away from it, so a natural boost is supposed to be fruit, which is also healthy, give it a whirl!

Hi S., I guess this is a new one on me. As an older mom I drank tea all through my pregnancy. I can say that there is a tea out there made by Celestial Seasonings called Almond Sunset. No caffene, brews up dark and you can use milk in it if you like. I also believe anything in moderation is not bad for you. My best, have a wonderful baby, Grandma Mary

Ask your OB/GYN - there are a lot of different opinions even among OB's about what you can and can not have.

My OB/GYN had no problem with me having a diet coke/day, a glass of wine/week (which I really never did) or tea. We went to Sam's Club and got Luzianne Decaffeinated tea and keep that around all the time now. I have learned to like tea without sweeteners, and it's a nice alternative to our awful tap water.

This exerpt is from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology's website:

Anderson BL, Juliano LM, Schulkin J. Caffeine's implications for women's health and survey of obstetrician-gynecologists' caffeine knowledge and assessment practices. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2009;18(9):1457-1466.
http://www.acog.org/departments/dept_notice.cfm?recno=16&...

Objective: Caffeine has relevance for women's health and pregnancy, including significant associations with spontaneous abortion and low birth weight. According to scientific data, pregnant women and women of reproductive age should be advised to limit their caffeine consumption. This article reviews the implications of caffeine for women's psychological and physical health, and presents data on obstetrician-gynecologists' (ob-gyns) knowledge and practices pertaining to caffeine. Methods: Ob-gyns (N = 386) who are members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Collaborative Ambulatory Research Network responded to a 21-item survey about caffeine. Results: Although most knew that caffeine is passed through breast milk, only 24.8% were aware that caffeine metabolism significantly slows as pregnancy progresses. Many respondents were not aware of the caffeine content of commonly used products, such as espresso and Diet Coke, with 14.3% and 57.8% indicating amounts within an accurate range, respectively. Furthermore, ob-gyns did not take into account large differences in caffeine content across different caffeinated beverages with most recommending one to two servings of coffee or tea or soft drinks per day. There was substantial inconsistency in what was considered to be "high levels" of maternal caffeine consumption, with only 31.6% providing a response. When asked to indicate the risk that high levels of caffeine have on various pregnancy outcomes, responses were not consistent with scientific data. For example, respondents overestimated the relative risk of stillbirths and underestimated the relative risk of spontaneous abortion. There was great variability in assessment and advice practices pertaining to caffeine. More than half advise their pregnant patients to consume caffeine under certain circumstances, most commonly to alleviate headache and caffeine withdrawal. Conclusions: The data suggest that ob-gyns could benefit from information about caffeine and its relevance to their clinical practice. The development of clinical practice guidelines for caffeine may prove to be useful.

I was told to avoid all "herbal" tea because it isn't tested on pregnant women. I drink decaffeinated PG tips, or other English standard teas. I cut out caffeine awhile ago, and sometimes the act of drinking tea itself (or maybe it is the sugar), is enough to get me going. It is more of a ritual than the actual caffeine for me.

Well, most people have told you the same things I would have about 1-2 caffeinated beverages being okay in most cases. I wanted to mention that I developed a sensitivity to caffeine with my first pregnancy and still can't have more than 2 caffeinated beverages in a day or any after dinnertime unless I want to be up all night. I had a book written by a midwife and herbalist, I think the title was Natural Pregnancy. It listed all types of uses for herbs and which were and were not safe during pregnancy. There are a few organizations with web sites listing various herbs and their safe usage during pregnancy as well, but it has been a while since I looked at the book (sorry).

You can have a little caffeine daily if you want to. I had a tazo black tea every work day. It did take me all day to drink it but just knowing that I was drinking it gave me the effect of having a cup of coffee in 20 minutes. =) It was mental and refreshing. I also drink tea without sugar so I wasn't overdoing it on sugar intake.

I drink tea almost daily and when I was pregnant I really debated about what I should drink. Like some of the other women said there hasn't been much research done on herbal teas in pregnant women and I just avoided them all together. I would occasionally have decaf green tea without sweetener, but mostly I seeped dried fruit with hot water. I got some dried orange slices at Trader Joes and they worked well, but really any dried fruit worked. That worked for me to substitute my morning cup of tea, but it won't give you much of a lift. I would just eat fresh fruit or complex carbs for that. When you are pregnant your blood sugar is more unstable than usual and eating a few grapes or whole grain crackers here and there throughout the day will help keep it level. I ate healthy snacks about every 2 hours while I was pregnant (and I only gained 26 pounds, so don't worry that if you eat too much you'll gain too much weight). That should help with the exhaustion a little bit, but the healthiest way to deal with it is to just try to get some more sleep.

Good luck!

I always drink Luzianne tea, so while pregnant I just got the decaf kind :)

When they told me I had gestational diabetes, I just used Splenda in the tea.

I'm sure I had caffinated tea as well, from restaurants & such. Just try not to have too much. Get decaf when you can.

I drank something called Mother's Milk tea when I was pregnant which my doctor okayed. If you're planning to breastfeed, it's great because it's supposed help your milk come in and be abundant. :-)

Substitute, vitamin D more then what is in your prenatal and vitamins in general I have not consumed liquid caffeine in over 6 years and have had no issues with exhaustion I take vitamins especially vit D. I use to drink a LOT of caffeine but when I got pregnant with my first I stopped. Now I get headaches if I drink it.

Coffee made my morning sickness extremely bad and I was too afraid to drink caffeine. I tried many different teas. I drank lemon zinger tea with a tsp of sugar every morning until I had my baby. Than I was glad to get coffee back.

Hi S.,
Congrats on your pregnancy!
I love tea. Since I usualIy take 3 - 5(on those days!) mugs a day, I was advised by my OBGyn to take decaf. tea and I used Lipton decaf.
I would be vary careful with herbal teas, like many have already explained to you, sometimes we don't know all the herbs we might be allergic to.
If you find yourself craving some caffeine, indulge a little in chocolate....:)
Good luck and Enjoy your pregnancy.
L..
I work from Home and Loving it!

Most herbal teas that are commonly found in grocery stores should be fine when you are pregnant. Unless it is something exotic with a name you barely recognize, it is probably safe.
If you had a lot of caffeine before you got pregnant, you may have the caffeine withdrawal side effects like headaches if you suddenly stop. If that is the case, a cup of coffee or two cups of tea is considered safe while pregnant.
I only had a cup of coffee a day before I got pregnant, and I switched to decaf coffee without any problems. I also had herbal/fruit teas.
There is more information below about which herbs to avoid, you may want to take a look:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_herbal-teas-during-pregnancy_...
Your doctor should also be able to help you with this.
Good luck, enjoy pregnancy!

Please, please, please check with your own personal doctor. I had no problems drinking green tea (decaffeinated) while I was pregnant but I stuck with a domestic brand (Salada or Lipton). Usually teas that are local to you are fine because you are already used to them. Chamomile was the only tea I could drink in the morning sickness months.

But please do ask your doctor!

I LOVE TEA and when I was pregnant I couldn't bear not to have any so I switched to decaf tea..(and decaf coffee altho I don't drink much coffee but I am a tea addict) tastes much nicer too.. I don't think you will need or miss the caffine element, just drinking a drink you love to drink will be good.. unless you 'need' caffine?
If you're feeling exhausted and in need of caffine, you should just drink some orange juice to boost you.. you really don't need caffine for an energy boost ;-)

Herbal teas are not just flavored water. They have medicinal effects on your body. Always check with your Midwife/OB.

I've cleared a couple of teas with my midwife, but I only use them for the purpose intended. If you need a "pick up", try to get a short nap, go to bed earlier, eat better food (more veggies -- less refined flour/sugar!), or get some light exercise in (followed by a nap :D)

hi. i think it's fine to drink caffeine.....tea or coffee, soda or whatever, as long as it's limited to one cup a day. when i was pregnant, i would have my daily cup of coffee in the morning. I wouldn't drink soda or caffinated tea if i had already had my caffeine fix fo rthe day.

I read in several places that I could drink up to 2 glasses of regular (caffeinated) tea a day. Some days I have none and other days 2 - 3 glasses (depending if we eat out some where). I'm at the end of my pregnancy (2 weeks to go!) and had some bad headaches a month ago. My doctor also suggested that I have some daily caffeine.

I enjoy chai and buy the Oregon brand. I have one large glass almost every morning. It is half milk and half tea.

Hope you find your answers! Congrats!

I have actually been drinking (and did with my last pregnancy as well) something called Pregnancy Tea by Traditional Medicinals. It is quite good and contains natural items to help support a healthy pregnancy. Check it out!

I had a cup of strong black tea and a diet pepsi every morning with both pregnancies. A little caffeine is fine. Don't sweat it.

Raspberry leaf tea is awful. I drank it every day religiously during my first pregnancy. During my second, I did it for two weeks before deciding that I just couldn't do it, and had a cup of decaf black instead. I had a really easy second labor (at home) and both of my kids are very advanced for their ages.

Like I said, don't sweat it. Everything in moderation is fine. My midwife even believes a glass of wine a few nights a week is good to help you relax.

I was told to avoid caffeine before getting pregnant and during the first trimester because of chance of miscarriage, but I drank coffee, tea and diet cokes when pregnant with no problems. I have heard of some people getting super sensitive to caffeine while pregnant...causing them to have racing heart and not being able to sleep, but I didn't have that problem.