caffeine

G

gina

Cathlete
I am only 2 fetal weeks pregnant.

I read somewhere that it is ok to have 2 drinks day with caffeine in it.

In a previous post I just mentioned how easily I was gasping for breath. Do you think this could have been related to the incredibly weak cup of coffee I had 30 minutes prior to exercise?

9 hours later, one hour ago, I drank half a diet coke. Now I feel like my heart is beating faster.

I don't think I should have any more caffeine personally. What do you all think, generally, for you, or for me?

Gina
 
Personally, I gave up caffeine completely once I knew I was pregnant. It is generally safe to have around 5 oz. of caffeinated beverages per day (I believe that is the amount--I might be off a little but I do remember my midwife saying it was a small amount). I do miss my morning brew something awful. I am a flavored coffee person myself and it is hard to find a good selection of decaf flavored coffees at the Dunkin Donuts and other coffee shops. You can learn to live without it though. I am 38 years old and am more at risk for complications due to my age so I just choose to avoid anything that could even remotely affect the baby's development.
 
I did my pregnancy at 26. I drank one excellent cup of coffee a day. It was home-made organic dark roast made fresh. Towards the end I could use "the pod" as a shelf and rest my coffee on it. I gave up everything else, but that coffee was my one sinful thing. Not that sinful really. Now I don't drink it but once a week or so because it keeps me up at night. My advice is enjoy it, but go for quality.

However, if you feel that your body in particular is sensitive to caffeine now, you should probably stop. Switch to tea, or even decaf coffee. But go for quality. Coffee, unless it's Kona, is grown in third-world countries and has a lot of pesticides on it. I've seen it listed as one of the top ten foods highest in pesticide residues. So organic decaf might be good since you're pregnant.
 
OMG, is this true ? Kona has a lot of pesticides in it ? Urgh what a horrible thought ? What about Nescafe ?

Anna
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Sep-24-02 AT 11:13PM (Est)[/font][p]No no, Mogambo said that Kona is the only coffee NOT grown in third world countries and that's because it's grown in Hawaii.

There are basically two types of beans, robusta (the lousy quality kind that goes into Folgers, Maxwell House, Nescafe, etc...) and Arabica, which is usually found at coffee houses, sometimes in grocery stores, like Eight O'Clock coffee in the red bag, I think.

I used to work in coffee houses so I'm completely unable to drink crap coffee but that's okay because robusta (as I understand it) actually has a bit more caffeine that higher quality coffee. Arabica is also (for the most part) fresher and some coffee houses even carry (yep) organically grown coffee and "fair trade" coffee, all of which is very good for you and the rest of the world.

By the way, the best coffee houses with the highest quality coffee are usually the ones who use locally roasted beans and are not part of a chain. Can't stand old Charbucks for the life of me!
 
I hadn't heard about the pesticides either and I've been drinking about 1 to 1.5 cups of coffee most every morning (I'm 24 weeks pregnant). I'm sure I've read that 2 to 3 cups daily was fine, but I certainly don't "need" it or even really crave it. Maybe it's time to switch back to warm water with lemon...

Sandi
 
Caffeine & Artificial Sweeteners

Hi Gina,
First of all, it's typical to be breathing a lot harder than usual while you're pregnant, especially when your body is already wiped out from building a baby from scratch during your first trimester. That takes a lot of energy, you know ;-)!

Also, I've read that more than four cups of coffee a day (or the equivalent) is bad for you and the kid. Personally, I don't want to push it anywhere near that close. I've gone to half decaf and then drink my usual two cups in the morning so it's like getting one very drawn out cup of coffee. Besides that, I don't usually have any more caffeine during the day unless it's in the form of chocolate! Yeah, I know I need to lay off of the chocolate.

By the way, I don't think it's a good idea to have any amount of caffeine close to workout time. I'm pretty sure it messes with your natural metabolism in ways that aren't conducive to having a good effective workout.

Oh yeah, no more diet cokes! You shouldn't be eating/drinking aspartame while you're pregnant! You need to read labels like crazy now and make sure to avoid all artificial sweeteners. Not that it's good to load up on sugar but I think moderation is the key as far as natural sweeteners are concerned. Then again, some say that having lots of honey while you're pregnant will give your kid allergies but I don't really know about that.

When are you going to the doctor? Let us know how your first visit goes, looking forward to hearing about it!
 
RE: Caffeine & Artificial Sweeteners

You guys are so great!!!

I am glad to hear others drink some coffee. But I will avoid it before exercise. Warm water with lemon, huh? And I will try and get some organic decaf. Don't really care for pesticides!

I thought aspartame was ok and that saccharin was bad? I guess I shouldn't risk it.

I have a dr. appointment on Oct. 18, but they called me in a prescription for a prenatal vitamin. Oooh--better go take that thing! Ok before exercise?

Gina
 
RE: Caffeine & Artificial Sweeteners

Okay, well it says here that aspartame isn't necessarily a huge deal as long as you don't have lots and lots of it:

http://www.babycenter.com/expert/pregnancy/prenatalhealth/9213.html

Guess I might've overreacted yesterday, sorry. I've just heard some people say they've read really bad things about aspartame during pregnancy but I guess it's still something they're studying.

And here's a little more information about caffeine in case you're curious:

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/pregnancynutrition/3955.html

Happy gestating!!
 
RE: Caffeine & Artificial Sweeteners

That is the same site where I got my original info on aspartame and caffeine! What a coincidence.

I thought your end note was going to say "Happy Gasping"!
 
Both of my OBs in both pregnancies told me a few caffeinated drinks a day (like 1 or 2) are just fine. I had an aversion to coffee during the first few months both times, but drank 1-2 coffees (heavy on the milk... probably 1/3 milk, 2/3 coffee) after the 1st triemster both pregnancies. I had 2 healthy boys... and neither had any trouble learning to sleep through the night (1st started at 2 weeks, 2nd at 5 weeks... ), so my personal feeling is that it is no problem.
Susan
 
Thanks Susan.

I have been doing 1 cup of 50% less caffeine Eight O'clock coffee in the morning. I workout 30 minutes later. I just can't get going without it. I have been putting a level teaspoon of sugar instead of articial sweetners. (and some skim milk.)
 
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