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Drinking Tea/Coffee/Caffeine during PG

I'm a little worried as I read in my pregnancy book that tea and coffee should be avoided altogether during pregnancy as the caffeine stunts the baby's growth and leads to low birth weights...

I'm 20 weeks pregnant and due for my next scan on Monday. I'm worried they'll say the baby's not growing properly as I drink 2-3 cups of tea a day and the occasional coffee like 1 a week. I also have coke when we go to McDonalds but that's only once or twice in a month. My bump is rather small also compared to my last pregnancy at 20 weeks.

Thing is I start to feel queasy and get a slight headache if I don't have a cup of tea during the day - which is a sign of withdrawal from the caffeine.... :\?

Has anyone drunk tea/coffee and had a normal sized baby?
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Replies

  • Ive cut it out now because Ive heard so many things about it, but I didnt drink that much anyway and the girls at work have been great, they pinched me some de-caff from upstairs. Ive got some fruit tea in as well now, I find a hot drink of ilute pop much nicer anyway.
    But my sister has drank tea and coffee through both her pregnancies and her daugher is fine and her bump is huge at the moment, I dont think the little lad having any trouble either
  • I'm sure it's fine. In my pregnancy book from the mw it says that 6 cups of tea, 8 glasses of coke, or 4 cups of coffee (or equivalent) a day is FINE. I still have a few cups of tea a day and the odd cola and my bumps huge and measuring a week ahead xxx
  • Thanks for your reassurance. I feel a bit better now. I guess it might be the American pregnancy books that are a bit over cautious!

    I'll let you know how it goes on Monday with the anomaly scan...but nervous about it, but feeling better now ;\)

    [Modified by: ~yummy_mummy~ on January 29, 2008 07:59 PM]
  • hi i have stopped drinking coffee becasue it makes me feel sick at the moment but i still drink just as much tea, about 3 cups a day at very most (as it makes me need a pee alot!). i have a bigger bump than i did last time, and had no problem with coffee last pregnancy so drank that too last time, my first baby was 7lb2oz which i think is a good normal weight.i have tried to cut down on fizzy drink just for controlling my own weight. i think as long as you are not dirnking it to excess itll be fine x


    http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/1;19;29/st/20080523/dt/5/k/1ec5/preg.png


  • Hiya!
    Through all my pregnancies I have drunk coffee - this one I did nearly give up because it made me feel sick! But have been drinking it (and drinking diet coke).
    At my scan the baby was right size for dates and my midwife knows what I eat and drink because I tell her when I think ive been naughty. I am lucky though because she is very liberal and has said on many occassions that if women from the med area or france, etc were told not to eat and drink the things we were told to avoid there would be a major baby shortage abroad lol
    I did try years ago to detox from caffeine but, like you, suffered migraine symptoms and I would rather have a top up then suffer that ever again - besides being that rough and stressed would affect the baby just as much!
    In the end, the choice is yours!
    Take care, Love Lee xxxxx
  • I think all this stuff about not having any caffine tc is mental. being pregnant is pure hard work and sometimes we need a boost, it was on the news the other day that you should drink no more then 3 large cups of coffee a day, but tea has more caffine in. If you still want coffee, switch to decaf, prob solved!!!!
    I for one, had pate on toast this morning, coz a little bit will not harm my child!
    Soon, we won;t be able to eat or drinik anything, it is ridiculous
  • I think it's somtimes difficult and should not always read what you see. But I know it's hard to avoid. I was told it was ok. And my baby is growing perfectly I was told. I dont drink tea and coffee everyday. But every now and again it's fine. You must remember this is only according to some people. Like they said how bad drinking was and wanted to prove the effects it had on babies. But thats cause those mothers drink like they always did before pregnancy. I dont drink. But my doc said it was fine.

    Just don't overdo it I would say.

    XXXX
    P.S The scan will be fine I'm sure
  • I think you have to drink bucket loads everyday for it to have an effect. I am addicted to diet coke and still drink it although i try decaff (just brown fizzy water!!) but i have swapped to decaff tea and coffee and i honestly cant tell the difference! even hubby hasnt noticed i swapped it!

    Last weekend we were round his parents for dinner and i had few glasses of coke and 2 cups of tea and because of all the caffine i was up most of the night not being able to sleep!!

    But i think you'll be fine - you hear of these people you drink alcohol and smoke all way through which is much worse for bub bub

    Enjoy the scan!
    Laura (17+5) xxx
  • Normally I would say, another thing to make you worry, but this may have some back up. With DD I was working and my boss bought us starbucks about 3 times a day, plus coke, and tea at home, DD was 6lb when she was born. With DS I wasn't working, drank squash, not much coffee and fruit teas and he was 8lb 6, could be coisidence, this time I've gone to half caff coffee, decaff tea bags and a little coke, but trying to stick to caffine free fizzy, we'll find out if this makes any differance in 6 1/2 months!!!
  • Another thing to consider is (and I quote my midwife!):-
    They cannot test any of these findings for sure because if they took 100 pregnant woment and let 50 not eat/drink the recommended things and 50 carry on eating/drinking everything - there would be an uproar!!!
    Also, just over 12 years ago women were told to eat liver, drink guiness because of the iron was good for them and baby - now it is on the list of foods to avoid!!!
  • I still drink the odd guiness, not every week, but if I fancy one.
  • And I hope you enjoy it!!! I just wish there was iron in an occassional baileys lol
  • My son was 6lb 12 and i never drank either, and my daughter was 6lb 4 and again i never drank either again.
  • I agree with elsbeth.
    If I followed all the advice, I'd probably be starving. Lol. I just think each to their own. I disagree with heavy drinking and smoking during pregnancy but some women have smoked for years before getting pg and find it v. difficult to quit altogether, I think in those cases cutting down is better than nothing! And as for drinking, I still have a drink sometimes. Oddly enough it's the younger people who have critisised me for this, my mum and ohs mum just say oh go on it never hurt u lot! lol! xxx
  • I think that is because the younger mums are going by all the crap the government throw at them about harming babies etc.

    Think back to the times b4 the NHS, women have been having babies since time began, b4 scans, dopplers etc and they managed all on their own and delivered healthy babies. Yeah there was the odd problem, but you get that now as well.

    If you fancy it, have it. Depriving your body will do more harm than good.
  • Hear Hear! And I am sat here eating a packet of peanut M & M's coz i fancied them!!!!!
  • Well I ate peanut butter on toast all though last pg and lo loves peanut butter...she's not allergic as they say is likely to happen if the mother eats peanuts.

    How comes in other countries such as India etc etc mothers there hardly ever get pg advice etc and eat whatever like peanuts etc and it's only in the UK where the nut allergy is the highest??
  • I actually think children here suffer from nut allergies because the mums DON'T eat peanuts during pregnancy, so the foetus can't develop a resistance to it. There has actually been research done on it. My stepmum followed all this advice which I think is stupid and she hasnt ever let my brother eat peanuts, I don't think he's even tried nuts as she's so scared he might have an allergy (he's 9!!!) xxx
  • I totally think you're right tiger lily, its when you avoid these certain 'allergy' foods that will cause the baby to develop allergies.

    The docs here think they know it all, but it just doesn't add up when you compare statistics with other countries.

    A bit of everything in moderation never caused anybody any harm...its just a shame women are being so over cautious nowadays.
  • It is only natural they are going to be cautious with all the crap that is plastered over the internet and the telly.
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