Coffee in Early Pregnancy
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Category: Pregnant
Forum Name: Pregnancy
Forum Description: Pregnant! Wanting to chat to other mums-to-be (or dads-to-be)? Share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas... This is that place!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13922
Printed Date: 18 August 2025 at 11:51am
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Topic: Coffee in Early Pregnancy
Posted By: FionaS
Subject: Coffee in Early Pregnancy
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 12:19pm
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When pregnant with Elle I didn't go off coffee and in fact wanted it more than ever. I just read the article in the herald that says that drinking 2 or more cups of coffee a day increases miscarriage risk by 56%!
Back in 2006 my fertility specialist said under 5 cups per day was fine. I usually have 1 cup but it's espresso so the strength is equivalent to 2. Guess the weaning begins :( I love my coffee :( It's going to be very very hard, esp since I get very little sleep, usually 3 or 4 hours a night. Anyone else NOT go off coffee when pregnant? ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Replies:
Posted By: fire_engine
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 12:26pm
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Hi FionaS - it's really hard with headlines like that because they are "exciting" rather than being based on all the science that's out there. Discuss the risk with your LMC - it's only one piece of research that has attracted headlines, but there will be plenty of other research out there that reports the risk differently. Your LMC will have the skills to interpret ALL the research out there and will make recommendations that aren't based on exciting headlines.
Sorry - I get really annoyed with the media's reporting of research as it is not actually done in a scientific way, but is done in a way to attract attention. Also the people reporting it probably don't have the skills in interpreting it to know if it was a good valid study or a crap one! So, in the midst of the rant, I think you should have faith in your specialist's advice from last year and don't be too hard on yourself! BTW - I went completely off coffee and am now starting to drink it - maybe 2 cups a week! ------------- Mum to two wee boys |
Posted By: Snickerdoodle
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 12:27pm
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There's a thread in the in the news section on this.
Quite interesting. I didn't drink coffee during the first trimester, but only because I was so crook, I think. But my philisophy has always been "everything in moderation" so I average about one a day. But my conscience kicks in about an hour later and I drink about 4 glasses of water in a row 
------------- 
http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 12:44pm
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Don't worry Flissty, I'm very aware that these kinds of studies come up all the time and are sensationalised and then 5mins later a study says the opposite so it's important to take these things with a grain of salt. I will discuss it with my LMC (just out of interest really as they all have different opinions) but as I'm so early into the pregnancy I won't be seeing her for at least 3 weeks.
In the meantime, it's good incentive to cut back. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 12:49pm
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i cut right back on coke..which was what i drank a lot of..i still had like a cup a week and then had a little more since I've got further on (these so called studies say that later on makes no difference basically) but saying that coke settled both my head and my stomach and i thought it was better than diet stuff which has weird sweeteners in it etc.. its totally up to you...but i'd probably cut back till you can talk to mw or be like charly and do the everything in moderation theory:) ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 12:50pm
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I went off coffee in the first trimester so it wasnt a prob for me, but now Im feeling better I have a few cups a day. In one of my magazines I was reading a thing about coffee and it said that instant coffee should be kept to under 6 cups a day(so thats still quite a lot you can safley drink). I try to not worry myself with things like this other wise Id go crazy lol, I stay away from the really bad stuff like booze and smoking(I dont do either normally) but I think a few cups of coffee a day isnt going to hurt. ------------- |
Posted By: Paws
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 12:54pm
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I went totally off coffee so not much help there...I did have bad coke cravings though!!
Can you do decaf? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: CindyD
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 12:57pm
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i love a coffee, its the first thing i do when i wake up in the morning. i try and keep it down to 1 a day anyway, but especially when im preggers. too much of anything isn't good for you, so just think moderation!!!! -------------    
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Posted By: tishy
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 1:03pm
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Moderation and accepting that your body knows best. I've been having about 1 cup of coffee / tea a day all during pregnancy.
My body hasn't felt like any more than that. Decaf still has traces of caffeine apparently, and tastes like sh*te, in my personal opinion anyway 
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Posted By: yummymummy
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 1:08pm
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Me!
I didn't go off coffee either time really. While pregnant with Gina I did cut it down to 1-2 a day - I used to drink 5+ cups a day before. And I tried to have decaf as much as possible. This time, I've had 1 cup of normal coffee a day and 3-4 cups tea pretty much from day one with no obvious side effects. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: LittleBug
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 1:09pm
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All of the studies we looked at in our reproduction and development papers at uni found that limited coffee intake was fine... so I wouldn't panic about 1 espresso a day (even if it's a double shot!). Quite a few studies even found that a coffee a day had benefits for baby's developing cardiovascular system!
Drinking coke is much worse because it inhibits your intake of vitamins and minerals more, as it's carbonated as well as caffeinated. Not to mention all the sugar... ETA: I couldn't stand coffee for the first 5 months, but now I love it again  ------------- Chloe (4 years) and Oliver (3 years). |
Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 1:15pm
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I usually have one in the morning, then sort of midday and then the evening, my tummy cant handle too much coffee. Other wise I have a cup of tea which is quite refeshing, with some gingernut bikkies! ------------- |
Posted By: MissAngel
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 5:45pm
| Ahh, I drank coffee like I drink it normally - about 6-8 cups a day. Nothing wrong with my baby :D (well the 20wk scan showed nothing wrong anyway :P) THey're just too fussy now over what does what I reckon. |
Posted By: KiwiL
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 6:41pm
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Fiona, I have decided to cut back as well, but I don't think a little is too harmful. I usually have a couple of espressos per day (we have a cafe series machine at home!), but now I am just having one in the morning. I need it to function.
In the afternoon I have opted for decaf espresso and I have removed the Coke Zero i used to drink and replaced it with water and Sprite Zero. |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 8:04pm
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I'm not a coffee drinker, but I do drink a lot of diet coke usually, altho pregnancy puts me right off it.
As for the reliability of the studies, it's also important to remember that clinical research into pregnancy/birth etc. isn't permitted for ethical reasons, so all the data analysed is anecdotal, which means there are fewer controls over the sample group. Plus us journo types like to sensationalise things of course -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: 25 January 2008 at 11:12pm
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My MW said 2 cups of 'proper' coffee was fine. I drank 1 a day for my whole pregnancy (our work has an espresso machine).
Going for 9 months with no coffee would probably have done me in.  -------------  
 
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Posted By: aussiegirl
Date Posted: 26 January 2008 at 9:01am
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I LOVE coffee, especially Starbucks! But went completely off it from 6 weeks into my pregnancy, and still don't feeli like it!
I do have 1 cup of tea a day and the occasional coke, which during the morning sickness stage did help to calm my stomach. I hope I get the taste for coffee back! ------------- Mum to Hayley **30.6.08
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Kels
Date Posted: 26 January 2008 at 2:00pm
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I never went off coffee when Preg with Alize and was still drinking anywhere up to 15 coffees per day ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
Busy mum to Miss 15yrs, Miss 10yrs and Master 4yrs |
until the end of the first trimester as the MW said limit it to 3 per day so I did (just survived) . I did go onto decaf with the support of the NOv mums while I was breastfeeding and I am now onto regular coffee again since he isnt bfeeding as much. Posted By: mountaingoat
Date Posted: 27 January 2008 at 11:56am
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I was still drinking coffee (1-2 cups a day) before I found out I was pregnant, and then after finding out, I kind of went off it. I think maybe it was psychological. I still crave my cuppa tea at breakfast, though. I think I'd still be drinking coffee if I could afford to buy nice stuff instead of cheap bitter generic stuff. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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