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I drank alllllll the coffee. Expecting better was a great book about American 'rules' during pregnancy

I drink one cup every day ... I assume if I'm getting iced coffee, I'm totally overdoing it, since it's espresso?

I totally abstained with LO1 ... but baby number two gets the shaft.

With all of my pregnancies I lost the taste for coffee in my first trimester (crazy, I know) but then I drank one cup per day thereafter. Maybe with my first pregnancy I gave it up completely. I can't remember.

I generally drink one cup of coffee a day, occasionally will get a second half caff drink at my coffee shop or have iced tea. I think 2-3 cups a day is fine!

I avoided in the 1st trimester due to fear of loss and I avoided in the 3rd trimester bc LO had heart rate issues that were seemingly affected by caffeine.

I did my best to stick to the 200 mg or under rule. I might have gone slightly over a few times - and there were days I was well under. But most days I had 100-200 mg.

But I'll tell you that my son was born small for gestational age and I immediately beat myself up even though literally everyone that cared for me / him told me that was ridiculous. We aren't having more children but if we did I would not drink any caffeine in pregnancy. I know logically the chances of me causing any issues for him by drinking caffeine within the recommended limits are extremely low - but the guilt is enough to make me regret it.

@winniebee: I cut it back to 2 cups a day with my 1st, and trying to do the same now...but at times a 3rd sneaks in there the days my 3 year old wakes up at 5:30 am

I order my espresso drinks and make my coffee 1/2 decaffeinated to help myself stay close to the limit. I don't worry about it too much and neither does my OB. In fact, he told me if I had a headache that I should try 1/2 a can of Coke before reaching for the Tylenol, as the combo of caffeine, sugar, and water will address the most common causes of pregnancy headaches.

If you read the primary literature on caffeine consumption and growth restriction etc of the baby, it takes a lot of caffeine over the whole course of pregnancy to result in a negative effect.

I avoid caffeine for all pregnancies. I drink decaf. But I also had to avoid caffeine while breastfeeding too, it was giving my DD very bad upset stomach. So I haven't had any caffeine in since Sept 2014 hahahaha

No, I probably had a 22oz Coke every morning of my first trimester and half of the second one to function. I only stopped drinking it because of my GD diagnosis, otherwise I was a zombie and it was the only thing that made my morning sickness go away.

I drank more than my drs rec of 1 cup coffee per day but 200mg caffeine or less. My trick this pregnancy since chasing a toddler made me need it was to drink small amounts 2-3x/day-- so 1/2 cup coffee when I woke, another 1/2 cup or a small/1 shot espresso drink mid morning or noon ish, and then one more if I was really dragging later, esp if I was home and could control the size of the cup (I mix w milk, so I was drinking a full size mug just w way more milk-- placebo effect lol!). It usually added up to like 1.5-2cups a day. W nursing I've added an extra cup-- at home I have 3-4 half cups a day instead of 2-3

I tried to stay under rule 200/mg rule but I didn't beat myself up about it or really worry about it if I went over sometimes. I think of it like this: our society is so risk adverse when we're talking about pregnant women *and* we're litigious. In order for a rule to be adopted, I figure it is probably pretty conservative anyway.

I gave up caffeine with both pregnancies. I'm a "rule" follower.

I drank one large mug my entire pregnancy. My son appears to be normal and very healthy

so because I obsessively google.. I came across a report that a cup of coffee (lets say medium) has more caffeine in it than a cup (same size) of a macchiato or a latte... and here i was ttc and weaning myself off the macchiatos and lattes and trying to drink cups of coffee.... so at this point I don't know anymore.... i mean to abstain is hard.... (first world problems???) but a healthy baby is most important right?

I had as much caffeine as I wanted with both pregnancies. I needed it to get through pregnancy #2 especially. I actually don't really have much caffeine when I'm not pregnant but pregnancy really slowed me down!

I read somewhere that caffeine can make your pregnancy last longer. I had caffeine maybe three times in my first pregnancy and went to 42 weeks and had to be induced....so clearly that is a false statement!

I'm also a "rule" follower and decided to just give it up before getting pregnant with my first. I have had tea or pop with caffeine only a handful of times since summer 2014 and have never looked back! None so far in this pregnancy. I had a random Pepsi craving with my first near the end.