Caffeine - Black or White in pregnancy?

A question from Sian, whose 12 weeks pregnant:

"I wanted to know more about what is and isn’t safe to drink pre and during and post pregnancy and why it is advised to avoid caffeine?

I also wanted to know whether decaffeinated products are safe to drink as substitutes and how the caffeine is removed from tea/coffee?"

I wanted to know more about what is and isn’t safe to drink pre and during and post pregnancy and why it is advised to avoid caffeine?

Great question as caffeine seems to cause much confusion in pregnancy due to the fact that there have been loads of studies and research about the effects of drinking caffeine and it’s risks to the growing baby during pregnancy. There doesn’t not seem to be a conclusive evidence although results from one particular research in Denmark seemed to show an increased risk of foetal death from increased coffee consumption in pregnancy. These women were drinking eight or more cups of coffee a day and had more than twice the risk of stillbirth compared with women who did not drink coffee during pregnancy. However the women who were involved in the study were more likely to also smoke and drink higher levels of alcohol - both factors which are suspected to increase miscarriage risk.

For health reasons there are some considerations for the Mum as well as the growing baby. Caffeine is a stimulant, as it increases adrenaline levels (the wake-up hormone), so it can effect mum to be’s sleep at a time when you really need it.

It can also dehydrate you.

For a mum to be sleep and re-hydration are key to preserve energy and to aid digestion respectively. Half of the caffeine content in a coffee stays in your body’s system for 5 to 6 hours, so drinking it after say 3pm could affect your ability to ‘wind down’ in the evening and thus be able to sleep.

Staying rehydrated whilst you are pregnant is important – during pregnancy your blood volume expands by nearly 50%, so you need to keep your fluid intake up. Choose: Herbal Teas, Water, Fresh Juice. Decaffeinated does still contain some caffeine so you may want to consider avoiding too much of this too.

With regards to your growing baby, one particular study concluded that pregnant women who drank. I’d consider eight cups of coffee a lot in one day and in my opinion what’s important is moderation!

If you want to err on the side of caution, but would still like to drink some coffee - limit it to a few cups a week. Remember caffeine is also found in carbonated drinks and chocolate so keep these in moderation too.

Which Teas to drink in pregnancy

This is a great question, which I received via Teapigs, the Tea company I do consultancy for and as there can be a lot of confusion over which to eat or drink when you're pregnant, I thought I'd share it with you.

"Was just wondering if you could recommend to me which of your teas are safe for pregnancy? I'm a big tea fan, but there are so many herbs you aren't allowed during pregnancy! I'm drinking super fruits at the moment, but any other ideas would be much appreciated!"

Herbal remedies are usually considered to be natural alternatives to medicines and drugs - but there are some which are unsafe for pregnancy so this is a very good question. Some herbs contain chemicals as such which can get into the placenta and thus into your baby, which may cause complications.

Your safest Teapigs or Herbal Tea options are;

• Camomile - this will help you sleep too. (dried or fresh herb is safe in moderation but avoid camomile oil)

• Chai Tea (contains cinnamon but quite safe as a culinary herb; avoid the essential oil completely.)
• Spiced Winter Red Tea - will help boost your immune system
• Summer Flowers
• Super Fruit
• Pure Lemongrass
• Peppermint (low doses of the dried herb can be used but avoid the oil).

With the black teas, limit to two cups a day, as excess can lead to palpitations and increased heart rate.

If you are using herbs to treat an ailment or symptoms, I'd recommend you
see a herbalist.