Tea and Pregnancy
Pregnancy by Ola Czechowska When I learned I was pregnant, the first thing I did was a little research to find out the things I should eliminate or reduce from my diet. Smoked fish, soft cheese, alcohol, and caffeine topped the list. I love smoked fish, soft cheese, and alcohol, but they’re not things I consume on a daily basis. Caffeine, however, is in something I love and consume daily: TEA! I’m hot, hungry, and tired all the time, and on top of that I’m not supposed to have tea!? Let me look into this a little further. The Yale University School of Medicine published the results of their research on maternal consumption of caffeine during pregnancy in 2003. The concern was that caffeine contributed to low birth weight, but the study determined that “[t]his small decrease in birth weight, observed for maternal caffeine consumption, is unlikely to be clinically important except for women consuming Three other things worth noting: Considering how much tea I drank pre-pregnancy, there’s a good chance that I was consuming around 600 mg of caffeine. So, I have drastically reduced the amount of tea I drink, but I’m relieved that I don’t need to complete eliminate it.
600 mg of caffeine daily (approximately six 10-ounce (1 ounce = 28.3 g) cups of coffee). ”
Posted by Rachel at Tuesday ~ October 02, 2007 |
Category: Herbal Tea, Black Tea, White Tea, Tea Facts, Tea, Health Benefits, Green Tea
“Comments”
Jess
27/10/07 -
11:02 am
Caffeine enters the fetus through the placenta. It can elevate your stress hormones and to the fetus. Better to avoid it I think or decaf your tea at home.
rachel
31/10/07 -
4:44 am
Thanks for your comment, Jess! What you write is correct, though small and even moderate amounts of caffeine haven’t been shown to have lasting, negative effects. I’ll have a sip of my husband’s Coke once in a while, or steep a single cup of lower-caffeine tea once a week. I used to drink pots and pots and pots of tea every day, so this is a pretty dramatic change for me! I think moderation is important, but being in tune with one’s body and knowing the signals it sends are key.
Jess
01/11/07 -
5:11 am
Hello Rachel,
“Being in tune…” You are right indeed. Attending to life’s daily challenges and tasks can frequently make us ignore our own body’s signals.
One good thing about tea is that it’s theanine content seems to counter the effects of caffeine.
Jenny
03/03/08 -
12:24 pm
Are you aware of pregnancy teas? If you check out this website, they have awesome natural stuff for pregnancy and postpartum.
teya
10/04/08 -
1:12 pm
Anyone interested in free herbal tea recipes? If so, please visit
http://www.crazyfortea.com/herbal-tea.html and you can download a free mini ebook with herbal tea recipes.
“Comments”
Caffeine enters the fetus through the placenta. It can elevate your stress hormones and to the fetus. Better to avoid it I think or decaf your tea at home.
Thanks for your comment, Jess! What you write is correct, though small and even moderate amounts of caffeine haven’t been shown to have lasting, negative effects. I’ll have a sip of my husband’s Coke once in a while, or steep a single cup of lower-caffeine tea once a week. I used to drink pots and pots and pots of tea every day, so this is a pretty dramatic change for me! I think moderation is important, but being in tune with one’s body and knowing the signals it sends are key.
Hello Rachel,
“Being in tune…” You are right indeed. Attending to life’s daily challenges and tasks can frequently make us ignore our own body’s signals.
One good thing about tea is that it’s theanine content seems to counter the effects of caffeine.
Are you aware of pregnancy teas? If you check out this website, they have awesome natural stuff for pregnancy and postpartum.
Anyone interested in free herbal tea recipes? If so, please visit
http://www.crazyfortea.com/herbal-tea.html and you can download a free mini ebook with herbal tea recipes.