Drinking tea during pregnancy

[Loupy]

Hi girls,

I'm almost 6 weeks now, and have tried to cut out caffeine in my diet.

I don't drink alot of coffee (maybe 3-4 a week) so am fine doing without it, but I loooove my tea. I've bought 2 new caffeine-free herbal teas which are lovely, and I have them in the afternoon and evening.

I also bought Dilmah and Tetley decaf black tea for during the day. I HATE THEM!! It's almost not worth drinking them, they are so tasteless.

Does anyone drink normal tea during pregnancy and what is the general consensus?

[Trillian]

I drank tea during pg. With my first baby I did the whole decaf thing but tea isn't as bad as other drinks for caffeine content, so I didn't worry about it with the rest of my pg's. unless you are having nothing but tea to drink, having 2-3 a day with bag tea (not brewed) should be OK. I really like the Madura black bag tea.

[MamaPan]

I am a tea fanatic and i drank tea in both pregs... i asked ob about this and he was ok with it.
I also HATED the decaf black teas - like drinking dirty water! madura is lower caffeine than others so i switched to that and had 2-3 cups max a day... (same when bfeeding).

[NaeNae]

I was told to not have any caffine during my pregnancy but I must confess I do have the occasional cup of tea, I just ensure that I drink an extra glass of water so if I have 5 waters normally per day when I have my tea I have 6 waters.

I think its more the fact the caffine is a diuretic.

Nae x

[Ayapi]

Loupy - I have my cuppa tea morning and night through out my first pg and now this one. I have cut out my coffee though now having hot chocolate in the mornings with my hubby.

Enjoy it!

[Liz]

I avoided caffeine too. I think they say a cup a day is ok?? can't remember.

Just out of interest.. found this comparison chart of caffeine content: Caffeine Content of Coffee, Tea, Chocolate

I also recall something about not drinking green tea in pregnancy because it stops the absorption of folate? or something? Don't quote me!

I do remember people offering me green tea because I said I didn't want caffeine and I had to tell them it's caffeinated LOL.

If you're dying for a decent cup, I'm sure it won't hurt I have my tea with milk, so didn't notice much difference with the decafs. But I found I wasn't craving a cuppa much anyway when pg.

[~Kim~]

Don't quote me but I'm pretty sure 200mg is the max caffeine you should have. If you look at the chart Liz put up, you'll see you should be right.

[principessa76]

I've heard that when you're making your tea if you use water that isn't boiling then less caffeine is drawn out of the leaves.

[Liz]

OK.. so I have too much time on my hands tonight

The best way to make your own decaffeinated tea

1) Start making your tea like you normally would.

2) Boil some water, let the water cool (depending on what type of tea), and pour the water over the leaves to let them infuse. You shouldn't use much water because your going to be pouring it out anyway.

Instead of infusing the leaves for a few minutes, only let them infuse for about 30-45 seconds, and pour off the lightly infused water.

3) Finally, put the leaves back in the pot and pour the water over them like you normally would. Let them infuse for the regular amount of time that they should infuse depending on the tea.

Since most of the caffeine comes out of the tea within the first 30-45 seconds, you now have tea that has about 80% less than it normally had. You've just made your own homemade decaffeinated tea!


Some Reasons Not To Buy Certain Decaf Teas

If you're interested in making your tea decaffeinated, I highly recommend you do it the way I just explained.

If you buy a decaf tea from a producer, make sure you know how they make that tea decaf. There are 2 methods they take for making a tea decaffeinated.

1) The first method uses the solvent ethyl acetate to pull the caffeine out of the tea. Although effective, it also takes out about 60% of the polyphenols (antioxidants). You want all the antioxidants you can get!

2) The second is a natural method using water and carbon dioxide. This is the preferred method of decaffeinating tea. This method is called effervescence. I highly suggest that you call the manufacturer of the tea and find out which method they use. If they do the first method, please find another supplier which uses the natural water method.

The bottom line is chamomile should be avoided during pregnancy. All herbal teas during pregnancy can have effects on mom and baby.

Various herbs have different effects on the pregnant mother to be, and these effects are passed through the mother to the baby. It is really important to be aware of the different foods you eat and what you drink while you are pregnant.

Health Canada recently issued a statement that Chamomile Tea can have harmful effects on the uterus and should not be consumed if you are pregnant.

So the bottom line is no chamomile tea! Chamomile Tea and pregnancy just don't mix.

Health Canada has approved the following types of herbal tea during pregnancy:

Ginger
Lemon Balm
Orange Peel
Rose Hip
Citrus Peel

None of the above teas actually contain tea. They are all herbal teas or infusions that have been noted as a safe tea during pregnancy. Chamomile tea and pregnancy should be avoided.

[Taurean]

I cut out coffee completely but allow myself a cup of tea each day, sometimes twice a day. I'm sure it's fine. I did read somewhere that up to 4 cups of tea a day is perfectly safe although one a day is usually enough for me. I have herbal teas when I feel like it - peppermint and chamomile.

Just remember though, the less caffeine the better and obviously no caffeine is the best option but a tea here and there shouldn't cause any harm. Just cut back your usual intake