Women who love a caffeine fix may ask: Can I drink decaf coffee while pregnant?
Most of us know that women need to moderate caffeine consumption during pregnancy. Too much caffeine intake during pregnancy can increase the risk of pregnancy loss and other serious issues.
But for those of us who need that morning cup of coffee while pregnant, it’s not an unreasonable question whether decaffeinated coffee is safe to drink.
Drinking decaf coffee may not wake us up and give us that jump-start we are so used to before pregnancy, but perhaps we can drink decaf coffee and trick ourselves into thinking it’s the real thing.
This article will discuss drinking coffee while pregnant and whether decaf coffee is safe for pregnant women.
We’ll discuss the risks of drinking regular coffee during pregnancy and the differences between regular and decaffeinated coffee.
Can I drink decaf coffee while pregnant?
Caffeine consumption needs to be closely monitored during pregnancy, as too much caffeine intake can pose risks to both the health of pregnant women and their unborn babies.
This is unfortunate for pregnant women because pregnancy makes most women incredibly tired at times. In the third trimester, as your body prepares to deliver your baby, you may find that insomnia becomes an issue.
If ever there was a need for a pick-me-up in the morning in the form of caffeine consumption and regular coffee, it’s during pregnancy. However, issues and increased risk are associated with regular coffee while pregnant.
The problem with caffeine intake
The main problem with coffee consumption and how the caffeine in coffee beans can affect pregnancy is that there are conflicting studies and reports.
Women who drink decaffeinated coffee while pregnant seem to be at no more risk of low birth weight babies, premature birth, congenital disabilities, or miscarriage than those who do not drink decaf coffee.
However, similar studies have reported the same issues among pregnant women who drink caffeinated coffee.
The truth is, we simply don’t know. And the bottom line is this: When we don’t have good evidence and concrete answers, it’s often best to limit the usage of something or stay away from it completely.
You need your rest
Coffee beans and caffeinated coffee are chock full of caffeine. Even if it’s not harmful to drink while pregnant, consider that you can become sleepless and jittery when you drink a lot of coffee.
None of us wants to feel like zombies for several hours every morning, but trusting your body is most likely your safest option. You need your rest, and being tired is part of being pregnant.
Drinking coffee while pregnant, especially in the evenings, can cause heartburn, acid reflux, sleeplessness, anxiety, and jitters.
Is decaf coffee safe during pregnancy?
Brewed decaf coffee tastes very similar to regular coffee. Many people can’t tell the difference unless told that they’ve been given decaf coffee.
The process and the ingredients are different in decaffeinated coffee, which is the major difference between the two.
While the jury is still out on whether regular coffee is safe, most doctors have approved decaffeinated coffee. So if you’ve got to have that morning cup, it’s probably best to switch to decaf coffee.
What is decaf coffee?
Despite what you may have heard, decaf coffee is not just watered-down caffeinated coffee. It’s an entirely different coffee-making process, with an altogether different type of coffee beans.
The Swiss water process
The Swiss Water Process, or Swiss Water Method, is how decaf coffee is made. This process was perfected in the late 1970s to find a way to remove caffeine from coffee to make it safe to drink.
This process involves soaking the coffee in green coffee beans or green coffee extract. This is a caffeine-free process. The coffee is soaked in this green concoction until no caffeine is present.
It is then dried, packaged, and sold, and when you purchase it and make it, your coffee consumption is now without caffeine.
Not a foolproof process
Although a process has been used for decades to render decaf coffee a product many rely upon, there is no surefire way to remove all caffeine.
Because there’s no way to remove every bit of caffeine from decaf coffee, there is still a small amount of caffeine intake involved.
While we can’t be super precise, pregnant women should assume that the decaf coffee they drink contains about three percent caffeine.
To be better informed on how much decaf coffee is okay to drink during pregnancy, check the label on the decaf coffee you purchase. It will tell you how much caffeine is in their blend.
You can then determine if caffeine is low enough to consume safely.
How often can I drink decaf coffee while pregnant?
Many factors determine how much decaf coffee you can drink when pregnant.
The following are some things to remember when deciding the right number of coffee drinks for you.
Many products have caffeine
It’s not just coffee consumption that is to blame for caffeine intake. Remember that chocolate, soda, energy drinks, and tea contain caffeine.
To avoid a high caffeine intake, your best bet is to record the caffeine you regularly consume and keep it as low as possible.
If you have coffee cravings, switch to primarily decaffeinated beverages to have the same caffeine consumption. Still, you’ve substituted your tea for decaf coffee, for example.
What is the limit?
The agreed-upon caffeine content that pregnant women should try to stay below to be safe is 200 milligrams daily. Remember this as you tally up the caffeine in your daily diet.
High caffeine consumption due to soft drinks, chocolate, or coffee consumption can increase your heart rate and push you over that line so that you have exceeded the limit of 200 mg of caffeine per day.
Decaf coffee during pregnancy isn’t dangerous, so long as it’s done in moderation.
Risks associated with too much caffeine
The more caffeine you consume, the higher your risk of sleeplessness, feeling jittery, and other issues.
The decaf process, especially during early pregnancy, can help you gain peace of mind, especially since there are conflicting opinions regarding how many cups of coffee are okay during pregnancy.
Miscarriage risks
If you are a woman who has experienced a miscarriage or is worried that you might, you may think it’s best to skip caffeine altogether and stick with fruit juice in the mornings instead. Less caffeine will certainly not hurt you.
Caffeine during pregnancy has been linked to miscarriage in some studies. In other studies, the findings note the opposite, stating that it doesn’t matter how much caffeine you consume while pregnant.
Whatever the findings, the fact remains that about 26 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage for some reason or other.
Many women find it best to avoid caution and consume less caffeine during their pregnancy.
How do I know if I’ve had too much caffeine?
Anyone can consume too much caffeine. You don’t have to be pregnant to end up receiving some unpleasant symptoms of too much caffeine.
The following are some of the effects of too much caffeine present in the body:
- Heartburn
- Dizziness
- Dehydration (because it makes you urinate so much)
- High blood pressure
- Trouble sleeping
- Increased heart rate
- Upset stomach
- Possible low birth weight for baby
- Possible preterm birth of baby
Moderate caffeine consumption
The body’s ability to process caffeine, even when it has been water processed and is now considered decaffeinated coffee, varies for each person. Moderate amounts of caffeine are okay during pregnancy, such as enjoying a morning cup of coffee with your breakfast or in the afternoon after a nap.
Decaffeination simply seeks to render your daily cup of joe a little safer to drink due to the bulk of caffeine removed during the water process.
However, most experts agree that enjoying your regular cup of coffee each day is okay and will not lead to lower birth weights or congenital disabilities in your baby.
Conclusion
You can have your daily dose of caffeine, even if it’s not decaf coffee. However, decaf coffee is often recommended by healthcare providers and experts.
The main thing to remember is that all things are best consumed in moderation. Simply because the label says that it is decaffeinated coffee doesn’t mean that you should drink it nonstop all day.