Now that I’ve been pregnant for almost 5 months of my life I find myself living on the edge. What is safe and what isn’t safe to consume? If it’s not safe for the baby, then how is it safe for me normally? One thing that has drastically changed in my life is the fact that I used to be a daily coffee drinker. Two, three, okay maybe sometimes four cups a day was the intake on a typical week day.
I LOVE my coffee! But I have not been drinking it because I’ve been told by my OBGYN that I can absolutely not have any caffeine. So what does any sane coffee lover to at this point? They start drinking decaf. However, as I found my self not getting the normal joy of drinking coffee and the irregularity of days that I’d crave a cup of java I simply just went without.
Then I started thinking well tea has to be okay for me… Herbal tea without caffeine right? WRONG! Did you know what there are certain herbal teas that are bad for you while you’re pregnant? TRUE STORY! Hibiscus which is found it a lot of herbal tea blends is supposedly known to cause menstruation and miscarriage. REALLY?! How could my celestial seasonings one or two cup of tea with hibiscus flower added cause me to miscarry my baby? I didn’t believe it, but still I didn’t want to risk it. So I’ve given up my favorite teas to not harm my baby.
But alas, the craving for a yummy warm cup of tea surged within me and I went out searching for the herbal blend which contained no caffeine and NO harmful herbs. My boyfriend and I stopped at TEAVANA a glorious and magical store filled with some of the most delicious loose leaf teas I have ever tried. I feel in love! The lady there whipped up a scrumptious blend of decaffeinated Oolong chai with pomegranate/apple. I took it home and enjoyed! Then for curiosity sake I looked up the ingredients… Chicory root… Hmmm what is that? Well apparently that is not good for the pregnant ladies either! I’m thinking COME ON! Really?! What next? The cereal I want has too many grams of fiber or the running shoes I use don’t have enough support or a piano will fall on my head if I have a cookie?!! Needless to say I have been getting very frustrated with all the do’s and don’ts of pregnancy.
In writing this post I found a blog speaking to the same frustrations I’ve been having.
Mom Calls Out Our ‘Preggo Ladies Are Delicate Flowers’ Complex
The notion that expectant mothers can’t do pretty much anything, from lifting semi-heavy boxes to drinking lightly caffeinated tea, is a huge pillar of contemporary mommying culture. The list of things pregnant women can’t consume seems to just keeping getting longer and longer, with only a few vocal women willing to break from recommendations. But the “paranoia and mixed messages” of North American parenting are being called out by one mom who says we don’t have the data to back up our fears.
It’s our fears! We fear the worst and then find the webpage online that solidifies that fear into a reality indicating that what you just did… What you think might have just hurt your unborn child is a real threat and then you discontinue use or abstain from doing that ever again. My doctor actually told me not to drink any caffeine or to run long distance during my pregnancy. Where my friends doctor told her a glass of wine a day was absolutely fine. Honestly, I think drinking and smoking and the things that area already bad for you before baby should remain on the no no list while expecting. However, small amounts of caffeine in the form of tea or a sugary treat here and there is absolutely okay in moderation.
