Conference moira::parenting_v3

    Chris,
    
    I asked my OB if 1 cup of coffee/day was okay during pregnancy
    and she said "yes"...and added that caffeine should be taken
    in moderation (as well as most other things).
    
    So, I assume that the same goes for Coke Classic.
    
    Linda

    Moderation is the key; note too that not only does Coke Classic
    have caffeine, but, as all non-diet sodas, it has a large amount
    of sugar.
    
    Perhaps you should consider it a special treat.
    
    I used to drink a maximum of about 3 cans a week, used mainly
    to head off a migraine. (a lot better for me & baby than my
    usual medication!)
    
    
    Monica
    
    
    
    

    My OB said that "moderation" was up to 4 8oz glasses of a "caffeine
    containing beverage" a day.  This seemed high to me, but sometimes Coke
    and saltines were all I could get down.  I did try to substitute
    caffeine-free beverages wherever possible.  As with everything else, the
    literature and studies vary.  Its up to you to learn all you can;
    weigh the facts, and make a decision.
    
    The key symptom of "caffeine withdrawal" is a severe headache--its
    commonly found in folks who drink large quantities of coffee during the
    week, and abstain on weekends.  If you're not having headaches, I'd
    assume that you're not experiencing a physical withdrawal.
    
    Susan

    My doctor allows 2 cups of a caffeine drink per day (16 ozs).
    
    Donna
    

    
    That's funny that people mentioned having headaches.  For the past
    week and a half, I have been having severe headaches.  They are
    so bad that I have to lay down somewhere because I feel like I'm
    going to either pass out or throw up.  I was getting really nervous
    thinking that something was wrong with me but the handbook from
    my OB said that women will get headaches from the hormones, so I
    assumed that that's what it was.  I had a really bad headache
    this weekend and decided to have a glass of coke hoping that it
    would make me feel better and it did!  I really feel the need
    to down a couple of Tylenol but I have not taken any medication
    since I found out I was pregnant.  I have a dtr's appointment next
    week and if my headaches still persist I will talk to her about
    this.  I think i'm getting a sinus infection too!
    
    Chris_whos_trying_to_tough_it_out
    

    I've found that a lot of times caffiene will help get rid of a
    headache - pregnant or not.  I also found when I was first pregnant and
    gave up my usual caffiene (2-3 cups of coffee and at least 1 can of
    soda) that I would get headaches.  My doctor also told me that one
    caffiene beverage a day was no problem but if I could get away without
    having it it would be better.
    
    My girlfriend on the other hand was told by her doctor that the only
    soda he wanted her to drink was diet soda - and if it had caffiene in
    it that was no problem.

    I was told to avoid caffeine whenever possible.  In other words - NONE!
    I probably averaged 2-3 diet Pepsi's a week, and that was about it.
    
    As for the craving ... my husband recently was having stomach problems
    and his Dr. told him to cut out caffeine.  It took him several months
    (and quite a bit of depression) to be able to become 'unaddicted' to
    his soda.  So, don't feel like you're going nuts - it is a very REAL
    addiction, probably close to what may happen if you smoked and tried to
    quit.  And the same as they say with smoking ... sometimes the stress
    of trying to cut it out is worse than the potential damage.  I'd talk
    to your Dr.!!
    
    GOOD LUCK!
    Patty

    
    Chris....I've had headaches since about 5 mos along also...and actually
    my doctor has given me something stronger than Tylenol for them (not
    sure of the name though). I seem to be getting migranes with my
    pregnancy.  (never had them before this).  And also, I used to have 
    TERRIBLE allergies every spring/summer...and for some reason, since I
    have been pregnant, they have subsided. I used to go through "boxes" 
    of tissues during this time...now, nothing. But I think what it
    happening is that the congestion is all staying in my head, and
    creating some of these headaches. I had tried Tylenol and Sudafed
    (both Dr approved) but they didn't work.  I was getting them about 5-6
    days a week, and they would last for 4+ hours at a time, sometimes 
    all the way through the night till the next day.  
    
    I don't normally agree with the idea of taking meds while pregnant, but
    in this case, I needed "something" to releive the pain. I couldn't 
    function. And I trust my doctors judgement.
    
    Oh...and the caffiene....I've heard one a day is acceptable.
    
    Check with you doctor on the headaches.
    
    Chris

    boy do I know about headaches -- I had a lot of them
    during the first 2 months; I was always very worried they'd become
    migraines (a few of them did and I don't care to relive that
    experience the next time!) 
    My doc and I had discussed the alternatives to my usual migraine
    medication  -- she fully agreed that the stress of the headache may
    be worse for the child than taking a tylenol occasionally or having
    a coke classic. 
    
    Wondering outloud here, caffeine-free diet coke; what do they 
    put in instead? 
    
>>> Compared to coffee, Coke doesn't have that much caffein in it.

    I wouldn't be sure about that, but it depends on how strong you like
    you coffee I guess -- I always found that drinking a coke in the
    evening was A LOT worse than having a cup of coffee -- I'd be
    dancing on the ceiling all night long. Except during pregnancy,
    of course, where I could sleep any time of the day or night.
    
    Monica
     

Have you tried slowly reducing the amount of caffeine that you ingest?
I've avoided caffeine withdrawal headaches by slowly cutting down --
drink one less cup of coffee or coke a day.  BTW, although some migraine
sufferers find caffeine helps, others (like my wife) find that caffeine
triggers migraines.

re coke causing more sleeplessness than coffee:

Another possible factor is the sugar (assuming it's not diet coke).

    I actually had only one migrane while I was pregnant, but it lasted
    four days.  I am normally prone to them, so having just that one in
    over nine months was great!
    
    As for Caffeine during pregnancy, I limited myself to one caffeinated
    drink 4 times a week (including weekends).  I sometimes drank
    caffeine-free coke and couldn't tell the difference, my weakness is Dr.
    Pepper.  I was told NO diet drinks containing Nutrasweet.  That was no 
    problem, as I am allergic to it anyway, it gives me migranes.
    
    One thing that contains caffeine that I haven't heard mentioned is
    chocolate.  To me, that was the hard one to give up. 
       
    Kathy

    Chris,
    
    I had terrible headaches when I first found out too....I think mine
    were caffeine related as well as hormone.
    
    I thought the way you did....it will harm the baby if I take
    Tylenol...I suffered for weeks until my doctor's appointment and
    I told him about them.  He said, 'By all means take Tylenol'.
    I take 1 extra strength.
    
    I asked him if there was a limit and he said, "if you get up to
    10 a day, we'll look at other methods."
    
    I STRONGLY suggest you call your doctor BEFORE your appointment.
    You are probably suffering for nothing like I did.  He asked me
    why I didn't call way before this....and I really didn't have an
    answer..8*)...just dumb I guess.
    
    People have been having baby for years and took aspirin, caffeine,
    and all kinds of over-the-counter drugs with no ill effects.  And
    as far as the caffeine, just use your head....the stress of wanting
    one is worse than having one.....my mom drank 15-20 cups a day when
    she was pregnant with me....so far I think I'm somewhat normal...8*)
    
    Awhile ago I put a note in about 'harming your baby before you knew you
    were pregnant'.  I have calmed down considerably since then...the
    baby is alot stronger than you think...talk to your doctor...he/she
    will make you feel better.
    
    Good luck, Kristen

>>    One thing that contains caffeine that I haven't heard mentioned is
>>    chocolate.  To me, that was the hard one to give up. 
       
Ha ha ha ha.  Do you know how much chocolate one would have to consume just
to get the equivilent amount found in a cup of coke?  Suffice it to say
that caffein in chocolate should NOT be a worry.  Calories, on the other
hand....  :-)

re : Note 1066.0 by CLT::KOBAL::CJOHNSON "Eat, drink and see Jerry!" >>>
                               -< I want soda! >-

    Chris,

	Hope things are going better since you wrote this !!

	As others have stated here, headaches were my main and
	(thank goodness :-)) only real problem during my
	pregnancy.  I did talk to my dr. and when he asked what
	I was doing different, I told him I had COMPLETELY cut
	out all caffeine - no coffee, no TAB, no chocolate...!!!!!
	He told me since I was used to drinking coffee all morning
	(6-10 cups !!) and Tab in the afternoons/evenings, that
	my body was used to a certain level of caffeine and was
	acting up because of it.  Rather than taking migraine
	meds or any other non-prescrip pain reliever (which 
	probably wouldn't have worked anyway), he told me to go
	back to 2-3 cups of coffee/Tab per day and see what
	happened.  Worked fine !!!

	Course, now I'm back to my 10 cups a day !!!!!!!!

	Debbi

    re: .14
    
    I mentioned chocolate because it DOES contain caffeine (the amount is
    not significant) and when I was pregnant because of that fact I was
    told not to have it. 
    
    Kathy
     

    I cut out all caffine (tea, hot and cold, coffee, coke), all artificial
    sweetners, all sugar (as much as possible), all alcohol.  I wish I
    could be that clean now.  I had just lost 50 pounds when I got preggers
    I really wanted to stay on the weight watchers plan but my Dr. is very
    conservative and said no dieting.  I think the weight watchers plan is
    excellant and I know that I would have been better off with that then
    trying to watch what I ate. So often I was really hungrey.  I love Iced
    tea and I remember saying I could not wait till I had the baby just so
    I could have a LARGE ICE TEA.  Only to find out that I had to wait till
    after I got done breast feeding.  BUMMER
    
    My best advice to you is do what you feel is best.  My roll model was a
    cousin who is a "perfect person" even though there is no such thing. 
    She was and still is trying to have the perfect child and be the
    perfect mom.  I wish I knew then what I know now.  My second will be a
    lot less stressful just because I wont try to be as perfect this time
    around.  No doubt that we need to watch our intake of calories and
    caffine but I am sure that some of these potentially harmful substances
    can be taken in what you feel is moderation.  To me moderation is 1 cup
    of coffee a day or an ice tea 3 to 4 times a week.  It is also
    important to me to know that I am doing what is best for my child.  
    
    hope this helps and good luck
    
    remember do what you feel is best
    
    roseann
    
    

re .16:
    
>    I mentioned chocolate because it DOES contain caffeine (the amount is
>    not significant)

That depends.  My wife gets migraines from small amounts of caffeine.
She can't even drink decaffeinated coffee.  More than two brownies and
she's at risk for a migraine.

    Have you tried mixing 1/2 Coke Classic with Caffeine and 1/2 with
    Caffeine Free Coke Classic?
    
    

    I have a few thoughts on this, how about if you slooooowly change from
    regular Coke to Caffein free Coke, like -.1 said start by mixing half
    and half.  I think, personally, I'd rather take in the little bit of
    sugar in regular coke, and to subject the baby to nutra-sweet or other
    "chemical Sweetners", although when I was pregnant I drank both diet
    and regular coke, and had Equal in my cereal and coffee.
    
    When (or if) you can kick the cafein habit, I have recently found some
    nice, refreshing alternatives to regular soda.  Poland Springs makes a
    soda water with 10% or more juice in it, I like the Cranberry in
    particular, there is also rasberry and blackberry. It's a little like
    drinking carbonated cranberry juice.  (It makes a nice base for a wine
    cooler, if you can drink wine!)  There are a couple other brands out
    there  much along the same lines, I just can't think of the brands. 
    Check in the bottled water section of the supermarket.  Look for the
    ones with a real color to the liquid, not the clear waters with a
    little flavor added.
    
    Lyn

    Gad, this is the same issue, that I mentioned about alcohol and
    pregnancy a week or two back. As has been said, Large amounts of
    caffeine, or nicotine or alcohol will be harmful. 
    
    Due to the mania for litigation in this country, the powers that be
    find it is safer to say "No" than to say "Be Careful". So sure, a
    couple of Cokes, a glass of wine with Dinner, and perhaps even a very
    very occasional puff on a cigarette if that is your way, but don't
    drink a dozen or more cokes or coffees, or down a fifth of Bourbon
    every day. And certainly stay away from Tobacco, and check with your
    Doctor before taking any non-prescription medicine. You Body acts as a
    buffer between your baby and the outside influences, There is no need
    to "molly coddle" it, but certainly don't swamp it with abuse...
    
    q