The Buzz on Coffee
If you’re like me, I think the FIRST Google search on my phone after the positive pregnancy test was “can you drink coffee during pregnancy?”. I cringed in fear as the answers loaded, dreading a morning without the creamy, frothy latte I’d grown reliant upon to kick-start my day. Luckily, the jury is in and coffee is too! Thank you universe and modern medicine, I’m off to Starbucks now.
Not TOO fast. Yes, coffee has been found to be acceptable during pregnancy. And yup, I drank it. But, all that deliciousness comes with some restrictions. Rather than spending your precious social media trolling time in line Googling your favorite menu items’ caffeine content and cross-referencing that with your other Google search of caffeine limitations, we have it broken down here for you. We are also linking to a few diagrams that we found online while we were pregnant that we totally screen-shotted and kept on hand at ALL times. Better yet, here are my Top 3 Starbucks Coffee Orders ranging from your max caffeine to zilch.
Your caffeine allowance: 200mg MAX.
There are still the anti-caffeine advocates out there, as well as their more lax opposing forces, but after much back and forth, the American College of OBGYNs has determined that a moderate amount of caffeine is allowed during pregnancy and is not affiliated with miscarriage or pre-term birth. So, what is a moderate amount? 200mg. Generally speaking, in coffee terms, most coffee drinks will fall within this limit; some may even allow you two! But not all brews are brewed alike, so use these guides to be sure you know your limits and still get your fix!
Your holy grail of coffee beverage knowledge: https://www.thebump.com/a/caffeine-during-pregnancy
Thank you to The Bump for making our caffeine-deprived prayers come true! Here you’ll find your dos & don’ts as well as diagrams of the caffeine content of all your favorite beverages at all of your staple coffee joints…and even your home!
Top 3 Starbucks Coffee Orders
1. Max Caffeine: Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew > TALL or GRANDE ONLY!
These puppies pack a punch, with your tall running you 150mg of caffeine, which pretty much takes you close enough to your max budget. Want a grande? You'll deplete your caffeine stash for the day, meaning it’s one and done! But they’re SO deliciously sweet & bitter & creamy, it’s the perfect package to knock that coffee craving out of the park.
2. Medium Caffeine: Grande Iced Coffee with Caramel Drizzle & Milk
If you want some caffeine, but don’t want to go nuts, iced coffees (not to be confused with their much stronger cousin, cold brew) tend to be your best bet since they are generally lower in caffeine content. Starbucks' runs about 165mg per Grande, leaving you wiggle room for chocolate later. While I was all about the sugar-free, fat-free business pre-pregnancy, when I was pregnant I just couldn’t stomach “fake” flavorings, so I allowed myself some leniency with my coffee order. The caramel drizzle is that gooey, swirly caramel that you’d love to put on a sundae (or bathe in), which makes it the perfect treat without feeling like…well, like you actually ate a sundae. If you are more conservative with your cals, I recommend one pump of sugar-free vanilla instead. Also YUM!
3. Itty Bitty Caffeine: Decaf Latte
Hot or Iced, large or small. You want it? You can have it. Decaf still has small amounts of caffeine (there are 25mg in a Grande), but nothing that’s going to put you over your allotted daily allowance. Did you know that you can make any Starbucks Espresso drink as a decaf? That’s right. My favorite is a toasty, foamy hot latte, with just a sprinkle of cocoa on top. But if you want to go full on Machiatto, no one is stopping you. Order up!