To get energy without caffeine while pregnant, you can take a nap, exercise, eat a healthy energy-boosting snack, and long-term focus on keeping your sleep debt low and living in sync with your circadian rhythm throughout your pregnancy.
Use tea to keep your morning routine
If you're still craving a warm cup of something once you've hit your caffeine limit, consider a caffeine-free tea, such as chamomile, ginger, or rooibos, to keep your morning ritual intact.
Doctors and midwives do not recommend energy drinks to anyone during pregnancy. Energy drinks contain a lot of caffeine and many other ingredients that could be unsafe for pregnant people.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that pregnant women limit their caffeine consumption to less than 200 mg (about two, six-ounce cups) per day.
Pregnancy-safe tea. Black, white, and green teas in moderation are safe during pregnancy. They contain caffeine, so be mindful of how much you sip to stay under the recommended limit for pregnancy. Use caution with herbal teas, which aren't FDA regulated.
Decaf coffee contains only a very small amount of caffeine, with 2.4 mg in an average brewed cup (240 mL). Therefore, it's most likely fine to drink in moderation during pregnancy.
Hormone changes play a big role in making you feel tired, especially the hormone progesterone. This hormone rises sharply in the first trimester. In addition, as blood volume increases to supply the developing placenta and fetal circulation, your heart pumps faster and stronger.
Experts and energy drink manufacturers advise against consuming energy drinks while pregnant or breastfeeding. That's because ingredients like high levels of caffeine, herbs, and vitamins may not be safe during pregnancy and lactation. Read labels carefully and limit your daily caffeine intake to 200 mg while pregnant.
Mineral water, tonic water, water from plastic bottles, juices, smoothies, and sweetened carbonated drinks are all safe to drink during pregnancy in moderation, while coffee and tea are safe as long as they're limited. The drinks to categorically avoid during pregnancy include alcohol, unpasteurized milk, and kombucha.
Caffeine readily crosses the placenta into the fetus and into amniotic fluid. The half-life of caffeine increases during pregnancy, reaching 11.5 – 18 hours by the end of pregnancy (2).
Any amount of caffeine can also cause changes in your baby's sleep pattern or normal movement pattern in the later stages of pregnancy. Remember, caffeine is a stimulant and can keep both you and your baby awake. Caffeine is found in more than just coffee.
Although experience with fatigue tends to vary, most women will feel more tired than usual during their pregnancy. Fatigue during pregnancy is most common during the first trimester. It tends to go away during the second trimester, but will usually return in the third trimester.
Between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each day is recommended at the age most women find themselves pregnant. (Genetics and quality of sleep can affect these numbers, but this is a good general guideline for how much shut-eye is needed.)
Research indicates that sleeping on side can help babies' growth | Tommy's.
When is pregnancy exhaustion not normal? While exhaustion is a common symptom of pregnancy, extreme fatigue is not normal and may be a sign of an underlying health condition. Dr. Saunders said you should see your health care provider if your fatigue is severe and persistent.
You need plenty of B vitamins and magnesium to make energy during pregnancy so make sure your pregnancy multi contains good levels of these key nutrients.
Is It Safe for Baby? Green tea is safe for your baby throughout pregnancy, as long as you are not going over the recommended daily caffeine intake, which poses risks such as low birth weight.
Fortunately, honey does not carry the same risks as many other uncooked or unpasteurized foods. In general, honey is a safe sweet treat for you during pregnancy. So if you want to swirl some honey in your tea, use it to sweeten your baked goods, or take a spoonful to soothe a sore throat, feel free.
Chamomile tea: A cup of chamomile tea before bed may relax you, but again, avoid drinking large quantities. There is a suggestion it could stimulate the uterus or lead to circulation problems in your baby.
However, you should try to cut down if you usually have more than 200mg of caffeine a day. Drinking no more than two mugs of tea, two mugs of instant coffee or one mug of filter coffee a day will keep you within the recommended daily limit of 200mg (ACOG 2010, DH 2011, FSA 2008, RCOG 2015).
Have a snack. Babies respond to those blood sugar boosts of yours much like you do. Next time you're trying to do a kick count or just want reassurance that your little one is okay, try eating a healthy snack like cheese and crackers, peanut butter toast, Greek yogurt or fruit and nuts.
Early in your pregnancy, you may just feel a few flutters every now and then. But as your baby grows -- usually by the end of the second trimester -- the kicks should grow stronger and more frequent. Studies show that by the third trimester, the baby moves about 30 times each hour.