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Ask A Midwife

Q. I saw your bio on Childbirth.org. I have a few questions regarding nutrition.

I am now 12 weeks pregnant with my first child.

1. Every morning I have a cup of decaf coffee with a "shot" of regular coffee. I find that this little bit of caffeine stops the headaches I get when I don't have any caffeine. Is this harmful to the baby? I don't have any other forms of caffeine throughout the day.
2. I've been drinking a lot of Peppermint tea. Now I hear that herbal teas are not good for the baby...any truth to that? Should I stop my Peppermint tea habit?
3. I am grossed out about breastfeeding, however, all the articles I read say that its great for the baby, so I would like to give it a try. If I breast feed for 2 months, will that be enough to make a difference in my child's health?

Thanks!

Teresa

A. Hi Rose, thanks for your questions:

1. One or even two cups of caffeine a day (remember sodas and chocolate also contain caffeine) are probably fine, and despite numerous research studies, no specific problems with babies has been identified. You are right, headaches are a consequence of not having caffeine. One way to do it would be to slowly wean yourself off of the caffeine by diluting with less caffinated foods.

2. Peppermint tea: Is okay in pregnancy, and actually settles your stomach quite well.

   A good pregnancy tea is;

   • 3 parts raspberry leaf
   • 2 parts nettle
   • 1 part alfalfa leaf
   • 4 parts peppermint and/or spearmint
   • 3 parts lemon balm
   • 2 parts squaw vine
   • a pinch of sweetness
   • Use 4-6 Tb of herb mixture per quart of water. Steep over low heat.

3. Whether or not to breast feed is a very personal decision. If it is not something you are comfortable doing, don't give in to the pressure to do it. Breast milk is the perfect balance of nutrients for you baby, and the baby can get extra immunity from you milk. If the baby has allergies to milk, sometimes breast milk is the only thing. Again, this is personal. Do some reading and make the decision for yourself what you want to do.

Thanks for your questions.

Pat Sonnenstuhl is a semi-retired nurse midwife with over 30 years of experience in health care (first as an RN, then as an ARNP, CNM). She has experience with hospital nursing/midwifery and home and birth center midwifery.

Two areas of special interest to her are GBS and nutrition.

She is about empowerment, and helping folks find their own answers, what is right for them, not what is right for her. But, she wants you well informed.