Once you are pregnant, it feels like you have to give up so much for the health and well-being of your unborn child.
Restrictions on what you can do and what you can eat and drink are just the beginning. As well as sharing your body for nine months – it can be tough!
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But does pregnancy mean that we have to give up our favorite cup of coffee in the morning?
Many women do continue with their usual coffee habit, while others decide to take a little break from caffeine while pregnant, but which choice is right?
This is where the problem starts and even experts are divided as there is no conclusive evidence either way. But many suggest alternatives to your usual cup of coffee that are available at most big chains.
We thought we would make your life just a little less stressful as you have enough to worry about right now. So we did the research for you and put together a list of which drinks are safe to consume while pregnant.
Check out our list of Dunkin’ Donuts drinks that are safe to consume while pregnant, and we even popped in some alternatives if you want to avoid caffeine.
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Drinks That Are Safe To Order From Dunkin Donuts When Pregnant
1. Dunkaccino
The Dunkaccino is a great option as all sizes are safe for pregnant women to drink due to it being half hot chocolate and half coffee. The smallest size contains 58mg of caffeine whilst the extra-large size includes 129mg.
2. Espresso
Dunkin donuts espresso shots have 118mg of caffeine in them. This is perfect if you want that quick boost without having to worry about going over the recommended 200mg a day.
Be aware that Dunkin Donut ‘double shots’ of espresso are in fact only 1.5 shots and therefore don’t exceed the limit.
This is important to remember when you buy coffee from other businesses as a triple shot in Dunkin would be below 200mg when it would be around 225mg anywhere else.
3. Cappuccino
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Another delicious option is a cappuccino which contains an even amount of espresso, steamed milk, and foamed milk.
A small at Dunkin only has 118mg of caffeine despite being made with brewed espresso. This means you could get away with a medium as it contains 166mg. Steer clear of the large size as this will push you right over the limit with its 252mg of caffeine.
4. Iced Coffee
Iced coffees tend to be quite high in caffeine across the board.
A small at Dunkin comes in at 198mg which means you could get away with it but only just. However, an iced dark roast only has 124mg in it meaning you could get away with a medium with 186mg.
You could also opt for an Iced Latte as a small contains 118mg of caffeine while a medium contains only 166mg, keeping you well below the recommended 200mg per day.
5. Latte
Lattes are great as you can add your desired amount of espresso shots. You can get away with a medium at Dunkin Donuts as they only contain 166mg. The large includes 252mg so it’s best not to overindulge on this one.
6. Brewed Coffee
Dunkin has many options available for brewed coffee including your standard cup of coffee, brewed dark roast, energy cold brew, and bottled cold brew caramel. These vary in caffeine content, some even sending you over the daily limit.
Standard brewed coffee is safe in a small with 150mg but anything over this contains over 200mg of caffeine. Brewed dark roast is under the limit as long as you don’t go bigger than a medium which includes 164mg.
If you really want to limit your caffeine intake you could opt for a brewed decaf coffee that contains only 7mg of caffeine in a small size, 10mg in a medium, 15mg in a large, and 18mg in an extra-large.
7. Cold Brew
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Cold-brew at Dunkin may be one to avoid as even a small size has 174mg of caffeine while a medium contains over 260mg, so definitely one to avoid.
Energy cold brew is not safe for pregnant women in any size as its smallest contains 292mg. A bottled cold brew caramel only comes in one size (small) and is quite a bit below the limit with only 136mg of caffeine per bottle. Along with bottled cold brew midnight that only contains 152mg of caffeine.
8. Espresso Hot Chocolate
When you can’t decide between coffee and hot chocolate you don’t need to anymore. All three sizes of espresso hot chocolate are low in caffeine and are well below the recommended daily caffeine intake for pregnant women.
A small contains 127mg, a medium contains 131mg and a large contains 136mg.
9. Hot Tea
Coffee isn’t for everyone and that’s perfectly fine, Dunkin still has many drinks you can enjoy that are under the recommended caffeine limit. Tea is a great alternative as you can get up to a large in both regular and green tea. Although while pregnant you do need to limit green tea to just one cup a day.
Regular tea has 90mg in a small and 180 in a large. Green tea has 70mg in a small and 140mg in a large. Neither drinks are available in an extra-large.
10. Frozen Coffee
If you are feeling particularly parched then you may want to opt for a frozen coffee to help refresh you. You would need to go for a small as it contains 196mg of caffeine and the medium will take you well over the recommended 200mg per day at 295mg.
Other Big Chains
Dunkin’ Donuts has a large range of drinks available in a variety of different sizes but what do some of the other big-name chains have to offer.
Starbucks
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Starbucks offers a huge range of drinks that are suitable to consume while pregnant and still keeping you under the 200mg recommended daily allowance.
If you are concerned then you could always decide to just downsize your cup of coffee. A short freshly brewed coffee only contains 180mg of caffeine.
Here are some of the other drinks that are safe for pregnant women:
- Iced coffee contains anywhere between 120 and 165mg per cup.
- Espresso in a doppio size with 2 expresso shots is just 150mg of caffeine.
- Frappuccino is a great choice if you crave the caffeine but want a cold drink. They are also available in a range of different flavors, all of which are below the recommended daily intake of 200mg of caffeine.
You can check out our full review of Starbucks drinks that are suitable for pregnant women here.
Caribou Coffee
Simply downsizing your daily coffee to a small one isn’t going to do it here. A small cup of Caribou coffee contains 230mg of caffeine.
A better choice would be to go for one of the espresso drinks such as White Berry Mocha or Turtle Mocha as most of these are under 200mg.
FAQs
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How much caffeine can a pregnant woman have?
There is a great deal of conflicting evidence when it comes to how much caffeine a pregnant woman should consume.
The March of Dimes states that until more conclusive results are available, it is recommended that pregnant women should limit their caffeine intake to under 200mg per day. This is the equivalent of around one 12 oz cup of coffee.
How does caffeine affect a fetus?
Caffeine crosses the placenta to your baby. Your baby’s metabolism is still maturing and cannot fully metabolize the caffeine.
Any amount of caffeine can also cause changes in your baby’s sleep pattern or normal movement pattern in the latter stages of pregnancy.
What happens if you drink more than 200mg of caffeine when pregnant?
Babies of pregnant women who consume over 200mg of caffeine per day are at an increased risk of fetal growth restriction which could result in low birth weight and/or miscarriage.
What can I replace coffee with when pregnant?
Chicory coffee is not only a delicious substitute for proper ground coffee, it’s also healthy in pregnancy. Barley contains lots of helpful nutrients while also being suggested that it can reduce pregnancy-related water retention.
The Final Thought
When you are pregnant it often feels like you have to give up everything that you love but coffee is definitely not one of them.
With a few tweaks to your usual cup of joe, there is no reason that you can not continue to enjoy your morning coffee without any ill effects for you or your baby.
