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Article Can I Eat Chocolate While Pregnant Or Breastfeeding?

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I remember when I was pregnant with my first baby I abstained from most sources of caffeine, including chocolate and (my favourite) coffee, in the hopes that I would have a calmer and more relaxed baby.

I also did pregnancy yoga and tried to maintain a relaxed lifestyle, going for lovely long walks by the beach in the morning, followed by a stretching session. Ahh, the luxury of a childfree existence!

Despite all of my careful pregnancy preparations, my first baby is a highly sensitive individual.

As a newborn, that translated to a very upset and difficult to soothe baby, who was particularly sensitive to everything I ate and did.

Nothing Could Have Changed Him!

Nothing I did or did not do in pregnancy would have changed that – it is just the way he is genetically designed, as with so many babies – temperament is largely hard-wired before birth.

I did subsequently read, however, that consuming caffeine during your pregnancy is thought to decrease your baby’s sensitivity to caffeine in breastmilk after birth.

The Key!

With my second baby I didn’t give up my daily coffee, and I didn’t give up chocolate. I also didn’t consume anything to excess. The key I believe, is moderation.

So it’s ok to eat chocolate while you’re pregnant?

A Finnish study reported in New Scientist magazine showed that mums that ate chocolate every day during pregnancy were more likely to say they had happy babies, and stressed mums that ate chocolate were more likely to say their baby was less fearful in new situations.

Although scientists don’t know exactly why, there is a theory that the indulgence of chocolate makes mum’s feel happier and less stressed during pregnancy, or perhaps those mums are generally more relaxed.

There is also some research from Yale University to show that mums who eat (or drink) chocolate during pregnancy have a lower risk of pre-eclampsia, the dangerous high blood pressure condition.

What about caffeine in pregnancy?

The main concern with chocolate is its contribution to your overall caffeine intake. Australian guidelines for pregnant mums are to limit your caffeine to 200 mg per day. This is based on research that links high caffeine intake to risk factors for babies including low birth weight.

I would also add that everyone has differing levels of sensitivity to caffeine.

If you or your partner are particularly sensitive to caffeine (for example a cup of coffee gives you the feeling of a racing heart), then I would stick to a lower intake as your baby is also more likely to be sensitive to caffeine.

Is caffeine ok for breastfeeding mums?

Just like us, babies are all different and 200 mg of caffeine may be just fine for your friend’s baby, but may cause your baby to be fussy and have difficulty sleeping. Only a very small (around 1%) of your caffeine intake will be in your breast milk.

Caffeine levels in your breast milk will peak approximately 1 – 2 hours after eating or drinking it – so you can somewhat time your intake to reduce the likely impact on your baby (depending on how predictable your baby’s feeds are!).

Newborn babies also have a hard time processing caffeine through their liver – it takes days for the caffeine to leave their system.

What this means is that if you are consuming caffeine every day, the effects will build up in your baby’s system because they take so long to process it.

Try Cutting Down On Caffeine

So, if you have a newborn and she seems fussy or is having trouble sleeping, then you can try cutting down on your caffeine intake and giving your baby a couple of weeks to clear the caffeine out of their system – and then see if you think it has made a difference.

Remember that to avoid withdrawal symptoms yourself (such as a headache), ease off on the caffeine gradually – perhaps replacing coffee with tea, and then replace tea with herbal tea.

As your baby grows so does his ability to process caffeine, so you may be able to introduce a higher level of caffeine in the coming months. As always, follow your baby’s lead – they are quite good at letting you know how they’re feeling!

So how much chocolate can I eat?

The most important part is understanding how much caffeine is in your food.

You might know that caffeine can be found in coffee, tea, soft drink, some medications and of course chocolate.

The amount will vary depending on the strength of the drink, the type of beans or tea leaves used and how much you are drinking.

Some common caffeinated drinks are:

  • Cafe Espresso – this ranges between 25 – 214 mg per espresso shot depending on the beans and the barista. The average is about 100 mg, but I’d be limiting the intake to a max of one a day!
  • Instant coffee – approximately 70 mg per teaspoon of coffee, depending on the brand.
  • Black or green tea – approximately 30 mg
  • Can of coke – 32 mg in a 330 ml can
  • Red Bull – each 250 ml can contains 80 mg of caffeine
  • Surprisingly, in each tablet of Panadol Extra you will find 65 mg of caffeine!

How Much Caffeine Is In Chocolate?

But the question everyone wants to ask is… how much caffeine is in chocolate?

  • 100g of dark chocolate contains around 120mg caffeine.
  • 100g of milk chocolate contains about 20 mg of caffeine

But once again, it all comes down to moderation, so go get that slab of chocolate and enjoy every bite.

Did you eat chocolate or drink coffee during pregnancy? Tell us in the comments below.

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Comments

  • I have had to give up coffee with all three of my pregnancies, I found even with just one coffee a day I was peeing as many times a day as I do when I’m at the very end of a pregnancy!
    With my first two I was able to switch to decaf coffee as a substitute, but this time with my third, I can’t even have a decaf coffee in the morning.
    I’m hoping that I’ll be able to start drinking decaf coffee again soon once I’m passed this wonderful morning sickness and nausea stage!

    • I’ve been able to eat chocolate with all my pregnancies too, only in the afternoon or evening this time though. I think that my second pregnancy might have been the same.
      First though I could eat it anytime (had no morning sickness or nausea with my first though either.)

      • Thanks for sharing – how interesting that all three pregnancies were so different!

    Reply

  • I ate chocolate during my pregnancies as I love the stuff but obviously didn’t overindulge. I avoided coffee though.

    Reply

  • Interesting reading, thankyou. I couldn’t stand the smell of coffee for two pregnancies, and just didn’t desire it for the other two. (Pickled onions and ice cream were my quirk). The kids hated me eating chocolate while I was breastfeeding, one or two square was the limit. Generally though, I found being relaxed played a bigger part in the kids being contented than what I ate or drank.

    Reply

  • I was unable to tolerate any chocolate or caffeine during pregnancies! 🙁 I was incredibly healthy during each pregnancy as that is all my body would tolerate-healthy foods.

    • Thanks for the comment 🙂 It’s so interesting how differently our bodies react!

      • I am so pleased that I can once again enjoy caffeine and chocolate in moderation! You are absolutely right; our bodies are very different. I have a friend that craved sour foods during her pregnancy-limes and lemons and similar foods. She would peel and eat them all of the time!

    Reply

  • Thanks for an interesting article. I find that coffee sends my heart racing but chocolate does not. I wonder if I am sensitive to one over the other. Anyway, in pregnancy, I had no issues.

    • Interesting! It may be because chocolate contains a slightly different type of stimulant. If you want to get really technical I think it’s called “Theobromine” which affects your system differently to caffeine. Very interesting stuff 🙂

    Reply

  • I eat pretty healthy but I certainly didn’t give up any chocolate while pregnant.

    Reply

  • the main point i got from this article is chocolate good! chocolate very good!

    Reply

  • I am like YOUNGOLDLADY as the older I get the more chocolate effects me, I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia but have found that if I restrict sugar I do not suffer fibro symptoms. Chocolate leaves me with a restless night, aching and twitching muscles and waking with a sore neck and major headache.

    • That is very interesting – I wonder whether it’s the cocoa or the sugar. It’s great you’ve been able to pinpoint the source of your problems!

    Reply

  • The older I got chocolate effected me, but no real differences in the children i had. With the last ones , could not stand drinking tea or coffee and my chocolates were to wards the end when in hospital for rest and they were peanut M&M’s so that lessened the amount. So everything in moderation and when BF let your child decide if you can put up with the problems then do so. If it is harming baby then do not. It is only for up to 12 months sometimes that you are without, but a life time hopefully of loving your child.

    Reply

  • Dang….Ive missed the opportunity to indulge in extra chocolate.
    Three times over…lol

    • LOL. Hopefully you’re healthier for it?!?! I’ve had to ban chocolate from my house now (Easter excepted) because I just have no self control when I’m at home all day and the chocolate is just sitting there… calling to me!

    Reply

  • I ate chocolate, drank coffee and diet cola when I was pregnant with my daughter all those years ago (she will be 19 this month) and I had no problems. She was a happy and content baby. As for low birth weight, she was 6 pounds 14 ounces and born 4 weeks early so I shudder to think what she would have been if she had gone the full term. I did give up chocolate whilst breastfeeding as it seemed to make her poo more and give her wind, but I continued with the diet cola and coffee.

    • They’re all different aren’t they! You’re very lucky your bub was ok with coffee – My eldest couldn’t even tolerate Chai or black tea while I was breastfeeding. Super sensitive. It was the hardest time of my life!

    Reply

  • Whatever the question, chocolate is the answer! 🙂

    Reply

  • Very interesting. I ate chocolate whilst preggers but did give up coffee.

    • Coffee is a very tough one to give up! Well done to you 🙂

    Reply

  • Everything in Moderation and a good dose of common sense.

    Reply

  • This is music to my ears, as chocolate is one thing I can’t seem to do without this pregnancy 🙂

    • LOL. Me too! Heaven forbid we do without chocolate! Especially at this time of year!

    Reply
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