Grande one pump hazelnut latte for Kathleen - my go to Starbucks order. With baby number 1 I found myself stuttering at the counter, trying to find that new pregnancy safe Starbucks drink.

If you are like me you might look forward to that cup of morning coffee and savor the enjoyment it brings (especially if you already have kids). That brief moment of quiet bliss.

However, when you become pregnant that can all change - do we just switch to a tall or do we decaf that Starbucks order?

You hear so many different recommendations about caffeine and coffee safety in pregnancy.

Is it safe or not?

This can be a loaded question depending on who you talk to so let's dive into this. Are you craving your morning cup of jo, but unsure what to do? Read on to learn how to navigate that Starbucks trip.

There are plenty of pregnancy safe starbucks drinks and starbucks decaf drinks available to keep everyone happy with their drink.

Caffeine during pregnancy

Safe amount of caffeine

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) has deemed caffeine intake of less than 200 mg per day to be a safe limit. Caffeine intake higher than this can increase risk of miscarriage, preeclampsia, and hypertension. Now don’t let this scare you to shy away from caffeine all together if you enjoy certain items.

There are actually very few studies or concrete data about levels of caffeine during pregnancy. One large observational study showed an increase risk of miscarriage with more than 4 servings of coffee per day. (1) This is a significant amount of coffee and well surpassing the 200 mg of caffeine recommended. Good news, if you are nervous at all about any caffeine.

Farther along in pregnancy and concerned about preeclampsia and hypertension? Other observational studies have found zero increase in preeclampsia and hypertension following the 200 mg caffeine or less rule a day (2, 3).

Caffeine amounts vary from product to product

A cup of coffee can vary significantly in its caffeine content making it sometimes tricky to know if you are going over the recommended limit of 200mg. For example a tall coffee at starbucks has 260 mg of caffeine whereas a small cup at Dunkin Donuts contains 180 mg of caffeine. This has to do with the strength of the beans and volume, however, it is good to know the amount if you are more than a one cup of coffee a day drinker.

Remember that it is not just coffee that contains caffeine, it is chocolate, tea, energy drinks, and soda. The great thing about talking about caffeine in today’s world is that most things come in decaf.

Our Food Freedom way of Eating

What is our Food Freedom approach to caffeine? We take an intuitive eating approach when it comes to food and drink intake. We believe that all food fits (although you might argue with me that coffee is not food, but you get it!). We follow the ACOG recommendations of aiming for less than 200mg per day of caffeine. In reality this just impacts those people who were used to drinking multiple cups of coffee per day, soda, and energy drinks. This does not mean that all drinks and food have to be scrutinized for caffeine content. Now if you are consuming coffee, lots of chocolate, and coffee ice cream all in one day we may have to reevaluate this. None of those are inherently ‘bad’ during pregnancy (ie coffee, chocolate, coffee ice cream) however you may not be able to enjoy all of them on the same day because of the caffeine content exceeding 200 mg.

So ask yourself - What foods and drinks are important to you? What do you enjoy?

If you are like me, most of the enjoyment from a cup of coffee comes from the break it signifies from life and the warmth of the drink. So you can still have that extra cup of coffee in the afternoon you just might make it decaf.

I do want to acknowledge that everyone’s individual comfort level with caffeine may vary depending on your journey to pregnancy. If you have dealt with fertility hiccups and/or miscarriages your personal comfort level may be low when it comes to caffeine in general. That is OK and we always recommend doing what you feel comfortable with or what your medical provider recommends. Don’t worry, we have lots of recommendations for Starbucks decaf drinks below.

Best Pregnancy Safe Starbucks Drinks

Feeling more comfortable with that cup? Let’s talk pregnancy safe starbucks drinks and decaf starbucks drink options. There are coffee and non coffee options available for everyone's taste.

Coffee options

Americano (tall) - 150 mg caffeine - This is 2 shots of espresso with water similar to a regular cup of coffee. If you want to cut the caffeine even more ask for a half caf americano for 75 mg or a full decaf americano for zero caffeine.
Caffe misto (grande) - 150 mg caffeine - This is half coffee and half steamed milk. Add your favorite flavored syrup for something different!
Decaf Pike’s Place - this decaf coffee option gets up to 30 mg caffeine in a venti.
Coffee (short) - 155-180 mg caffeine - Don’t want to go decaf? You can have a cup of coffee but note that this is a short size and not their typical default tall size.
Cappuccino (grande) - 150 mg caffeine - This is 2 shots of espresso with foamed milk. Ask for a half caf (75 mg caffeine) or decaf (0 mg) to decrease the caffeine even more.
Caffe Latte (grande) - 150mg caffeine - This is 2 shots of espresso, steamed milk, small amount of foam – go crazy with flavors! My favorites are hazelnut and vanilla. Ask for a half caf (75 mg caffeine) or decaf (0 mg) to decrease the caffeine even more.
Caffe Mocha (grande) - 175mg caffeine - This is 2 shots of espresso, steamed milk, small amount of foam, chocolate – half caff is 100mg
Iced Coffee, grande - 165 mg caffeine

Non-Coffee Options

Hot Chocolate, grande - 25mg caffeine
Steamers - 0mg - milk with flavored syrups - options include vanilla creme, cinnamon dolce, caramel brulee
Star Drink, grande - 45mg - kiwi flavored juice with coconut milk *contains green coffee extract and stevia
Kiwi Starfruit Refresher, grande - 45mg - kiwi flavored juice *contains green coffee extract and stevia
London Fog Tea Latte, grande - 40mg
Chai Tea Latte, grande - 95mg
Matcha Tea Latte, grande - 80mg
Iced Peach Green Tea, grande - 25mg
Iced green tea, grande - 25mg
Iced Passion Tango tea, grande - 0mg

Final Thoughts

There are certainly enough challenges about pregnancy and the last thing you need is another hurdle walking into Starbucks!

There are plenty of pregnancy safe starbucks drinks. Maybe you go full decaf and maybe not, you choose!

Guidelines are to keep total daily caffeine intake less than 200 mg per day. Which is more than you may think. Most people, unless they are drinking multiple cups of coffee or having energy drinks do not have to alter anything they are doing.

My favorite pregnancy safe Starbucks drinks are Decaf or Half Caf hazelnut latte or Iced Peach Green tea. What is yours?

We have just given a bunch of options for pregnancy safe Starbucks drinks to help you navigate your trip to the coffee shop. Remember, everyone has a different intake and will make a personal decision about what is best for them. If you have questions, talk with your medical provider. Want to learn more about pregnancy nutrition? Check out our Eat for Two Course or download our Free Intuitive Eater’s Guide to Pregnancy.

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