For most moms, coffee is a way of life. The only way we get through the chaos of the day is a hot (or lukewarm or cold by the time we get to drink it) cup of coffee. It’s our liquid savior, the only rest or relaxation we feel is from the jolt of caffeine from coffee. Coffee is a mom’s best friend, but sometimes we need her a little too much.
I just had my second child a few months ago and the newborn stage hit me really hard. I had forgotten what it felt like to NOT sleep for hours at a time and being up in the middle of the night with a crying baby. I wanted so badly to fix my exhaustion and fatigue, but I promised myself that coffee wasn’t the answer.
Blasphemous I know, coffee used to be my life. I have a coffee maker and an espresso machine, and they were constantly churning out coffee left and right when my first son was born. I needed that coffee fix to get me through the day. Something about that sound when coffee is brewing brought me energy and helped me keep going.
I limited my coffee intake when I was pregnant to one cup a day as recommended by my doctor. But I began to notice that even though the coffee helped reenergize me, I was crashing in the middle of the afternoon. By 3pm, I was even more tired than I was in the morning, and I was craving more caffeine. Sometimes I would grab that second or third cup and then I would immediately regret it at bedtime. I was up for all hours and tossing and turning.
I knew with my second child something had to change. So…I gave up coffee. I will admit the first few days were HARD. I craved the caffeine and the comfort of knowing that I would be getting a boost of energy in a few sips. I tried substituting tea for coffee, hoping it would help curb some of my cravings. I’m not gonna lie, I wanted to give in sooo many times. But I promised myself that I would stick to it and try to be coffee free.
So far I have succeeded and I have felt a tremendous difference. I wake up and brew a cup of green tea in the mornings when I need a jolt of energy, and I still get to enjoy a form of caffeine. When I tell people that I don’t drink coffee, they look at me with amazement and confusion.
I don’t know if the benefits will help my son in the long run because he’s not ingesting the large amounts of caffeine, but it makes me feel better as a mom. Right now there is no coffee in my current life, but that all might change so stay tuned.
