Coffee while pregnant: how much kopi, teh and bubble tea fits in a day

Yes, you can have coffee while pregnant, as long as you keep an eye on the daily total. KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) tells pregnant women to keep caffeine under 200mg a day. On KKH's own numbers, that's about one mug of filtered coffee (140mg) plus a cup of tea (30 to 50mg), or two mugs of instant coffee (60 to 80mg each). Local kopi is the one to watch. It's brewed from Robusta beans, which carry about twice the caffeine of the Arabica beans most cafe chains use, so a single cup can take up most of your day's allowance.

The daily caffeine limit in pregnancy

KKH's obstetrics team puts it plainly on its pregnancy do's and don'ts page: limit caffeine to less than 200mg a day. The reason it gives is birth weight. High levels of caffeine can result in a baby with a low birth weight, which raises the risk of health problems later in life. A KKH dietitian, writing for SingHealth's HealthXchange, adds that caffeine is a stimulant that raises your heart rate, and describes 200mg as about two cups of regular coffee or tea.

You may come across other numbers. An older HealthXchange article from 2017 quoted a KKH dietitian giving 300mg a day, and KKH's HELMS pregnancy programme suggests no more than one cup of tea or coffee a day while your appetite and cravings settle in early pregnancy. KKH's current advice for pregnant women is the under-200mg figure, so that's the one this guide uses. If your own doctor gives you a lower number, follow theirs.

The limit covers every source of caffeine. Tea counts toward the same 200mg, and so do chocolate and cola and some energy drinks. Plenty of people switch from coffee to teh and assume they've cut caffeine out, when a big mug of teh can hold almost as much.

How much caffeine is in kopi, teh and other drinks

Caffeine changes with the beans, the brew and the size of the cup, so treat these as ranges. The first three rows are KKH's own pregnancy figures; the rest come from HealthHub and from a caffeine table KKH's dietitians published.

Why a cup of local kopi counts for more

HealthHub explains that kopitiam kopi is mostly made with Robusta beans, while western-style cafes tend to use Arabica or a blend. Robusta has a caffeine content of about 2.7%, against 1.5% for Arabica. KKH's dietitian puts it more simply: Robusta has twice as much caffeine as Arabica, so don't underestimate your local kopi.

No Singapore agency publishes a per-cup figure for kopi, because the strength depends on the stall, the amount of powder and how long it brews. Our rule of thumb is to count every kopi or kopi-O as at least one mug of filtered coffee, which is 140mg on KKH's list. A kopi gao (thick) counts for more. Kopi-C, kopi-O and kopi siew dai change the milk and sugar; the caffeine stays the same. Kopi po is made weaker, so it's a reasonable halfway order if you're cutting down.

Teh, teh tarik and bubble tea

Teh is black tea, so HealthHub's figure of 14 to 70mg for a 237ml cup of black tea is the closest guide, and KKH counts a cup of tea as 30 to 50mg. Teh tarik and teh-C use the same tea, so count them the same way. A large mug from a stall holds more than a 237ml cup, so a big teh peng can sit at the top of that range or past it.

Bubble tea is harder to pin down. The base is usually black, green or oolong tea, and no Singapore body publishes a caffeine figure for a cup. A large cup holds two or three times the liquid of a standard 237ml cup, so even after the milk and ice take their share, it can carry as much tea as a couple of ordinary cups. If you want one, order a regular size and count it as at least one cup of tea, or as coffee if it's a coffee-based drink. Drinks with no tea or coffee in them, such as fresh milk with pearls, have no caffeine, but many fruit teas still use a green or jasmine tea base, so ask the shop. Our guide to bubble tea in Singapore covers the sugar side.

Lattes, cafe coffee and energy drinks

Cafe drinks are built on espresso shots, and HealthHub notes that a large latte can hold up to three of them. At 30 to 50mg a shot, that's 90 to 150mg before you've had anything else. Ask how many shots go into your usual order, pick a small or single-shot size, and remember that a strong cafe flat white can count as much as a kopi.

A 250ml can of Red Bull has 80mg, which is less than a mug of filtered coffee, but other energy drinks vary widely and many pair caffeine with a lot of sugar. A can of cola adds 35 to 70mg. Clear soft drinks such as 7-Up and Sprite have no caffeine at all.

What fits in a day under 200mg

These examples use the figures in the table above. Count the higher end of each range when you're unsure, since kopitiam cups are rarely small.

When to have it: iron, heartburn and sleep

Timing matters as much as the total. KKH's dietitian points out that tea and coffee, decaf included, contain polyphenols and tannins that block iron absorption, and pregnant women need more iron than usual. KKH's advice is to avoid tea or coffee within an hour of your main meals. If your doctor has put you on iron tablets for tiredness or anaemia, SingHealth's anaemia guidance is to keep coffee, black tea and milk two hours away from the tablets.

Caffeinated drinks can also bring on heartburn, which KKH lists among the common triggers in pregnancy, and caffeine makes you pass urine more often. If either is keeping you up, see our guide to heartburn during pregnancy. For sleep, KKH's tips for pregnant women suggest avoiding caffeine for four to six hours before bed, so an afternoon teh is a better slot than an after-dinner kopi.

Easy swaps at the kopitiam and the cafe

• Order kopi po or teh po, the weaker versions, when you want the taste with less caffeine.
• Switch one drink a day to decaf. HealthHub notes decaf tea can still hold up to 12mg, so it isn't zero, but it's close. KKH's dietitian says up to two cups of decaf tea or coffee a day is fine.
• At cafes, a single shot.
• Fill the gaps with caffeine-free drinks. Plain water, barley, soya bean milk and warm milk all work, and on a hot afternoon a cold barley does the job a teh peng used to.
• Skip the second bubble tea of the day, or pick one with no tea base.
• Keep your kopi to the morning so it doesn't cost you sleep.

Sugar is the other half of the story with kopi, teh and bubble tea. Asking for siew dai or kosong cuts it without touching the caffeine. Our guides to eating well in pregnancy and healthy pregnancy snacks have more ideas, and foods to avoid during pregnancy covers alcohol, raw food and the other items KKH flags.

If you have already gone over the limit

The advice is about your regular daily total, so one heavy day isn't a reason to panic. Go back under 200mg from today, and mention it at your next check-up if it's on your mind. If you drink a lot of caffeine every day and find it hard to cut back, tell your doctor early. Cutting down gradually over a week or two is easier on headaches and tiredness than stopping all at once, since HealthHub notes that people who quit coffee and tea can get withdrawal headaches and fatigue.

Frequently asked questions

Can I drink coffee in the first trimester?

Yes, within the same limit. KKH's pregnancy advice is under 200mg of caffeine a day throughout pregnancy, and its HELMS programme suggests no more than one cup of tea or coffee a day in early pregnancy. If morning sickness has put you off coffee, there's no need to restart.

How much caffeine is in a cup of kopi?

No Singapore agency publishes an exact figure. Kopi is usually made with Robusta beans, which HealthHub says contain about 2.7% caffeine against 1.5% for Arabica, so count each kopi as at least a mug of filtered coffee: about 140mg on KKH's list.

Is decaf coffee safe while pregnant?

KKH's dietitian says up to two cups of decaffeinated tea or coffee a day is fine. Decaf still has a little caffeine (HealthHub says up to 12mg for decaf tea) and still blocks iron absorption, so keep it away from meals too.

Does bubble tea have caffeine?

Most do, because the base is black, green or oolong tea. There's no official per-cup figure, so count a regular milk tea as at least one cup of tea (30 to 50mg on KKH's list) and a large one as more, and treat coffee-based bubble drinks as coffee.

Is green tea a better choice than coffee?

It has less caffeine: HealthHub gives 24 to 45mg for a 237ml cup, against 140mg for a mug of filtered coffee on KKH's list. It still contains tannins that reduce iron absorption, so drink it between meals.