Coffee, the Other White Meat
When I was pregnant last year I couldn’t drink coffee. Not because of the caffeine, but just because I had wicked morning sickness that wouldn’t allow coffee to stay in my stomach for more than five minutes. The day after my c-section, and every day I was in the hospital after that, however, I made my husband stop at Starbuck’s on his way to see me. And so my addiction began.
As the weeks and months with a newborn wore on, I started brewing my own Starbuck’s at home in an effort to save a few bucks. I was never much of a fancy drink girl, but even a regular cup of joe on a daily basis gets expensive.
So, each morning for the last 10 months has started pretty much the same.
Baby crying. Stagger to bathroom. Stagger to baby’s room. Stagger downstairs to kitchen with baby. (while holding dearly onto handrail as this can be tricky when you’re sleepy) Feed baby. Then it’s time to take care of me.
I make sure the kettle has water in it and turn it on. I get out the french press and measure out five heaping teaspoons of Caffe Verona. I down a bowl of cereal and a glass of water. I pour hot water in the french press, wait a few minutes and press it down. I pour into my Tuck at Dartmouth mug (for some reason it’s my favorite, even with the chip in it), put in two Splendas and a splash of soy milk. Ahhhh….the cobwebs in my brain start to clear.
Until recently.
I won’t go into detail, but it’s started to become really rough on my stomach. Painful even. I’ve had to switch to tea every few days, though it just doesn’t pack the punch I need. I’ve never been much of a soda drinker. I even tried eating straight chocolate covered espresso beans, but didn’t really like them. I did, however, research low-acid coffees and was pleasantly surprised to see that Trader Joe’s carries one. We’ll see how it tastes.
But still, I just feel like I’ve been betrayed. I so depend on the caffeine with my schedule. There’s not a lot of down time with kids my age. Even if my body is slow-moving, my brain still needs to be functioning at full capacity. How else can a mother of a crawling baby immediately walk into a room and within seconds spot every potential choking hazard? Or get that x-ray vision into a 3-year-old’s head to see that she’s planning on climbing up the bookcase to reach a box of Hershey’s kisses? Really, it’s caffeine that keeps our children safe!
My husband has recently switched to espresso and loves it. Twice the caffeine with half the intake of fluids. I don’t know what the acid content of espresso is versus coffee, but it’s worth a shot. And I’ll finally get to use those cute little espresso cups that belonged to my grandmother. (I easily have about 50 of them…)
I have to find some kind of solution to this problem. Not just for me, but for my kids, my dog, my husband, my house, my friends, and everyone who is driving on the roads at the same time I am. This is serious people!
Any suggestions would be welcome. I’m off to take a very cold shower, the only other way I know to wake up quickly! Have a good day!
Folgers brand makes a low-acid coffee. It may be worth a try, if not already explored. Oh, and Jasmine tea has 2x the caffine than any other; might “pack the punch”.
Trader Joe’s low-acid coffee is great, I drink it regularly, too. On a side note: espresso pulled correctly actually has LESS caffiene than drip coffee! Will wonders never cease?
- Annelies