Is Black tea safe during pregnancy?
About 48 mg caffeine per 8-oz cup — count it toward your under-200 mg/day limit.
What the sources say
ACOG says moderate caffeine — under 200 mg a day from all sources — is not linked to miscarriage or preterm birth. Mayo Clinic lists brewed black tea at about 48 mg per 8 oz (decaf about 2 mg) and bottled black tea at about 26 mg per 8 oz; FDA lists about 71 mg per 12 oz. Chai lattes and boba milk teas are usually black-tea based. Herbal teas are a separate topic. While breastfeeding, CDC considers up to about 300 mg/day (2–3 cups of coffee) low to moderate; newborns and preterm babies clear caffeine slowly, so less may be better.
Common alternatives
Also listed as
tea, iced tea, sweet tea, english breakfast tea, earl grey, chai, chai latte, assam tea, bubble tea, boba tea, milk tea
Sources
- ACOG: How much coffee can I drink while I'm pregnant?
- MotherToBaby: Caffeine
- Mayo Clinic: Caffeine content for coffee, tea, soda and more
- FDA: Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?
- CDC: Maternal Diet and Breastfeeding
- NIH LactMed: Caffeine
Last reviewed . This is general information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor or midwife about your own situation.