Being a barista, serving pregnant women

[Tight_N_Juicy]

The worst part of my job for me personally is when pregnant women order coffee from me, and can't refuse them service. I've had several preggo-regular customers during my time at my job who would drink lattes with extra shots of espresso, and even when I ask them if it's a good idea I've gotten replies like "Oh that's an old wives tale, my baby will be fine", and honestly it straight up angers me. I can't say no. I have to just suck it up and serve her.

I very likely won't ever be able to get pregnant. If I do, I damn sure won't risk the health of my baby for the sake of getting a caffeine fix for myself.

 

[MickeyLee]

that is a suck place to be, Ms. TnJ

for what it's worth The March of Dimes says up to 12oz of coffee a day should be okay
maybe tell them you are out of large cups
or sneak them decaf!

 

[TexanStar]

The worst part of my job for me personally is when pregnant women order coffee from me, and can't refuse them service. I've had several preggo-regular customers during my time at my job who would drink lattes with extra shots of espresso, and even when I ask them if it's a good idea I've gotten replies like "Oh that's an old wives tale, my baby will be fine", and honestly it straight up angers me. I can't say no. I have to just suck it up and serve her.

I very likely won't ever be able to get pregnant. If I do, I damn sure won't risk the health of my baby for the sake of getting a caffeine fix for myself.

12 oz coffee per day is considered safe for pregnant women. You're not slinging cigarettes & alcohol

 

[AlteredEgo]

I can't imagine having my hormones in flux, my body running away with me AND not getting my caffeine on. I mean... I could do it, but nobody else would like it. I need to be caffeinated.

 

[rtg]

I think caffeine in moderation is fine. I would only get half shots if I was pregnant though. Each to their own. But I can't stand pregnant women smoking or drinking... when I worked at a bottle shop in my younger days I'd hate seeing pregnant women buying alcohol. I just hoped it was for their partners.

 

[MickeyLee]

look at the pretty and feel better

The Queen of the Night, a cactus orchid the only blooms every few years and then only for a few hours

 

[Tight_N_Juicy]

I think we need a Love button just for MickyLee's posts. No joke.

I know 12oz of drip is considered OK, but I'm talking about drinks like large lattes with extra shots of espresso. If I could get away with sneaking them decaf or saying I'm out of large cups but all my product is in plain sight to the customers, and I'd say 90% of my customer base are all regulars who come in multiple times a day. They know when I'm giving something different.

Anyway, you all made me feel better feelz with your postings. Ironically enough now I'm craving coffee... must brew

 

[185248]

The worst part of my job for me personally is when pregnant women order coffee from me, and can't refuse them service. I've had several preggo-regular customers during my time at my job who would drink lattes with extra shots of espresso, and even when I ask them if it's a good idea I've gotten replies like "Oh that's an old wives tale, my baby will be fine", and honestly it straight up angers me. I can't say no. I have to just suck it up and serve her.

I very likely won't ever be able to get pregnant. If I do, I damn sure won't risk the health of my baby for the sake of getting a caffeine fix for myself.

Just make sure to tell them though...their take away coffee cups are not recyclable. They should have it printed on them. The interiors are coated with polyethylene to prevent heat transfer to the beanheads delicate mits.

 

[Tight_N_Juicy]

look at the pretty and feel better

The Queen of the Night, a cactus orchid the only blooms every few years and then only for a few hours

Oh, and HOW THE FUCK HAVE I NEVER SEEN THIS?!? You know I love my orchids and cacti... best of both worlds. Absolutely gorgeous

 

[rtg]

I think we need a Love button just for MickyLee's posts. No joke.

I know 12oz of drip is considered OK, but I'm talking about drinks like large lattes with extra shots of espresso. If I could get away with sneaking them decaf or saying I'm out of large cups but all my product is in plain sight to the customers, and I'd say 90% of my customer base are all regulars who come in multiple times a day. They know when I'm giving something different.

Anyway, you all made me feel better feelz with your postings. Ironically enough now I'm craving coffee... must brew

Why don't you just give them decaf... they probably won't know

 

[Tight_N_Juicy]

Why don't you just give them decaf... they probably won't know

They know. Trust me. Like I said, they're almost always regular customers I serve who all know that my decaf products are in a different container and I make every cup to order. They can see me using a brightly labeled DECAF bag when getting the beans.

 

[rtg]

They know. Trust me. Like I said, they're almost always regular customers I serve who all know that my decaf products are in a different container and I make every cup to order. They can see me using a brightly labeled DECAF bag when getting the beans.

Damn. That's next level.

 

[TexanStar]

I'd suggest to also just give the women some leeway. A lot of this stuff... it's recommendations to be on the safe side, but it's not like some clear-cut zomg you've given her dain bramage kind of thing. Taken as a group, the studies that have been done (and there have been lots of them) come back fairly inconclusive. That's not the same as completely safe, but it's not the same as snorting coke either.

Stress is a negative factor on pregnancies too. If a extra tall frappawhappadingdong with an extra shoot of doodad helps a woman start her day with a better attitude, who's to say that's necessarily going to mean a more negative outcome than a positive one?

Please don't start dispensing advice, getting on their case about it, etc. Pregnant women end up w/ everyone and there brother monitoring what they do and how they do it w/o their barista joining in on the act (I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just saying let them have their coffee if they want their coffee).

 

[Tight_N_Juicy]

Please don't start dispensing advice, getting on their case about it, etc. Pregnant women end up w/ everyone and there brother monitoring what they do and how they do it w/o their barista joining in on the act (I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just saying let them have their coffee if they want their coffee).

I don't deny them service, or tell them what they should/shouldn't be doing. The only times I've ever brought it up is when someone pregnant comes in multiple times a day for very strong coffee drinks. When they blow me off, I just smile and give them their order. Inside, it pisses me off. I'm a caffeine addict too. I also know stress is bad for pregnant women. It's the simple fact that I've seen several women blow it off and make NO effort at all to even cut back on their intake. That's where I get pissy about it.

I know it's not like smoking and drinking, but there's a reason doctors say pregnant women should avoid it.

Sorry, nothing will change how fucked up I think that selfish shit is

 

[TexanStar]

Sorry, nothing will change how fucked up I think that selfish shit is

Give some consideration that if nothing will change how fucked up you think it is, that there's stuff which falls under this umbrella like "evidence" and that you may be passionately holding on to an opinion that's not backed up by anything.

Here's a psychology article about this topic (the caffeine during pregnancy thing). It's worth a read if you have some time: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blo...00803/the-claim-caffeine-causes-birth-defects

And here's a different but somewhat related topic of pregnant women and fish: http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...nant_women_should_eat_more_fish_not_less.html

"Don't eat fish!" "Eat more fish!" When my first kids were born, the advice was "Don't give them peanuts until they're older!" Now it's "Make sure they eat some peanuts early". In the US, they say not to give babies honey (bee botulism, aieee!!!) In other countries, honey is recommended for babies. It's all the same kind of stuff... well meaning/intended guidelines that are based around inconclusive results. They're giving the best advice that they can, because people are expecting some kind of advice out of them, but it's really weak advice.

There is no evidence to suggest that the women who aren't cutting back an ounce on their caffiene intake are doing anything to cause risk to their pregnancy (but you're really upset with them about it).

 

[Tight_N_Juicy]

Well, maybe I'm an asshole.

And don't think I'm trying to police the world and how they procreate. I'm venting to a community I thought might help me feel better about my situation. So far it's a mixed bag of a thread.

Added: Also, I have done a fair share of reading about this. Wanna be a mommy and all that. I've found a lot of conflicting articles, but most of them say it's best to cut down... my point is that I hate to be the one who has to *serve them when personally I would Never take that chance, because I probably ain't havin' a baby anyway. That's where I'm coming from.

 

[Tight_N_Juicy]

Last thing for now, Texan... you got me. There is ONE thing that can always change my mind, and that is hard evidence. As of now, there is technically none either way, and most of what I've read suggests cutting back. So, if I find myself knocked up, I'll be cutting back.. and as for work, I just suck it up and serve it, even though it really does still bother me.

*Points down to MickyLee's post... still waiting for my Love button

 

[MickeyLee]

my thang is once you decide to have a baby you are responsible for everything you put into both of your bodies.
that include curbing your coffee habit to acceptable levels for the bub.
coffee is nice, but you don't need it to live.
it's an indulgence.. and the idea of flippant consumption annoys the shit out of me

sadly there ain't much you can do to change minds of people set in their ways and wed to their entitlement.

maybe mumble "bitch-cakes" under your breath when you hand her the cup

 

[TexanStar]

Well, maybe I'm an asshole.

And don't think I'm trying to police the world and how they procreate. I'm venting to a community I thought might help me feel better about my situation. So far it's a mixed bag of a thread.

Added: Also, I have done a fair share of reading about this. Wanna be a mommy and all that. I've found a lot of conflicting articles, but most of them say it's best to cut down... my point is that I hate to be the one who has to *serve them when personally I would Never take that chance, because I probably ain't havin' a baby anyway. That's where I'm coming from.

Yeah, I'm just on the other side of it. The debate about the autonomy that pregnant women should have isn't limited to whether or not they should be allowed to terminate a pregnancy early. Above and beyond that, there's a broader debate / attitude about what pregnant women should or shouldn't be doing that extends all the way through pregnancy and into motherhood. It was just in the news recently that there was a change to guidelines trying to dial back the rhetoric about breast milk being so much better than formula and people lost their shit.

I've been witness, first hand, to how free people in both the public and the medical community feel free to shame pregnant women over any and every decision they make, with the only justification needed being "Well, it's not what I would do if/when I have a baby!".

For my second wife's first pregnancy, she wasn't able to produce enough milk to feed the baby (2nd pregnancy was fine). I got to witness the shame and the depression that she went through because of the cacophony of voices out in the community screaming their fucking heads off that formula-fed babies are at such an unholy disadvantage which she internalized and took to be her fault and her failure as a mom, etc.

The best advice I can offer up is that all of those recommendations and guidelines about caffiene and fish and breastfeeding etc are out there for the mom. It's information for the mother to take in and decide if and how to best incorporate that into their decisions about what lifestyle changes they want to make (if any). It's not dispersed to be used as part of a shaming campaign so that they can have their self-righteous barista muttering to them what an entited bitch they are for daring to drink a cup of coffee (I know that wasn't your suggestion, just following the theme of another poster).

If there was as clear cut evidence on these things, there would be a warning label on the damn thing like there is for alcohol, tobacco, propecia, etc.

 

[Tight_N_Juicy]

I know TS, I actually appreciate your thoughts on this even though it may not seem like it.

I still feel the way I feel, but I hope you know I'm not trying to dictate what other people do. I know it's not my place to tell them anything, and the few times I've mentioned anything about it to a pregnant woman I always make sure I'm approaching it in the most polite, respectful way I can. I vent my anger a bit more here, because I'm not at work.

IMO, even if there's no definitive proof at this point, I still don't think it's worth it for any mommy-to-be to take that kind of risk.

And to be fair, there are warnings on most highly caffeinated drinks... just not the ones you buy at a coffee shop.