I’ve been in a deep and committed relationship with coffee since I was 19 (and good ole caffeine even longer). That first moment when I felt the goodness of my first coffee pick-me-up I was all in. We’ve shared some pretty special moments together, especially first thing in the morning and then again in the afternoon.

When my exhausted body and mind would say to me, “You’re never gonna make it through this day,” it was coffee that rushed to my aid and said, “YES YOU WILL!”

But lately, things have started to change. That morning cup still has my back, but that afternoon cup is starting to mess with me a little bit, and I’m not happy about it.

If you follow along with my Instagram stories, you might have caught my little schpiel about the recent struggles I’ve had with that second cup: the jitters, the anxiety, the irritability, and probably the worst thing of all, the struggle to fall asleep at night.

Deep in my heart I didn’t want to believe that my afternoon cup was turning its back on me and that I would have to face the afternoons alone. But when I asked you fine people (via insta story) if this was something that ever happened to any of you the responses AMAZED me. Seriously, what would I do without you all?

Just based on what you all said, here are the three most common reasons why other women (including myself) have given up or cut back on caffeine.

1. It Messes With Our Hormones

When a bunch of moms started pointing me towards caffeine and the affect on hormones I started checking it out. Now look, I’m not here to offer a science lecture (it would be a bad one anyway), so I’ll keep this simple.

But here’s the thing. Parents tend to have higher levels of stress hormones than non-parents (duh). And moms, in general, tend to have some of the highest levels of stress hormones…like ever (duh again). Well, caffeine (no matter how much) will tell your body to make even more of those stress hormones.

So when you’re already stressed out because the baby won’t stop crying, or because you’re toddler is pissed that you gave him chicken nuggets when he asked for…chicken nuggets, or you’re trying to manage solo parenting, or you have a loved one who’s sick, or your savings keeps dwindling right before your eyes, or you just turned on the news for, like, 30 seconds, then enjoying a cup of coffee might jack things up a bit. Before you know it, you’re wondering if you’re having an out of body experience or some wacky manic episode.

Now, you may have already known all that (you’re so smart), but what I didn’t know was when those stress hormones are higher than your body is used to, it will eventually domino effect to other hormones, especially for women.

I don’t know about y’all, but I feel like my hormones never completely recovered anyway after pregnancy and childbirth and breastfeeding (which is usually how it goes), so that totally explains why caffeine has just now started to affect me differently.

2. More Cysts

A couple of moms got my attention when they told me they had really cut back on caffeine because of their struggle with ovarian cysts.

Because guess what? I have endometriosis (womp, womp). I’ve had to have surgery twice to remove some nasty bullshit like fibroids and ovarian cysts the size of softballs. Sooo, that hormone domino affect that I was talking about can actually make the function of my lady parts a lot more complicated, which kinda blows.

But even if you don’t have endometriosis, your hormone levels can still get thrown off, screwing with your ovulation process and even with other lady bits. Here’s a story I received from another mama (she gave me the permission to share).

Just last month I had a breast exam and the doc found a lump. He wasn’t calling it that because of the immediate implications, but that’s what it was: a lump of some kind. So they sent me off down the hall and did a more intensive exam. It turned out to be a cyst, which was obviously a relief. But ya wanna know what the first thing she asked me?

“Do you drink a lot of caffeine?”

Which I don’t really, three cups a day at the most. But she told me to try and cut back to two and then maybe one, and they would see if it improved. So I did, and the cyst went away.

3. Moody Mommy

I already touched on this, but I’m just gonna say it again. Almost every single mama told me that they stopped drinking coffee in the afternoon because it made them anxious, more irritable with their kids (no one needs that), jittery, and going to sleep was a struggle.

This was my favorite description: “I felt like I had a foggy and tired brain, but my body was keyed up and wouldn’t let me be still.”

Yep, me too.

How I Cut Back (Without Hating Life):

1. I Found a Coffee Alternative.

Did you know there was such a thing? I didn’t either. And I probably wouldn’t have except that one of my badass mommy friends heard my coffee woes and told me to try this thing called SUTRA. So I did.

Here’s the scoop.

There are two flavors: SUTRA Black and SUTRA Gold.

I tried SUTRA Black first, and pretty much fell in love at first sip. How can you not love something that tastes like chocolate and coconut?

Not to mention, it has aaaalllll this good stuff in it:

Activated Charcoal (pulls out toxins, reduces brain fog)
Cinnamon (high in antioxidants)
Sea Salt (balances hormones!)
Cayenne (stimulates endorphins)
Coconut Milk (antibacterial)
Vanilla (helps liver function)
Cacao (gives natural energy, promotes memory)
Red Reishi (slows the aging process)
Stevia (boosts immunity, regulates blood sugar)

And that’s it.

As for SUTRA Gold, I just got my hands on this flavor, and I gotta say I think this one might be my favorite . It’s got a nice ginger kick to it, which I love. Here’s what’s in this one:

Turmeric (great for inflammation and pain relief)
Sea Salt (balances hormones!)
Maca Root (increases energy, stamina, improves memory)
Black Pepper (increases metabolism)
Cayenne (stimulates endorphins)
Cinnamon (high in antioxidants)
Ginger (relieves nausea)
Vanilla (helps liver function)
Coconut Milk (antibacterial)
Stevia (boosts immunity, regulates blood sugar)

Wanna try? Go to SipSutra and use my code UraMomNow10 so you can get 10% off. Yay!

2. I Drank More Water.

If you’re trying to cut back on caffeine, you have to drink water. I wasn’t drinking nearly enough the first couple of days I cut back, and the headaches came on strong. Staying hydrated helped that big time!

3. I Busted Out My Yoga Mat.

You don’t even have to do a full yoga sesh to get an energy boost. Sometimes all it takes is a few Sun Salutations and your favorite stretches, and your body is cuing up the endorphins.

But hey, I get it, not everybody likes doing yoga and if you have little ones, that really makes it hard. So, instead, throw those kids in a stroller and take a quick 20 minute walk. Or have a dance party in the kitchen. That also does wonders and your kids will think you’re the fun one for a change.

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I’m tellin ya, you don’t have to jack up your insides just to snag a little extra energy. But come 2:00, you’re gonna need somethin.

Ur a Mom Now.

Here’s the link again: SipSutra. And don’t forget to use the code: UraMomNow10

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3 Major Reasons Why Moms Should Cut Back on Caffeine (And How to Do It)