Pregnancy Diet

Can You Drink Coffee While Pregnant?

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Can you drink coffee while pregnant? Many women swear off their caffeine habit as soon as they are pregnant. The coffee, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke habits get left behind in the excitement of the new pregnancy. This is probably a good thing. Then there are a few women who continue with their old habits but may cut back. So just how dangerous is caffeine to an unborn baby and for the pregnancy?

Woman drinking coffee while pregnant. In recent years there has been quite a bit of research done on the effects of caffeine on the developing fetus. It has been found that too much caffeine can cause complications such as preterm labor and/or low birth weight.

There are also some problems that can come with the beverages that caffeine is in.

Drinks such as regular Mountain Dew or regular Coca-Cola have significant amounts of sugar. This can hurt the baby and the mother by increasing the chances of gestational diabetes because too much sugar is detrimental to metabolism.

Then with diet drinks, such as diet Coke or diet Pepsi, there is aspartame. While the FDA has deemed it as safe, there are concerns that it could affect the developing brain of the infant. Aspartame is full of unnatural chemicals and to be safe it is probably wise to give up diet drinks altogether for the pregnancy.

Drinking Coffee While Pregnant

Typically a doctor will tell their patients that consuming just a moderate amount of caffeine will not harm their baby. Anything less than 300 milligrams a day, which is approximately an 8 ounce cup of strong coffee will not do any harm. However, caffeine does cross the placenta, so the baby could be affected.

Any amount over 300 milligrams a day will put the baby at risk for lower birth weight and there are studies that indicate that women who consume more than 300 milligrams a day during the first trimester have a slightly higher risk of miscarriage.

There are studies that also indicate that women who consumed over 500 milligrams a day delivered babies who had faster heart rates and faster, more shallow breathing rates. The babies also had more awake time during the first few days of life rather than sleeping more as most babies do.

So avoiding caffeine altogether, and not drinking coffee while pregnant, is probably best. Coffee is well documented as one the foods to avoid during pregnancy.

Caffeine During Pregnancy

Caffeine actually has no nutritional value. We generally consume caffeine because it is a stimulant and it increases alertness. Caffeine can also increase our heart rates. It can cause insomnia and headaches. The unfortunate thing about all of this when you are pregnant, caffeine also crosses the placenta. So, drinking coffee while pregnant, can potentially affect your baby the same way or even more as it affects you.

This can put undue stress on your baby. Also, when you are pregnant you tend to be very tired and you need sleep. Drinking coffee while pregnant can most certainly keep you more alert and awake. Anything that can potentially keep you from getting restful sleep is bad for you and bad for your baby.

Another concern with consuming caffeine during pregnancy is that it is a diuretic. This can cause you to become dehydrated because you are losing fluids, which can cause complications for you and for the baby.

While moderate amounts of caffeine have been deemed safe for the developing fetus, you may want to consider whether or not you want to continue drinking it at all during your pregnancy. Drinking small amounts of coffee while pregnant may be okay. But the research is not conclusive.

Better to stick with caffeine free drinks or decaf coffee instead. Or best of all, stop drinking caffeinated drinks and drink more clean, pure water instead!

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