Caffeine and Pregnancy

There are so many things that obviously need to be avoided while pregnant, including alcohol, smoking, raw fish, and unpastuerized cheese. Also among these is caffeine- found in coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks, and chocolate.

While small amounts of caffeine are probably harmless, it must be said that caffeine is a drug, and when you drink it, it will be passed on to your baby through the placenta. However, she will have no way to digest or break it down, and it may inhibit cell growth and development. Further more, caffeine is a stimulant and diuretic, neither of which is good during pregnancy. It will only make you and your baby jittery and uncomfortable. Because of this, you should not be drinking any more than 300 mg of caffeine per day (about three cups of coffee.)

Studies have shown that mild amounts of caffeine in the third term do not cause preterm births or low birth weights but other studies have shown that large amounts of caffeine in the first trimester, especially when combined with other unhealthy habits like smoking, can make miscarriage almost twice as likely. Even worse, another study showed that drinking more than eight cups of coffee per day in all stages can be linked to stillborn births. Not surprisingly then, most doctors recommend that you severely cut back, if not give up, caffeinated coffee, tea, and soda during your pregnancy.

The overall consensus is that you should have no more than 300 mg of caffeine per day and the less, the better - the problem is, it's very hard to know which products have caffeine in them and how much you are getting from these products. Here is a rough guide to the amounts of caffeine found in everyday food:

- There are about 100 mg of caffeine per cup of coffee, but usually only half of that per cup of tea.

- Decaffeinated cofffee contains less than 10 mg of caffeine per cup.

- Soda will have about 50 mg per can, but energy drinks can have more than 80 mg.

- Chocolate does contain caffeine, but very little. A typical bar of chocolate will contain as much caffeine as a cup of decaffeinated coffee (less than 10 mg.)

Several over the counter medications contain caffeine, either to counteract drowsiness, or to increase the effects of a pain medication such as acetaminophen. Medications that contain caffeine usually have about 30-60 mg per serving, but always check the warnings and list of ingredients before taking medicine when pregnant.

If you are having trouble adjusting to the lack of caffeine, try drinking decaffeinated coffee or tea. Also, many sodas are now being made in decaf versions. Even better, though, would be water or fruit juice with many of the vitamins you and your baby need.