Caffeine in Pregnancy

There are several things that you should obviously avoid while you are pregnant, including alcohol, smoking, raw fish, and unpasteurised cheese. Caffeine, found in coffee, tea, fizzy drinks, energy drinks and chocolate, is also among these.

While small amounts of caffeine are probably harmless, it is a fact that caffeine is a drug and it will be passed on to your baby through the placenta. The foetus has no way to digest or break down caffeine and it may inhibit your baby's cell growth and development. Furthermore, caffeine is a stimulant and diuretic (which means it promotes the formation of urine by the kidney), neither of which is good for either you or your baby during pregnancy.

Because of this, the Food Standards Agency recommends an upper limit of 300mg of caffeine per day (about three cups of coffee). A cup of coffee contains around 100mg of caffeine and a cup of tea around 50mg. Fizzy drinks have around 50mg per can, while energy drinks can have more than 80mg. 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 30-60mg per serving, but always check the warnings and list of ingredients before taking any medicine while pregnant.

Studies have found that mild amounts of caffeine in the third term do not cause pre-term births or low birth weight, but other research has shown that large amounts of caffeine in the first trimester, especially when combined with other unhealthy habits such as smoking, can almost double the risk of miscarriage.

Another recent study suggested that drinking more than eight cups of coffee per day in all stages of pregnancy can be linked to stillbirth. Not surprisingly then, most doctors recommend cutting back dramatically on, if not giving up, caffeine during your pregnancy.

If you are having trouble going without your daily coffee or cuppa, try drinking decaffeinated coffee or tea. Many fizzy drinks are now also available in non-caffeinated versions. Even better, though, would be sticking to water and fruit juice.