Drinking Caffeine While Pregnant

There seems to be a general consensus among medical experts that too much caffeine during pregnancy may be harmful to the fetus. What remains uncertain is how much caffeine is too much. While most experts would be happy if pregnant women cut caffeine from their diets entirely, they would also agree that it is not necessary to stop completely. Thus, caffeine is safe during pregnancy? Or is it better to simply stop eating altogether?

Recent studies have shown that mothers whose intake of caffeine greater than 200 mg per day nearly doubled their risk of miscarriage compared to those who do not consume. However, all studies are conclusive on this subject, so that the exact amount of caffeine is safe remains to debate. However, most experts agree that 200 mg or less is probably a safe amount.

The risk of miscarriage is not the only danger associated with the consumption of caffeine during pregnancy. Some studies have shown that women who consume large amounts of caffeine has also doubled the risk of stillbirth. Although there have been studies showing a link between low birth weight and caffeine consumption, research in this field is still uncertain. In addition, it seems that mothers who consume over 500 mg of caffeine per day during pregnancy have faster heartbeat and breathing, and have more difficulty sleeping after childbirth.

The possible hazards to your baby's hand, you may consider reducing or eliminating caffeine simply because you can feel a lot better if you do. Caffeine is a stimulant, it makes your heart beat faster, increase your blood pressure could make you nervous and cause insomnia. Caffeine intake may also contribute to heartburn, which is a problem for many women pregnant to begin.

Although you can realize that there are many benefits to reducing your caffeine intake during pregnancy, you will also need to be aware of all the places where caffeine can be found. Coffee is the obvious source of caffeine, black tea, but energy drinks, soft drinks, chocolate and coffee ice cream all contain enough caffeine to be meaningful. In addition, many herbal remedies and OTC, contain caffeine as well. Now more than ever, it is important to read labels carefully.

Once you have identified the sources of caffeine, it is time to understand how to reduce them. Some pregnant women find that their morning sickness makes hostile to a large number of caffeinated beverages, smoking cessation easy. Others find it simple to switch to decaffeinated versions of their favorite drinks. Decaffeinated beverages may also contain caffeine, just much less.

To answer the question, caffeine is safe during pregnancy, there is no black and white answer. No one would deny that caffeine is not good, but the consensus seems to be that of a small amount, and to less than 200 mg per day is perfectly safe. Fortunately, quitting caffeine, while somewhat awkward, is always much easier than other, more dangerous, as the habits of smoking and drinking.