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Q: Caffeine And Pregnancy
asked by: lauren1416 on April 17th, 2007
Experienced User
I am about 19 weeks prego and I am just wondering about the whole caffeine thing while pregnant. I know Im limited to so much, but exactley how much. I usually have about 1 coke a day or some tea while im out each lunch or dinner. Why is it bad to have caffeine and what are the effects on the baby??
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Mommy35
replied on April 17th, 2007
Extremely eHealthy
Ask your doc what he/she thinks. I drank caffiene every day and had a healthy full term baby. I didn't over do it though
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mamaTT
replied on April 17th, 2007
Extremely eHealthy
I would say, no more caffeine than you drink, you and your baby will be just fine. There is still a lot of controversy over the whole caffeine during pregnancy thing.

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy /pregnancynutrition/3955.html
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vanessalouanne
replied on April 17th, 2007
Extremely eHealthy
here is an artical that i found.
The March of Dimes (MOD 2002) notes that during pregnancy, caffeine easily passes from the mother to her unborn child through the placenta. Because the systems for breaking down and eliminating chemicals are not fully developed in the unborn child, blood levels of caffeine may remain elevated for longer periods in the unborn child compared to the mother. OTIS (OTIS 2001) notes that, "...higher amounts of caffeine could affect babies in the same way as it does adults. Some reports have stated that children born to mothers who consumed >500mg/day were more likely to have faster heart rates, tremors, increased breathing rate, and spend more time awake in the days following birth."

The effects of caffeine intake on miscarriages, birth defects, and low birth weight have been studied, and different results were obtained in the various studies. The International Food Information Council (IFIC) has described and made conclusions about the following studies (IFIC July 1998).

Recently, researchers from McGill University in Montreal published a study showing a relationship between caffeine intake and miscarriage. While caffeine intake before and during pregnancy appeared to be associated with increased fetal loss, the authors failed to account for a number of factors that could result in a false association, including effects of morning sickness or nausea*, the number of cigarettes smoked and amount of alcohol consumed
Following a statistical analysis of studies examining caffeine intake in pregnant woman, Motherisk (Motherisk 2000) stated, "Our results suggest a small but statistically significant increase in risk of spontaneous abortion and low birth weight babies in pregnant women consuming more than 150 mg of caffeine per day. Pregnant women should be encouraged to be aware of dietary caffeine intake and to consume less than 150 mg of caffeine a day from all sources throughout pregnancy."

Caffeine Levels in Foods and Drinks

Levels of caffeine typically found in drinks and foods are listed in the following table obtained from the IFIC website.




Item
Milligrams of Caffeine
Average Range

Coffee (5-oz. cup)
Brewed, drip method 115 60-180
Brewed, percolator 80 40-170
Instant 65 30-120
Decaffeinated, brewed 3 2-5
Decaffeinated, instant 2 1-5

Teas (5-oz. cup)
Brewed, major U.S. brands 40 20-90
Brewed, imported brands 60 25-110
Instant 30 25-50
Iced (12-oz. glass) 70 67-76

Some soft drinks (6 oz.) 18 15-30
Cocoa beverage (5 oz.) 4 2-20
Chocolate milk beverage (8 oz.) 5 2-7
Milk chocolate (1 oz.) 6 1-15
Dark chocolate, semi-sweet (1 oz.) 20 5-35
Baker's chocolate (1 oz.) 26 26
Chocolate-flavored syrup (1 oz.) 4 4

http://www.healthieryou.com/caffeine.html




basically its unknown the exact amounts..just limit it
what ive always been told is that there is no benefit and there not sure how much is harmful to the fetus (kind of like alcohol) so whats the point in risking it?

I personally have a coke a day..i figure if your watching it your okay..thats just my personal opinion im sure different people will tell you different things. i completely avoided it my first trimester but then let it back in later on (just so i could function during the day)
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Dannzibelle
replied on April 17th, 2007
Supporter
I can't remember the exact amounts but all i do is have things less often like instead of 3 cokes a week i'll only have one etc. also i stopped drinking coffee because it made me feel sick. I'd say just don't go overboard a little of most things is fine, your doctor will tell you if you're having too much
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jenniek
replied on April 17th, 2007
Active User, very eHealthy
I would ask your doctor. I know its not good to have alot of caffeine but for me that was one of the things I became addicted to in pregnacy! I never drank pop but when I got pregnant, I had to have a dr. pepper every day some times two but my baby came out perfect! I have heard it raises a bigger problem if you don't have a full term baby because it can cause low birth weight but other then that I'm not sure, ask your dr to be safe!
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Idony
replied on April 17th, 2007
Extremely eHealthy
um, im not really sure on this, as im allergic to caffine anyway but this is what ive heard (not sure if its true)

caffine makes the baby hyper, just like it does a child or adult, and apparently it makes it where the baby doesnt grow as well if they dont sleep, also ive heard it can cause breathing problems

of course like i said, i dont know any of that for sure

id asume what you are drinking is ok, tea isnt bad, it doesnt have much caffine in it anyway and its natural caffine, and a coke a day isnt that much either, i think ive heard somewhere your allowed like 3 cans of coke a day or something like that, you just have to limit it

if your really concerned though you could always try to switch to herbal teas made without tea leaves, it doesnt have any caffine in it, but be careful because some herbs arent good for you, and the coke, you could always try caffine free coke

just a suggestion

~alicia~
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sunbun1974
replied on April 18th, 2007
New User
I agree with most of the other girls, I have a coke a day as well, and it has to be from a fountain, not a bottle or a can!!!! That happened when I was prego with my first child over 10 years ago and has transitioned to this pregnancy as well!!!
And so far, the other 2 kids I have are healthy, not hyper or ADD or anything like that, and I am hoping these little twins will be the same!!!
Have a great day!
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ladylee70
replied on April 18th, 2007
Extremely eHealthy
Oh boy! With my last child, I didn't drink any caffeine. Of course, how can I say no to chocolate? With this child, I still have my cup of coffee. I am going to tapper off and quit in a few weeks because I don't want my child born addicted to caffeine. That statement is not founded by research because I honestly don't know how addicted a child can be to caffeine once born...it's just my personal feelings. This baby is a lot more active then my last one - a lot more. I attribute it to my caffeine intake, but it may be due to just differences in children?? I have no idea. I know this child so far is on the lower end of average range for his heartbeat. My other child had a faster heartbeat. I'm consuming less than 150 mg of caffeine a day (I think!!).
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Bridget
replied on April 18th, 2007
Especially eHealthy
Idony wrote:
id asume what you are drinking is ok, tea isnt bad, it doesnt have much caffine in it anyway and its natural caffine, and a coke a day isnt that much either, i think ive heard somewhere your allowed like 3 cans of coke a day or something like that, you just have to limit it


they say you can have 3 cups of coffee or 6 cans of coke a day. 6 cans of soda is moderate?

anyway, i drank a ton of coke (on average about 3 cans a day) while i was pregnant and i have a beautiful healthy baby.
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Idony
replied on April 18th, 2007
Extremely eHealthy
IHeartMyBostonTerrier wrote:
Idony wrote:
id asume what you are drinking is ok, tea isnt bad, it doesnt have much caffine in it anyway and its natural caffine, and a coke a day isnt that much either, i think ive heard somewhere your allowed like 3 cans of coke a day or something like that, you just have to limit it


they say you can have 3 cups of coffee or 6 cans of coke a day. 6 cans of soda is moderate?

anyway, i drank a ton of coke (on average about 3 cans a day) while i was pregnant and i have a beautiful healthy baby.


wow, i must have gotten it mixed in my head i guess, that happens a lot

but or some people 6 cans is like nothing, i know people who can go through a whole 24 pack of dr pepper in a day or less (gag)

~alicia~
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Dannzibelle
replied on April 18th, 2007
Supporter
Idony wrote:
IHeartMyBostonTerrier wrote:
Idony wrote:
id asume what you are drinking is ok, tea isnt bad, it doesnt have much caffine in it anyway and its natural caffine, and a coke a day isnt that much either, i think ive heard somewhere your allowed like 3 cans of coke a day or something like that, you just have to limit it


they say you can have 3 cups of coffee or 6 cans of coke a day. 6 cans of soda is moderate?

anyway, i drank a ton of coke (on average about 3 cans a day) while i was pregnant and i have a beautiful healthy baby.


wow, i must have gotten it mixed in my head i guess, that happens a lot

but or some people 6 cans is like nothing, i know people who can go through a whole 24 pack of dr pepper in a day or less (gag)

~alicia~

Always sounds so strange to me when people drink loads of coke etc because we never had it as a day to day drink at home because my mum is a health nut, needless to say i went muts drinkin gloads when it got round to my birthday parties!
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