The jury has been called to order and whether or not caffeine can actually hurt your fetus – most health-care professional do recommend limiting intake. Sorry Starbucks. Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it pulls fluids and calcium from both you and baby and will keep you running to the bathroom. Ha! As if you aren’t peeing enough during pregnancy! Caffeine has no nutritional value and can affect your mood, sleep schedule and iron absorption. Remember, caffeine is also found in not just coffee, but most teas, soft drinks and chocolates. Play it safe by totally eliminating caffeine, but If you simply can’t kick the habit, at least cut back. Some studies show that excessive caffeine consumption (more than300 mg or two or three 8-ounce cups a day) can increase chances of miscarriage or premature birth. In the March 2008 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology that showed that moms-to-be who consumed 200 mg or more of caffeine a day had double the risk of miscarriage compared with those who had no caffeine.
Going cold turkey can be pretty hard, so try lowering your caffeine intake little by little. If you’re a coffee drinker, work your way down to half-caf before becoming a full-fledged decaf drinker. Of course, if you decide to cut out caffeine altogether, you won’t get any arguments from your doctor or midwife.
So which foods and beverages contain caffeine?
Coffee is one. The amount of caffeine in a serving of coffee varies widely, depending on the type of bean, how it’s roasted, and how it’s brewed – and, obviously, on the size of the coffee cup. (Although espresso contains more caffeine per ounce, a full cup of brewed coffee will deliver more caffeine.)
To cut your caffeine intake, though, you’ll need to be aware of other sources like tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, chocolate, and coffee ice cream. Caffeine also shows up in herbal products and over-the-counter drugs, including some headache, cold, and allergy remedies. Read labels carefully.
Caffeine chart: Amounts in common foods and beverages*
Source: http://www.thebabycenter.com
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