Is It Safe?

Just can't live withour your venti mocha, a double espresso or even a icy cold cola? Well -- unless your caregiver says otherwise -- you'll probably be okay indulging yourself a little.

pregnant woman with coffeeWhile caffeine does cross the placenta to your baby, there doesn't appear to be any evidence that small amounts of caffeine (say 1 or 2 cups of coffee per day) will cause problems during pregnancy. That said, studies have shown that caffeine may cause a miscarriage or could slow the growth of your developing baby if you consume any more than 300mg (an amount roughly equivalent to 2 or 3 cups of coffee, depending on how generous the pour, and perhaps a little more if drinking tea). The first place to start is to find out if your favorite soda has caffeine. Coke has more caffeine than does Pepsi, and while Mountain Dew slightly beats them both with about 55mg, Red Bull eclipses them all at 80mg per can. (And did you know that Sunkist orange soda packs a powerful caffeine punch -- but most other brands of orange soda, such as Minute Maid, have none?) If you're having problems sleeping -- whether it takes you ages to fall asleep, or you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to dreamland -- caffeine probably should be the first thing to eliminate from your diet. Finally, don't forget that certain other foods -- such as chocolate, coffee-flavored ice cream and yogurt -- also contain caffeine, so be sure to take any of these sweets into account when calculating your caffeine intake during pregnancy.

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