Caffeine during pregnancy

Maternal nutrition is very important while an embryo/fetus is still developing. Parents need to take extra caution considering that some of the products adults consume can be damaging to the baby’s health whilst in the uterus and later on in life. I avoided all sorts of caffeine when Dear Son was in the tummy. I avoided all sources of caffeine including coffee, chocolate, or even an innocent cup of tea. It was a tough thing to do since I run on caffeine. It was my first pregnancy; I was extra-cautious. Thinking back, and reading more, I think I could probably cut myself some slack. 🙂 Some of my findings regarding caffeine during pregnancy, again from the Internet, are as follows.

What is the impact of caffeine on childbirth?

Researchers of National Institutes of Health conducted a study, which reveals that couples’ pre-pregnancy caffeine consumption is linked to miscarriage risks. Results demonstrate that a woman is more likely to miscarry if she and her partner drink more than two caffeinated beverages a day during the weeks leading up to conception. In addition, women who drink more than two daily caffeinated beverages during the first seven weeks of pregnancy are also more likely to miscarry.

Another study published in BMC Medicine discovers that coffee-caffeine is associated with prolonged gestation. Caffeine intake during pregnancy is connected to low birth-weight of infants as well as a general rise in the length of pregnancy. The study described in the BMC Medicine article reveals a strong association between caffeine intake and infant being small at birth. This link was found whether or not the mothers smoked, suggesting that it was undoubtedly and solely due to caffeine ingestion.

Studies show that for every 100mg of Caffeine consumed, the birth weight was off by about an ounce and the pregnancy period extended by five hours. If the caffeine originated from coffee, the gestational period improved by eight hours for every 100mg consumed — a pronounced variation. The increased gestational duration connected with coffee consumption might either be due to another material in coffee, or possibly there is something distinctive in the behaviors of the coffee drinkers — which caused elevated maternity duration — not present in people who only drink teas.

When the baby is inside mom, the placenta provides oxygen and nutrients to the growing baby and removes waste products from the baby’s blood. A placental barrier inside mom is a layer of tissue in the placenta that serves as a selective membrane to substances passing from maternal to fetal blood. Caffeine is able to readily pass the placental barrier in the same manner that nutrients or oxygen can. A tiny-soft baby, often known as the embryo, is unable to inactivate caffeine properly, which causes health concerns.

What is the suggested safe amount of caffeine for a pregnant woman?

The World Health Organization currently suggests that an expectant mother consumes no more than 300mg of caffeine during pregnancy each day — the quantity contained in about two cups of medium strength brewed coffee. A regular 8-oz cup of brewed coffee contains between 95mg to 165mg of caffeine. This link provides the World Health Organization e-library documents relevant to safe coffee-amount.

Common caffeine sources

You will be surprised how common caffeine is in our food items. Some common sources of caffeine are listed below. It is the best to keep counting the caffeine intake while pregnant for the safety of the baby.

  1. Coffee beverages
  2. Soft drink
  3. Tea brews (particularly black and green tea)
  4. Chocolate bars
  5. Ice cream
  6. Pain relievers
  7. Energy water
  8. Breath fresheners
  9. SumSeeds energized sunflower seeds
  10. Some instant oatmeal (please check labels carefully)
  11. Beef jerky (strange, isn’t it?)

Caffeine from all resources reduce birth-weight and increase the overall length of maternity. Some of the instant-food items may contain more caffeine than even a regular cup of coffee. It is a good habit to read labels of instant-foods during pregnancy.

Settle in El Paso team
Prompt: Perfume

Related posts


22 thoughts on “Caffeine during pregnancy

  1. Didn’t know about beef jerky! I craved it all the time when I was pregnant with my son. I ate a lot of it :/
    1. So long everyone is fine 🙂 I craved sweet, I always do, and I was borderline diabetic! Thanks for reading and your comment. Have a great weekend.
  2. At least when you were pregnant you were extra-cautious, and for that you should have no regrets! Growing up, my dad would always use the phrase, “Moderation is the key!” And it applies to just about anything. I still use the phrase with my kids and sometimes my patients when we talk about sodium and carbs, LOL. Great info. Thanks for posting.
    1. Your dad is a wise man. I love his quote. I agree, it applies to just anything. Thank you for visiting and commenting. Have a wonderful weekend!
  3. The list is so interesting, I really had no idea like others have commented about beef jerky, breath freshener, oat meal, and sunflower seeds. Wow. Good to know, I’m not pregnant but when and if I do decide to have #2…this is definitely good info. 🙂
    1. Many items in the list was a surprise to us. As one reader put it nicely, moderation is the key. Glad you find the post useful. Have a wonderful weekend.
  4. Taking caffeine or caffeinated drinks during pregnancy and even during breastfeeding is wrong and dangerous for the baby. For the sake of the baby’s health and to avoid delivery complications pregnant women must avoid drinks like alcoholic beverages, coffee and any other drink or food that contains caffeine even in the smallest quantity
    1. Agreed. Going any larger than World Health Organization recommended amount would increase the risk factors.
  5. This is good info because I didn’t know that the pre-pregnancy caffeine consumption may lead to a miss carriage. My wife asked the doctor about drinking coffee when she is pregnant and the doctor said that she can drink a cup of coffee with a small spoon of coffee every day.
    Still, for precaution, she drinks a cup once at two days!
    1. That is great that your wife is being extra cautious. Being extra cautious has its short and long term benefits. Have a wonderful time.
  6. Wow there are such controversy around coffee and caffeine that it’s really difficult to really know should I be drinking coffee or not, I do love my coffee a lot and every time I tried cutting back on coffee I just found myself feeling fatigued and getting headaches all the time so I still drink coffee but I keep debating with myself if it’s a good thing for my overall health.

    As far as being pregnant, I don’t know but I feel that if you suspect that something you are using might not be good for your unborn baby I might be better to keep it out of your diet (Better safe that sorry).

  7. When I was pregnant I can’t even have a sip of cappuccino! My husband is too paranoid as well as my doctor that I might get big, I drank a lot of soda after giving birth so I’m fine now. No worries.
  8. Thanks for this new information for me and my wife. We do like coffee a lot and we are jow limiting our consumption of caffeine. I’m surprised that caffeine is not only found in coffee but also in chocolate bars, etc., we have to be ery mindful of everything.
    1. True their is nothing more effective than being mindful and cautious. This is for the baby’s welfare we are talking and I believe both of you parents are responsible already to know what is right and wrong.
  9. Wow! I didn’t know that breath fresheners, oat meals, and energy water contain caffeine. But thanks for this information. I would also like to add that caffeine makes calcium absorption hard. Pregnant women need more calcium since the mother is the child’s only source of calcium. The child gets calcium from the mother in order to form his bones. Having enough calcium helps prevent bone defects on babies.
  10. Good that I know now that much intake of caffeine can result in miscarriage for my wife when she is pregnant. I would also want to know taking much of milk got any side effects for my fiance enjoys taking milk so much
  11. When my wife was pregnant, we were advised to strictly avoid caffeine. My wife stopped drinking tea, coffee, and carbonated drinks. She also stopped eating chocolates and ice creams. We were told caffeine was bad, but no one told us what caffeine actually did to the pregnancy. We did not want to take risk, so wife stopped caffeine intake even though we did not know the reasons. Thanks for the info.
  12. At the time my wife was pregnant the Doctor informed us of avoiding caffeine in as much as possible or with a limited amount. My wife has been a coffee drinker but on her first pregnancy she was able to avoid drinking a single coffee not until after delivery. I know its hard but water was her option. Instead of craving one we were able to manage and talk it out until she eventually forgets the crave. Though our doctor gave us the go signal to take caffeine to a limited amount we rather decided to avoid it to avoid complications and miscarriage. It may be hard to avoid but if it affects the welfare of the baby already better avoid than blame yourself for the possible consequences.
  13. When I was pregnant I used to drink coffee 1 to 2 times a day and I was at 5 mos. of my pregnancy. Then my husband took a research of caffeine intake for pregnant women that is when we realized I am drinking too much caffeine and I feel so sorry for myself and my baby. I feel so irresponsible at that time, so we decide to visit a OB/GYN to have a pre-natal check up. She told me that my baby is okay and there is nothing to worry about but I need to avoid caffeine as much as possible. My husband really took care of me he used to buy fruits and always giving me water so I will have a healthy pregnancy, 🙂 He never buy me sweets and coffee drinks I really love my husband. ^_^ Thank you for this post!

Leave a Reply


CommentLuv badge

G+ Comments

Facebook Comments