Wondering About Caffeine Before and During Pregnancy

I had a cup of coffee every morning with both of my kids and everything was fine. My doctor said it was fine for me to continue to have my morning coffee.

My Doctor advised me to only drink 120 mg of caffienated drink a day while pregnant. Too much caffiene has been linked to minor troubles with the baby, but to my knowledge, nothing serious. Here's a list of content in quite a few common beverages

http://wilstar.com/caffeine.htm

I don't know about stopping before you try, but I can say from my own experience that I drank caffine, not much, but probably one pop a day before and after I was pregnant.

My doctor said it was fine to have one a day and my baby was born healthy and everything was fine. Ask your doctor. They know best. I think it's always good to be healthy especially during your pregnancy, but ask your doctor. Being pregnant actually can cause headaches which I had quiet often in my first pregnancy and this one and my doctor said to drink something with caffine to help...good luck!

Oh I hate this topic. Mainly because you always get the "I did it and everything is fine". I had a girl actually tell me I smoked through both my pregnancies and everything was fine. Yes, that's not the point really, is it? It's not good for you, or the baby. That being said. It took me 7 months to quit caffeine. And, I drank it through my second pregnancy, because the headaches were so bad the first time, I couldn't bare to go through them again. Caffeine is a diaretic, stimulant and other things that are not good for an adult let alone a fetus. Even if the fetal barrier isn't being crossed, these effects are not good for the baby. Just my two cents. It's really hard to determine if there are any effects on our newborn, because you have nothing to compare it to. Could my child had 10 more IQ points if I hadn't drank coffee while pregnant? I have no idea because her IQ is her IQ. And those averages mean nothing, because responsible people usually are the more intelligent as well, so if IQ is genetic then of course those people that are smart enough to care what affects their unborn child are going to have children with a higher IQ. (this is just an example of tests they use to determine whether or not this affects the fetus in an adverse way).

Yes! I drank coffee through my whole pregnancy and my baby gorl came out just fine! And I also ate a lot of chocolate o, wich they say not to have! BEcause all chocolate has caffeine in it! But I was also drinking a lot more coffee, when I got pregnant! So I'm sure it will be fine!

I recommend stopping now. I LOVE coffee and diet pop. I too am trying to get pregnant with my 2nd child. I stopped all caffine and alchol consumption completely. Caffine caused low birth weights and isn't good for the development of the baby. Plus, it can affect your fertility. If you drink that much you will have some withdrawal for a week or so, and it is better to get that over with before you get pregnant. I actually feel much better once I am caffine free (and actually, you'll be surprised that you have MORE energy).

I'm sure your Mom means well-- but a lot of things were different when our Mom's were pregnant. My Mom was late delivering me and they actually took an X-Ray of her stomach to see if I was breach. Doctor's used to prescribe laxitives if a woman was gaining too much weight, etc. Medicine and has progressed, and the fact that many of over mother's drank coffee, smoked, etc. is not a good reason for us to.

FYI- you should start taking Folic acid 400 mg a day now. They recommend you take it for 3 mos before getting pregnant.

Good luck with your first baby!

Hi. I'm a mother of 4 and drank one coke or diet coke every day while I was pregnant. My doctor, like the other responder, said that 2 a day was fine. As far as problems,there were none. My kids were all big healthy babies. My smallest was 7lb 11oz, and my largest was 9lb 12oz. I'd talk to my doctor and see what he or she thinks. I'm sure they will give you the best advice for your situation. Good luck getting pregnant!!! I hope it goes well for you.

Hi! I am not sure if stopping your caffine in take will change anything. I do recommend taking Folic acid everyday. Docotors say that it will help your chances. I don't knoe from experience, but a girlfriend of mine said thats whtat worked for her. (and she drank caffine) So I wish you luck!!!

I just recently got pregnant. I was told that 2 cups of coffee a day should not do harm to baby. I drink pop all day so of course my doctor told me to cut that out.

Well J., I'm a 31 year old mother of three, and had drank coffee durring all of my pregnancy's. However my children are completely fine to a point. Having to much caffeine in your system isn't the greatest when pregnant. Some researchers' will say that it may cause why a child is colic, or become ADHD as a child. My advise would be to cut down alittle and make sure you still get your rest and eat healthy.

I am in my first trimester and just went for my check- up and on the sheet that was given to me is that pregnant women are alotted 2 cups of coffee each day as there caffine intake. Although if you still have questions or concerns i would call your OB/GYN office and ask the nurse. That is what they are there for and they will answer anything and everything you ask. Good luck and happy holidays

Hey J.

I'd ask your OB...or any doctor. We had both of our kids via In Vitro Fertilization and our OB said I could have a cup a day...which I chose not to do b/c I'm a nervous freak. I would just go with what your doctor says...

Good luck!

Hi,

My doctor recommended stopping caffeine, taking 1000mg of folic acid a day with a multivitamin and trying to eat healthy natural foods and get as much exercise as possible. I have been following this and I feel great. You would be surprised how much better you feel after a vigorous exercise and no caffeine.

Best of luck to you!

I won't tell you to stop drinking coffee. I consumed caffeine in the form of hot chocolate and diet soda, with no problems. However, I will remind you that your unborn child, and perhaps breast fed child later on, consume everything you do. While caffeine is not that big a deal to most of us, it's worth thinking on. I did notice that my son was more active in the womb when I drank more soda. I'm sure it wasn't hurting him. But, you must remember that towards the end of the pregnancy you will have a hard enough time resting comfortably without hopping your baby up on caffeine too.lol I would consider cutting back for now, and play it by ear. Most doctors I've talked with say that 2 caffeinated baverages a day are the maximum you should consume while pregnant. Then again, there's always decaf.

I am currently 31 weeks pregnant and my OB says up to 2 caffeinated beverages per day is fine as long as the other beverages include plenty of water and milk. I am not a coffee drinker but I do have a cup of tea every morning and a pop with my dinner. I also followed this routine with my first pregnancy with my daughter and she came out fine, no problems. The biggest risk Ithink with caffeine is getting dehydrated and not getting enough vitamins from other sources like milk. So I think you should be fine with your 2 cups of coffee per day! Hope this helps, and good luck!

Hi, first off, I wish you lots of luck with getting pregnant. I stopped drinking anything with caffeine when I was pregnant. Even though the doctor may say its okay, I think of it this way: everything I ingest goes to my baby. I wouldn't give a baby or child caffeine after they are born, so why give it to them before they're born. It probably won't hurt the baby in the long run, but why take the chance. Anyway, that's just my two-cents. Good luck with everything.