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Is coffee really that bad for you (and the baby) when you're pregnant?

My husband and I were having a small discussion about it.
I asked the experts about it and she answered something like "well you should try and limit it to maybe 1 cup a day".
My husband said "Obviously she means you shouldn't drink any!"
While other family members say "it shouldn't be much of a problem, just limit your total caffeïne intake during the day"
I'm totally confused :/ I try to avoid it all together, but honestly sometimes I just really want a cup of coffee or 2.

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ozgirl512 · 26-30, F Best Comment

I think it's the caffeine content that's the concern..
I don't really want to say this but..
Decaf?

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SimplyTracie · 26-30, F

@ozgirl512 Hey! That is a sensible alternative. Best answer I’ve heard yet.

ozgirl512 · 26-30, F

@SimplyTracie thank you Tracie 😘

ozgirl512 · 26-30, F

@kimmy159 thanks for BA :)

Pfuzylogic · M

Everything in moderation. I am very certain that caffeine is low on the list of offending materials. I think you have a handle on what is healthy. Your husband’s concern is a part of this and maybe he just needs to see that you are more supported by the ability to drink a favorite beverage.
My Mom always quit smoking during pregnancy but nicotine is a much more hazardous material of consumption.

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Pfuzylogic · M

@kimmy159
Please don’t feel bad. Emotions would cause you more challenges than one cup of caffeine a day. Honestly if that is all you drink you will be fine. Your body will let you know if you are drinking too much and that is a lot mote than one cup.
@SimplyTracie
I tried decaf before and the taste drove me back to regular coffee. My experience is that it is more bitter in taste!

kimmy159 · F

@Pfuzylogic Unless you're used to drinking "bad tasting office coffee" XD then the taste is just the same for decaf haha
I have low coffee standards XD

Pfuzylogic · M

@kimmy159
I did when I was active in the US Navy. They didn’t even have cream or sugar just a thick strong tasting coffee syrup! 🤢
That has been quite a few years ago and I just recently purchased my Keurig!

4meAndyou · F

ONE cup or glass of liquid is not going to hurt you or the baby. It's always overdoing it that is harmful. I would not smoke or drink alcohol while I was carrying, but no one ever said a word about coffee or tea and my baby was fine.

They did a study with 562 women who miscarried their baby after 6-12 weeks, and it turns out that if they drank more than 5 cups of coffee a day it increased the chance of miscarriage.

A second study found that drinking more than 300 mg of caffeine daily doubles the risk of miscarrying in the first trimester.

A third study reduced that number to 200 mg of caffeine daily.

The three studies above were all very small studies.

Then, last but not least, they did a huge or mega study that found there is absolutely no connection between caffeine and birth outcome. (The big studies are usually more reliable...less skewed data.

Still more small studies indicate lower birth weights are a possibility with more than 200 mg a day. 200 mg a day is one 12 oz cup of coffee, or 5 cans of cola.

The article I read states that if you want to play it super safe, drink no coffee for the first three months, because that is the time when there is the most danger of miscarriage and then after that, if you and the baby are fine, have one cup of coffee per day.

kimmy159 · F

@4meAndyou Thanks so much ^^ I'm at 5 months pregnancy at the moment and I must admit I did drink about 3 cups of coffee daily before I knew I was pregnant (during the first 6 weeks) but I rarely drink other drinks that contain caffeine.
I heared about the lower birth weights too ~ so far the baby's weight is right on top of the average bars so I guess you're right, moderation is key. I don't drink more than 2 cups a day if I have a "bad coffee day" and I don't drink coffee daily ^^

4meAndyou · F

@kimmy159 I think you will be fine. Have your coffee. You are well beyond the point where they say it can make a difference.

SW-User

It's a stimulant, makes your heart beat go up. Probably makes the baby hyper.
Having said that, coffee has its benefits. It's the main ingredient in certain pain killers. And there are other benefits too, I do not remember off hand.
I'm sure one cup as the doc said wouldn't hurt. It gets insane when people go for 6 or so a day.

kimmy159 · F

@SW-User Thanks ^^ I agree with your line of thoughts :D 6 cups would be really unhealthy for sure 0.o I think my body wouldn't even be able to handle the attempt, even in a normal state lol

SW-User

@kimmy159 Lol. But you get what I mean to say right? It's fine in moderation, and really humble moderations when pregnant.

kimmy159 · F

@SW-User I do get it ^^ Thanks :D

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kimmy159 · F

@SW-User Thanks a lot, that's quite helpful and comforting too ^^
I also share your opinion and I do try to eat healthy (lots of fruit, nuts, veggies, water opposed to soft drinks,...) so I feel like I'm already doing a lot of effort compared to my lifestyle before xD
If I have to skip out on coffee too I might just get annoyed over something small ;p

SW-User

Well I had to avoid it caffeine from tea or coffee made me nauseated 🤢
I was also told to avoid it as much as possible

kimmy159 · F

@SW-User I felt nauseated in the beginning when I would drink coffee but now it's not really the case anymore ^^ It's just hard to leave out "all of the bad things" all of the sudden from your usual lifestyle when you're already doing a lot of effort.

SW-User

@kimmy159 enjoy a little 👍

kimmy159 · F

@SW-User Thank you ^^ I will

tallpowerhouseblonde · 31-35, F

There are different opinions out there,some say no coffee,others are you can have 2 cups a day.Honestly a minor issue because it is way more important to not smoke and no alcohol.

SimplyTracie · 26-30, F

I can’t imagine that caffeine would be on a list of healthy beverages for a pregnant mom to be.

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SimplyTracie · 26-30, F

@kimmy159 Trust me, I know the struggles of giving something up that so good. One day at a time. 😂

kimmy159 · F

@SimplyTracie I'm starting to understand why so many women are only "able" to change their lifestyle after having been pregnant for the first time. I gave up on a lot of unhealthy stuff (foodwise) and started eating much healthier and more regular too ^^ I think it would be good to also try this after the pregnancy haha :D

SimplyTracie · 26-30, F

@kimmy159 You should try that. 😊

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kimmy159 · F

@IstillmissEP Some questions don't require a sarcastic input 🤨 It's not even that funny, maybe your parents went for the safer option 🤓

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