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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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.