Can pregnant women drink coffee?

The short answer is yes, pregnant women can drink coffee. However, it is important to watch out for coffee and caffeine consumption in general during pregnancy. Caffeine can affect your pregnancy and baby in ways that aren’t entirely clear.

“The biggest misconception I see about caffeine is that people think they can’t have it during pregnancy at all,” says Layan Alrahmani, MD, OB/GYN, maternal-fetal medicine specialist and member of BabyCenter Medical. Advisory Board. “Remember, a little caffeine is acceptable and unlikely to be harmful.”

The American College of Obstetricians and GynecologistsOpens a new window (ACOG) advises pregnant women to limit caffeine intake to less than 200 milligrams per day, which could be as little as one 8-ounce cup of coffee, depending on the brand. (See the chart at the bottom of this article to get an idea of ​​how much caffeine is in different foods and drinks.)

I drink one coffee every morning. … It seems pretty low risk, and that brings me joy!

– BabyCenter Community Member KateCopeland24

How much caffeine is safe during pregnancy?

Although the official recommendation is 200 mg or less per day, some experts believe that even moderate amounts of caffeine during pregnancy can lead to risks.

Previous studies have linked high caffeine consumption (more than 200 mg per day) with small-for-gestational-age babies or risk of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). But researchers at the National Institutes of HealthOpens a new window found that women who drank less than 200 mg of caffeine a day during pregnancy—just half a cup of coffee a day—had slightly smaller babies than women who didn’t drink any caffeine.

The researchers noted that caffeine is believed to cause blood vessels in the uterus and placenta to constrict, which could reduce blood supply to the fetus and inhibit growth. They also said caffeine could potentially disrupt fetal stress hormones, putting infants at risk of rapid weight gain after birth and obesity, heart disease and diabetes later in life.

However, other studies have found no link between moderate caffeine consumption during pregnancy (less than 200 mg per day) and problems such as low birth weight, IUGR, miscarriage, or preterm birth. This is why most gynecologists and midwives approve moderate caffeine consumption during pregnancy.

However, since the research is not complete, it is a good idea to limit caffeine consumption as much as possible during pregnancy and stay within the recommended limit of 200 mg per day.

Effects of caffeine during pregnancy

When you drink a cup of coffee, the caffeine passes through the placenta into the amniotic fluid and your baby’s bloodstream. While your body is busy metabolizing and releasing caffeine, your baby’s body is still developing and takes much longer to process the caffeine. As a result, your baby is exposed to caffeine for much longer than you are.

Even if caffeine doesn’t usually cause you problems, you may find that it doesn’t agree with you during pregnancy. It is a stimulant, so it can increase heart rate and blood pressure. In addition, it can cause nervousness and cause insomnia. Caffeine can also worsen pregnancy problems such as heartburn and frequent urination.

The effects of caffeine may be more noticeable as your pregnancy progresses. This is because your body’s ability to break down caffeine slows down, so you end up with higher levels of that caffeine in your bloodstream.

During the second trimester, it takes almost twice as long to clear caffeine from the body than it does when you’re not pregnant. During the third trimester, it lasts almost three times longer.

This can also mean that more caffeine crosses the placenta and reaches your baby, who cannot process it effectively.

There’s one more reason to cut down on coffee and tea, whether or not they contain caffeine. These drinks contain compounds that make it harder for your body to absorb iron. This is important because many pregnant women are already low in iron. If you drink coffee or tea, drink it between meals to reduce the absorption of iron.

Wondering when you can go back to enjoying your regular caffeine habit? It depends. Some caffeine can pass to your baby in breast milk, so it’s also a good idea to limit caffeine if you’re breastfeeding, especially for the first few months.

Ways to reduce caffeine during pregnancy

While there are good reasons to cut back on caffeine during pregnancy, it’s not always easy. Your desire for your morning cup of joe may fade during the first trimester when morning sickness sets in, only to return in full force later in your pregnancy. Or, maybe you’ll always have a craving for your usual caffeinated pick-me-ups.

Consider some of these tips to help you have a low-caffeine pregnancy:

• Ease up gradually. If you’re a devoted coffee, tea, or soda drinker, weaning yourself off caffeine probably won’t be easy. To reduce symptoms – which can include headaches, irritability and lethargy – taper off gradually (but get below that 200mg per day limit as soon as possible).
• Try blends for less caffeine. You may want to start by mixing decaffeinated coffee with your regular coffee, gradually increasing the ratio of decaffeinated to caffeinated. Or use more milk and less coffee. At home, try using a smaller amount of ground coffee (or tea leaves) or cooking for a shorter time. Leaving a tea bag to steep for just one minute instead of five cuts the caffeine by as much as half.
• Switch to decaf. Consider making a change, at least for another cup of coffee or tea. (Caffeinated drinks may contain some caffeine, but it’s usually a small amount.)
• Look for other sources of energy. Do your best to get enough sleep at night, go to bed early, and rest during the day when you can. Eat well and exercise – even mild exercise can give you energy.

Although herbal teas are often caffeine-free, check with your doctor before drinking them. A cup of mint or ginger tea is fine, but some herbal teas are not safe for pregnancy.

“I found that drinking decaffeinated kind of gave me a placebo effect,” he says BabyCenter Community member of rusalka96. “Instead of one medium cup of regular coffee in the morning, I can drink several cups of decaf throughout the day.”

What foods and drinks contain caffeine?

Caffeine is found in many more things than just coffee, and the amount of caffeine varies widely among products and even among brands. Pay attention to the type of food and drink you eat throughout the day (and how much) so you’re aware of how much caffeine you’re actually consuming.

To manage your caffeine intake, you need to be aware of all sources, such as tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, energy bars, chocolate and coffee ice cream. Caffeine also appears in herbal products and over-the-counter medications, including some headache, cold, and allergy medications. Read labels carefully.

The amount of caffeine in a single serving of coffee varies widely, depending on the type of bean, the roasting method, the brewing method – and, obviously, the size of the cup.

(Even though espresso contains more caffeine per ounce, it’s served in a small cup. So a full cup of brewed coffee will actually deliver more caffeine.)

“I drink one coffee every morning,” he says BabyCenter Community member KateCopeland24. “I calculated it to be about 65 to 100 mg of caffeine, and it’s something I look forward to every morning. It seems pretty low risk, and it brings me joy!”

Amount of caffeine in common foods and drinks

Coffee	Amount	Caffeine
coffee, generic	8 oz	95-200 mg
coffee, McDonalds	16 oz	145 mg
coffee, Peets	16 oz	260 mg
coffee, starbucks	16 oz	260-360 mg
coffee, Dunkin’	14 oz	210 mg
coffee Americano, Starbucks	16 oz	225 mg
coffee, Dunkin’ cold brew	14 oz	260 mg
coffee, Starbucks iced	16 oz	165 mg
coffee latte, Starbucks	16 oz	150 mg
espresso, starbucks	1.5 oz (1 serving)	150 mg
plain white, starbucks	12 oz	130 mg
espresso, generic	1 oz (1 serving)	64 mg
Nespresso capsules	1	60 mg
coffee, generic instant	8 oz	75 mg
coffee, Starbucks decaffeinated	16 oz	25 mg
coffee, generic decaffeinated	8 oz	2-15 mg

Tea	Amount	Caffeine
chai latte, Starbucks	16 oz	95 mg
black tea, brewed	1 bag	55-95 mg
green tea, brewed	1 bag	45-95 mg
decaffeinated black tea	1 bag
Tazo iced black tea	14 oz	31-45 mg
Honest T Organic Just Black T	17 oz	86 mg
Snapple Lemon Tea	16 oz	37 mg
Lipton Lemon Lemon Tea	17 oz	21 mg

Soft drinks	Amount	Caffeine
Pepsi Zero Sugar	12 oz	69 mg
Mountain Dew	12 oz	54 mg
Diet Coke	12 oz	46 mg
dr. Pepper	12 oz.	41 mg
Pepsi	12 oz	38 mg
Diet Pepsi	12 oz	36 mg
Coca-Cola Classic	12 oz	34 mg
Cherry Coke	12 oz.	34 mg
Barq’s Root Beer	12 oz	22 mg
7- Cf	12 oz	0 mg
Sierra Mist	12 oz	0 mg
Sprite	12 oz	0 mg

Energy drinks	Amount	Caffeine
Red Bull	8.5 oz	80 mg
Mountain Dew amp Original	16 oz	142 mg
5-hour energy regular	1.9 oz	200 mg
Monster Energy	16 oz	160 mg
Rockstar Energy Original	16 oz	160 mg
Starbucks Doubleshot Energy	15 oz	135 mg
Vitaminwater Energy Tropical Citrus	20 oz	50 mg

Desserts	Amount	Caffeine
Hershey’s Special dark chocolate	1 bar	20 mg
Hershey’s milk chocolate	1 bar	9 mg
Ben & Jerry’s coffee ice cream	2/3 cup	65 mg
Dreyer’s or Edy’s coffee ice cream	2/3 cup	14 mg
hot cocoa mix	8 oz	1-3 mg
chocolate milk	8 oz	5-8 mg