Coffee and caffeine
Whether coffee is bad for pregnancy has not yet been established with certainty. As you can read below, the studies differ. What is certain is that drinking a lot of coffee can cause a lower birth weight in the baby and more irritability and crying. But you can safely drink 1 to 2 cups of coffee a day.
Recent American research reveals that women who drink a lot of coffee early in their pregnancy (>200 grams per day) are twice as likely to have a miscarriage. The Nutrition Center continues to advise not to use more than 300 mg of caffeine per day.
It is also better for women who are breastfeeding to drink little coffee, according to the Nutrition Center. Caffeine also passes into breast milk, which can make the baby restless.
According to the relevant American research, caffeine could also increase the chance of having a baby with a low birth weight. However, this is not confirmed by a recent Danish study. Healthy women were divided into two groups (randomised). The one group was given caffeinated coffee and other decaf. Both groups did not differ in the number of preterm births or low birth weight children.
Only if women smoke, drink alcohol or if there are other unfavorable socio-economic factors at play, drinking a lot of coffee can contribute to a decrease in birth weight by 100-200 grams.
Decaffeinated coffee, herbal teas and decaffeinated cola are a good solution for avid coffee, tea, and cola drinkers. If you drink a lot of coffee and suddenly stop or switch to decaffeinated coffee, you may experience withdrawal symptoms at first, such as headaches and trembling hands. This is because caffeine is an addictive substance.
Examples of 300 mg of caffeine:
- 3 cups of coffee and 1 cup of tea
- 2 cups of coffee and 2 cups of tea and 1 glass of cola
- 2 cups of coffee and 3 cups of tea
