Is Coffee Bad for Pregnant Women?

Pregnancy is a period during which most women pay special attention to their nutrition and lifestyle. Responsibility for a little creature growing inside our bodies makes the transition to healthy way of life, much easier. We are all aware that smoking, drugs and junk food are strictly forbidden, but many women wonder, if coffee is bad for pregnant women too? Here is an answer.

It is generally advised not to take large amounts of coffee during pregnancy for few reasons.

First, some studies have shown that taking large amounts of caffeine along with smoking, and bad diet can increase the possibility of miscarriage.

Second, coffee is a stimulant and as such can cause insomnia, anxiety, sweating and additional sickness when pregnant.

How Does Coffee Affect Our Bodies?

Pregnant Woman Eating Cookies In Bed

Approximately fifteen minutes after you’ve had a cup of coffee, caffeine gets into the bloodstream and raises hart rate and blood pressure. Since it also causes blood vessels to constrict, coffee may reduce blood flow to the placenta. It has the same effect on your baby as it has on you.

Too much coffee can be bad for pregnant women for one more reason- it affects the iron absorption. Many pregnant women often suffer from the so called “pregnancy anaemia” so if you are one of them, limit the coffee intake to one cup only, or give it up completely.

Still, all this refers to those who drink large amounts of coffee- 4 to 6 cups a day.

Moderate coffee intake (1 to 2 cups a day or less than 200 mg per day) won’t do you any harm and you can safely consume it. One of the side effects of the coffee intake is that it can cause dehydration, so it is advisable to drink a glass of water with coffee.

If you are addicted to coffee and cannot imagine starting a day without your favourite drink, then you should definitely stop drinking it. For those who used to drink more than 6 cups of coffee a day, will have some light withdrawal symptoms such as a headache, irritability and lethargy. Those can be expected, but they won’t last for more than two weeks (the time needed for our bodies to remove toxins).

You should also think about the caffeine found in foods and beverages such as:

Tea (black and green) – they are very rich in caffeine
Energy drinks – strictly forbidden during pregnancy
Chocolate
Cocoa
Coffee ice cream
Soft drinks
Drugs – such as remedies against cold, headache etc.

When taking some of these products always read the labels carefully. Follow the link to see how much caffeine these foods and drinks contain. Food and beverages with caffeine.

If you are still wondering if the coffee is bad for pregnant women, you can always choose decaf or a coffee substitute – chicory (mainly find in health food stores).

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