How harmful is caffeine in pregnancy?

Question

I am a Coke addict.(By that I mean Coca-Cola) In two days I drink a 2litre bottle. I actually crave it, and it is not the sugar I 'm craving, because I only wany Coke-not candy or anything like that. Anyway, I might be pregnant and I heard that you shoud axe the caffieine while pregnant. Why? what does it do?

Answer 1

Giving up the cola.. I know how hard that is. You know what I did. I went and got some of that gross caffeine free coke when I found out I was pregnant. Then I cut back on that because, well, it tastes nasty. Then I got the diet caffeine free stuff because that's even nastier. I am now a crystal light junkie (yes, I know the aspartame/carcinogen factor) and once in a while have a glass of coke but usually it just burns so I don't even finish it.
So that doesn't answer your question really but I don't know if there are any proven studies to see what it does to the developing fetus. Many mothers who have an unhealthy diet or drink alchohol during their pregnancies have babies who have developed just fine.
Moderation is key here. 'They' say you can have 1 cup of coffee (I don't drink coffee ever) how much caffeine is in that? So just limit it rather than cut it out completely (and maybe eventually, your cravings will be gone). Be prepared for headaches and such though, you can actually have some withdrawl symptoms and that is a big one for caffeine.

Answer 2

I was told by my dr to only drink a couple cups of anything with caffeine in it, which I do! Here is what I found on a website which I have heard.
Caffeine can cause miscarriages: A few studies have shown that there may be an increase in miscarriages among women who consume more than 300 mg (three 5 oz cups of coffee) a day. Other outcomes include preterm labor and low-birth weight babies. Again, it is safer to avoid caffeine as much as possible.

Answer 3

I'm the same way with Dr. Pepper, and if you can stand it go to Diet Coke. To much caffiene is not good pregnant or not. I would look up info on this and just cut down, you don't have to stop completely. But fill it in with lots of good drinks like water. Make sure your body stays plenty hydrated, which caffeine products tend to dehydrate you.

Answer 4

Try to cut down or avoid all together caffiene... until you are about 20 weeks along...then i say have as much as you want (just don't go on a shopping spree at starbucks)... As long as you are not having soo much caffiene that you have crashes then I think you are ok...
I had absolutely no caffiene with my 1st pregnancy (not even chocolate)...And he his 5 years old now and extremely hyper....he bounced around 24/7 in the womb...
With this one...I limited my caffiene to maybe 1 can of pop a week, for the first like 4 months...and then I had as much as I wanted to...I am due in 29 days... and this one, she is fairly calm in the womb and her heartbeat is always around 150 bpm...So, I am wondering if she will be calm after...
So, I would say don't give caffiene up all the way (you get bad withdrawls and it sucks)..But, do try to limit yourself, while your baby's most important organs are developing...

Answer 5

I have read that too much caffeine taken while pregnant can abort the fetus..Talk with your doctor and explain to him how much Coke Cola your drinking..If you do a Yahoo search on these words it will pull up a lot of articles on it: CAFFEINE AND PREGNANCY.
Here are a couple links I saw that the information seemed good:
www.marchofdime.com/professionals/681.1148.asp
www.chem-tox.com/pregnancy/coffee.htm

The caffeine can also speed the heart up of the baby as well as the mother..

Answer 6

Excessive caffiene can be harmful in pregnancy b/c it speeds up your heart rate, and can effect the baby's heart rate and metabolism (much the way cocaine or other drugs would, but nowhere near as harmful!). Caffiene can also restrict fetal growth and make the fetus dependent on caffiene, the way you are. Most doctors recommend one cup of caffienated beverage a day (coffee, soda, chocolate, etc) during pregnancy. After that, you should switch to decaf (it really does take just as good). And remember to take your prenatal vitamins and get prenatal care! Good luck!!

Answer 7

If your drinking that much, caffeine can cause low birth weight, low amniotic fluid, and other things that can be harmful to an unborn child. Any form of caffeine (IE: chocolate, sodas..)is not good for an unborn baby. There are varied opinions on this but your best bet is asking your doctor.

Answer 8

Caffeine during pregnancy is something they do not know a whole lot about, but they do recommend you cut down or stop altogether during pregnancy. They have done studies that link high amounts of caffeine to miscarriages and preterm labor. I have put a couple of article that you should read to learn a little about it. This is also something you should talk to your doctor about.

Answer 9

Your allowed 300 mg of caffieine a day AFTER the first trimester....opt for Sprite instead.

Answer 10

You don't have to cut it out all together, just cut back, a lot. I used to allow myself one drink a day. I would drink milk or water with each meal, and as a treat to myself, drink one caffine drink. I also switched to Sprite while pregnant, since it is caffine free.. I couldn't stand to drink just milk and water all day. lol. And actually started liking sprite, and Koolaid, by the time I had my second.