How much coffee can you drink when you are having a baby?
My doctor also advised to not overdo it. They told me 1 cup of coffee a day is fine, even in my first trimester, but to be aware of the other forms of caffeine I was taking in throughout the rest of the day (chocolate, soda, etc).
I abstained from caffeine during the first trimester because that is a really crucial time of nueral development as well there being a link between caffeine and some miscarriages. During the 2nd and 3rd trimester, some doctors will okay a soda or a small cup a coffee a day - but I often went over that amount. I now abstain completely from caffeine because I discovered that soda is a huge inhibitor of calcium absorbtion and that caffeine gets into breastmilk. This may be a tad extreme, but I feel great now and am so glad that I quit.
My doc said that caffeine in moderation in fine during pregnancy, even the first trimester.
I LOVE coffee, and what we did was to brew a pot that was 1/2 decaf and 1/2 regular, so I could feel comfortable having a few cups. I also would make it more like a cafe a lait, and fill about 1/3 of the cup with milk.
Less caffiene was really good for everyone in our house.
I do have to warn you... my 20 month will drink the coffee black and shrieks for a cup when he sees ours!
My advice is to not drink it in the first trimester. Coffee does deplete your body of folic acid, B12 and B5 all very important for the embryo's development in the first trimester when all of the organs are forming. Caffiene is still classified as a "drug"
1 cup or 8oz seems to be fine as long as you drink at least 2c/16oz of water for each cup of coffee you drink, as it is a diuretic and dehydrates you.
I am expecting my second and drink about 8oz a week, literally, but have found green tea to be a nicer supplement, particularly the Zen tea by Tzao, which has peppermint which helps with nausea and upset stomachs (and believe me, I am not a tea drinker!)
Good Luck!
J. W. MPH
Maternal and Child Health Educator
National Pregnancy Health Examiner
http://wwww.examiner.com/x-29454-Pregnancy-Health-Examine...
I go to a leading OB, head of the Obgyn faculty at IL Masonic, and according to her and recent studies, one would have to drink 10 cups a day to cause harm to a fetus. I drank 2-3 shots of espresso each day while pregnant with both my children.
