We don't know much about the effects of caffeine during pregnancy on you and your baby. Therefore, it's best to limit the amount you receive each day. If you're pregnant, limit caffeine to 200 milligrams per day. This is approximately the amount in 1 ½ cups of 8-ounce coffee or a 12-ounce cup of coffee.
The short answer is yes, pregnant women can drink coffee. However, it's important to monitor coffee and caffeine consumption in general during pregnancy. Caffeine can affect pregnancy and the baby in ways that aren't entirely clear. Because caffeinated tea contains less caffeine than coffee, if you're one of the people who like the ritual of running daily caffeine and holding a warm cup in your hands, you may find it helpful to switch from coffee to tea.
Coffee in particular can cause you to poop, so if you're already running to the bathroom, you might want to include coffee in the list of things you shouldn't drink until your baby arrives. But did you know that caffeine is lurking in many soft drinks, energy drinks, and chocolate- and coffee-flavored yogurt and ice cream (in smaller quantities)? When counting your day's caffeine, be sure to add all of its sources. It's true that in the past, pregnant women were advised to completely avoid coffee and other forms of caffeine, but experts now believe that low to moderate amounts are OK, as long as they take some precautions. 3-day eating records were collected in the second trimester (week 17-20) and in the third trimester (week 3), and caffeine intake from coffee, tea, soft drinks, and chocolate was calculated and dichotomized as low or high, based on the average value.
While an 8-ounce cup of coffee will bring you closer to the 200 mg limit, an 8-ounce cup of black tea has only 50 mg, meaning you can enjoy two without exceeding the recommended amount. And whereas before you could have had three cups of coffee a day without problems, you may now discover that even a small cup makes your heartburn worse or gives you tremors or nervousness. The amount of caffeine in a serving of coffee varies greatly depending on the type of grain, the way it is roasted, the way it is prepared and, of course, the size of the cup. This is approximately two 8-ounce cups of brewed coffee, depending on factors such as the type of coffee beans used and how they are prepared.
Tea tends to have less caffeine than brewed coffee (which tends to have more caffeine than coffee with milk or other specialty coffee beverages). For example, since the actual amount of caffeine in a coffee beverage may vary depending on how it's prepared and other factors, it's helpful to read the labels and nutritional facts of your favorite coffee chain. Caffeine is found in much more things than coffee, and the amount of caffeine varies widely between products and even between brands. To control your caffeine intake, you must know all the sources, such as tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, chocolate and coffee ice cream.
