Decaf coffee and pregnancy

A Brief Introduction

Thetruth is: nothing in the world is so satisfying on a Monday morning asa cup of brew – whether it be to shake into the the first fewworking hours of the week or to shake off the morning lethargy manyof us know all too well.

Howeverthis might not be the best of ideas for pregnant moms... Namely,coffee is harmful for pregnant women, and worse still it is even moreso for their unborn babies. And since every mom knows that the baby'ssafety and priorities come first and foremost, there is nothing shewould consciously be willing to do, to put its safety and the best ofwell-beings at risk.

Andthis is exactly why some pregnant moms consider the option of decafcoffee for the duration of pregnancy.... Which is also the topic ofthis article. Namely, it takes a closer look at the properties ofdecaf coffee (those which are relevant to pregnant women, that is)and offers an automatic comparison with the effects a regular morningbrew has in store.

Is it safe to drink decaf coffeeduring pregnancy?

In order tounderstand its effects, one must fist take a closer look at theproperties of decaf coffee, as well as the process of decaffeination.

Bluntlyput, a decaf coffee drink is one which is stripped of most of itsoriginal caffeine properties and thus their effects as well. Now itis important to stress that the word used here was "most"rather than "all" of its original caffeine content. Becausethat very word makes all the difference in the big picture.

Namely,no matter how little caffeine is left after the process of decaffing,there is still a small amount which will enter the pregnant mother's system. In fact, it it almost technically impossible to get rid of,since we are, after all, dealing with coffee beans.

Still,seeing as it may not be the best of solutions – if a mom simply isnot able to give up the habit –, it is still better than drinkingreal coffee. It has been proven that a mom having three to four cupsof decaf does not cause any potential harm to her baby (nor toherself for that matter), while on the other hand having the sameamount of real coffee would in fact so cause pregnancy complications.

Soconclusively, decaf may be the way to go if moderation is practicedin a fairly strict manner. Other factors which would furtherinfluence the same effects would include the person's own overallhealth, and the like.

However,to be fair, the following aspect of decaf sheds some light as a fair warning of its subtle but still existing negative traits.

Could it really be that bad forpregnancy?

Theblunt way of answering this question would be: not exactly. No, itisn't harmful in a drastic way but it is no friend of the pregnantmom either. What is meant by this is that it is not directly harmfulto the baby if – and only if – it is practiced with moderation.Simply put, having four cups of decaf a day may not cause damage, butincreasing the amount to ten cups per day most definitely will.