How much caffeine in pregnancy is safe

Pregnancy and caffeine

When a woman stays pregnant, she has to pay attention to her own health, as well as to the health of her baby. In this period, she is more careful about what she consumes since everything she eats and drinks her child uses also. Therefore, many women stop consuming the products that contain nicotine and caffeine, and they also stop consuming alcohol. They are aware that alcohol and cigarettes are harmful for the baby, but do they need to cut on coffee also? It is among the most frequent questions among the expecting mothers.

Amounts of caffeine allowed in pregnancy

The truth is that the complete giving up on the caffeine is not necessary since there is an amount of caffeine that can be consumed and that does not cause any harm to the baby. The pregnant women can consume 200 mg of caffeine, or two cups of coffee per day, but not more. When the expecting mother consumes more than 200 mg of caffeine a day, then the chances for the occurrence of miscarriage and low birth weight of the baby are increased. When the baby is born with low body weight, it makes the baby prone to many health problems in the future.

The pregnant women should pay attention to the other products that contain caffeine and not only coffee, since it can be also found in teas, energy drinks and chocolate. If the woman consumes all these products, she should count the milligrams of caffeine consumed. For example, a cup of coffee contains 100 milligrams of caffeine, while a cup of filter coffee contains 140 milligrams of caffeine. Thus, it is allowed to drink two cups of instant coffee, but only a cup of filter coffee. Furthermore, a cup of tea contains 75 milligrams of caffeine, while a cup of green tea contains 50 mg of it. A bar of chocolate contains 50 mg of caffeine, while a can of cola has 40 mg. It is always important that caffeine is not consumed in the amounts above the allowed 200 milligrams.

Caffeine effects on the body

Since the caffeine is a stimulant, it affects our nervous system, thus making us more alert and attentive, but it also increases our heart rate and our metabolism. This can also be passed on the baby and the strange sensation can be felt after taking a cup of coffee. The high amounts of caffeine before going to bed can cause the disturbed sleep and subsequently fatigue during the day.