In what is no doubt some really great news for moms who can't resist having a cup o' joe every morning, there is new research showing that drinking coffee during pregnancy won't give your child behavior problems later in life. (Whew!)
The research showed that the children of mothers who drank up to three cups of coffee per day while pregnant did not have a larger risk of being inattentive than moms who did not drink any at all. (I guess caffeine isn't as bad as we thought.)
When I was pregnant with my son, I was very concerned with what foods and drinks I needed to avoid to make sure he developed properly and stayed healthy -- but the thought of having to give up my morning coffee ritual almost seemed like too much to take. What can I say? Mama loves her java.
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I talked things over with my doctor, and she advised me to limit my intake to one cup per day, but insisted that having that amount was perfectly safe and would not have a negative effect on my baby. I took her words to heart and enjoyed one mug of coffee every day until something very strange suddenly happened.
Somewhere in the middle of my second trimester, I developed a total aversion to the taste and smell of coffee. Actually, getting so much as a whiff of a freshly brewed pot almost made me gag. Though I had no intention of giving it up, I was forced to surrender my morning cup at that point, and it took me quite some time after I had my son to be able to drink it again.
I always wondered whether it was body's way of telling me having even a small amount of caffeine wasn't healthy for my baby -- like my maternal instincts were already kicking in or something. I figured if I hated it so much, then it just HAD to be bad for the baby. But after hearing about this study, I guess it was just some sort of bizarre fluke?
Whatever the reason for my sudden break-up with my java, I don't think I'd hesitate to try drinking a cup a day if I were to become pregnant again. At least this new research brings some peace of mind that enjoying a cup (or three) won't make my child a hyperactive kindergartner.
Have you been drinking coffee during your pregnancy?
Image via Phil Monger/Flickr
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Comments 29
i restricted my caffeine big time with my daughter's pregnancy...now that she's 2 and baby #2 is due any time now, i need a cup of java to actually get things going. my husband was not happy with the coffee intake at first but my OBGYN said as long as I wasn't overdoing it then it was all well and good. Reserch articles that I have read (peer reviewed not just one study findings) indicate that 6-8 cups of coffee a day is the amount of caffeine they are talking about affecting the baby specifically causing growth issues and it also limits the amount of nutrition that the fetus receives.
When I was pregnant with my son I still had a cup or 2 of coffee a day. I definitely didn't drink as much as I had before I got pregnant though. I tried to cut it out completely but I'd already cut out smoking when I found out I was pregnant so it was hard to give up both of my addictions. In the long run I think I made the better and healthier choice by cutting out the smoking. My son is almost 2 and other than a couple drags here and there I'm still smoke free...now to get my hubby to quit!
I can't drink caffiene at all because even a can of soda makes me feel like I'm having a heart attack. I haven't had any caffiene at all in about 2 years now. I manage to stay awake just fine, even on days where I get much less sleep than I need. I think it's funny when people say they NEED caffiene or they "can't" stay awake. What did people do before caffienated beverages I wonder? I think we're all way too dependant on caffiene to make it through our day.
with my first pregnancy i drank soda like there was no tomorrow (wasn't a big coffee fan then, i was getting plenty of sleep at that point hahaa). with my second pregnancy though (at this point i had my fair share of sleep deprevity) i stuck to one small cup a day, and i mean a small cup, because i was told too much caffeine was unsafe but one-two cups was fine.
meh.
these studies go back and forth back and forth.......i don't know what to believe anymore! lol
w/my 1st i was super strict w/what i ate/drank- NO caffiene. she is now approaching kindergarten &... um... is very energetic. w/my 2nd i drank some here & there, but not really regularly. & with my 3rd i drank what i wanted when i wanted (caffiene wise that is). i did study on it regarding nursing & the ammount they reciecve is minimal. i love my coffee but i know when my body tells me i've had enough & that never exceeded the 3 cups a day. when she was born though, she did have a bit of the shakes which my doc said was normal due to nervous system development but could have also been withdrawl from the caffiene. which one it was, i don't know, but all was fine & well after a day or so. she is only 15 months now, so i suppose time will tell.
OMG! BABY NUMBER 9!! ...for SURE you need your coffee!! LOL
I drank coffee during my pregnancy. One cup a day was okayed by the midwife. She also said that caffeine helps relieve constipation during pregnancy. I can say from personal experience that this is true. However, caffeine while breastfeeding was the no no; it gave dd tummy aches.
While pregnant with my first I was working graveyards, so you can believe I was drinking coffee all night long!! With my second I didn't drink quite as much coffee, but I definitely didn't consciously limit it... I think if you stay away from the point where you're getting the shakes, coffee isn't going to do too much to your fetus, except in those rare cases where something exceptional happens.