Pregnancy Health 101: How much coffee can I drink?

Drinking coffee depletes the body of major nutrients such as folate, B12, B6 and calcium.

A common question asked by many mothers-to-be is “how much coffee can I drink?” Coffee is one of the most controversial topics of discussion when it comes to pregnancy and health. Some say absolutely not, while others say in moderation. The studies done are confusing, but here are some facts that you may not be aware about that may have you think twice about reaching for that cup of Joe.

Technically, caffeine is classified as a drug and is the most widely used drug worldwide. It is defined as a drug because it stimulates the central nervous system. You will often find caffeine in medicines that are prescribed to people with ADD/ADHD, over the counter cold and headache medicines. Caffeine, like nicotine, though to a lesser extent, meets some of the criteria of the World Health Organization and the American Psychiatric Association as a drug of dependence which acts on the dopamine system in the same way as amphetamines and cocaine. Caffeine and is known to cross the blood-brain barrier readily in adults and fetuses alike.

A 2008 study suggested that pregnant women who consume 200 milligrams or more of caffeine per day have about twice the miscarriage risk as women who consume none. This is the equivalent of five cans of soda, two cups of instant coffee or a half to two cups of fresh coffee per day. Not exactly the healthiest choice of drinks to be consuming during pregnancy.

Here are a few more coffee facts:

Consuming more caffeine than this — about 300 milligrams (mg) per day — could increase your risk of having a miscarriage, a low birth weight baby or preterm baby.

Drinking coffee may interfere with your body’s ability to keep homocysteine and cholesterol levels in check, most likely by depleting folate, B12, B6, and calcium, all crucial in neural and skeletal development in the fetus.

It easily passes through the placenta to the developing fetus and is also transferred through breast milk increasing half-life during pregnancy (up to 11 hours late in pregnancy) and in infants (up to 100 hours).

The smaller body mass of fetuses and infants does not have the ability to detoxify caffeine.

Changes in fetal heart rate and breathing patterns have been noticed even when maternal intake of caffeine is moderate and when it has no apparent effects on the mother.

Caffeine is a diuretic. It may decrease blood flow to the placenta causing an increase in stress levels for the fetus. Remember: For each cup of caffeine, you may have to drink two cups of water to even out the water levels in your body. That is asking a lot of your shrinking bladder.

While 75 percent of expecting mothers will be drinking some form of caffeine. If you cannot give it up, there are some ways you can still have your cup of Joe and drink it too.

Begin by brewing your coffee at home. Brew organic coffee with filtered water in unbleached filters. Coffee is imported and the high use of pesticides in other countries makes coffee one of the most ingested items that contains the highest amount of pesticides. Since the United States cannot regulate the amount of pesticides used in other countries, it is best to drink organic coffee. Using bleached coffee filters will leak into your coffee, using unbleached coffee filters eliminates the small amounts of chlorine filtered into your coffee. You will pay much less using this method than buying coffee from your favorite local coffee shop and it tastes better.

If you are thinking about eliminating coffee, then make the switch to green tea, which has far more health benefits than coffee. Try a variety of flavors until you find one that suits your palate. MamaTea is specifically designed for expecting moms and has a variety of flavors to help with your specific needs.

When it comes to a choice in what your drink, filtered water should be your first choice, followed by organic milk or other non-dairy beverage, green or non-caffeinated teas, organic coffee, then juices, other sugary drinks such as Gatorade and soda pop being last.

Just think, this is just a phase in your life, if you can give it up for a year, you can probably live without it for a lifetime.

Jasmine Jafferali, MPH is a maternal, child and family health educator. She works as an Educational and Wellness Consultant helping women and families achieve healthier lifestyles. She is a Master Trainer for Healthy Moms(R) Fitness http://www.healthymomsfitness.com/ and a well-respected Pregnancy Health Columnist for Examiner.com

GetPregnant.org