Expecting moms and coffee
Coffee has been held responsible for miscarriages for a long time now. Though many experts are still working on this, others believe that it is ok if coffee is consumed in moderate quantity. “It’s ok if you have coffee while you are pregnant. But just don’t overdo it,” they say.
It is not coffee, but caffeine in it which causes the trouble. Remember, caffeine is found not only in coffee, but also tea and several consumable items like cool drinks, diet cokes, certain plain and milk chocolates, soda, etc. With WTN, let’s get more clarity on the subject.
What is caffeine?
Caffeine is a natural substance found in leaves, seeds and fruits of several plants. Caffeine is one of the most loved stimulants. Rather, it is the most widely consumed behaviorally active substance in the world.
How does caffeine impact the body?
Caffeine increases the blood pressure, causes palpitation and remains in the blood for about 4-6 hours. Medical experts do not consider this as good for expecting mothers.
Why are medical practitioners concerned?
There have been studies that reveal caffeine causes birth defects, premature labour, preterm delivery and low-birth weight of babies. The study states that it could cause cardiovascular and neurobehavioural effects on the fetus.
Caffeine could also,
• Keep you alert and thus, disturb baby’s sleep pattern during the later months of pregnancy
• If consumed in excess, the baby could suffer tremors and even remain awake for a long duration after birth
• Increase the frequency of urination, thus, leaving you dehydrated
• Cross the placenta and affect developing cells
• Increase the blood sugar level (both mother and baby’s)
How much is enough?
A regular cup of coffee has around 80-85 mg of caffeine in it. According to a study, the recommended daily consumption of coffee in expecting mothers is around 200-350mg.
Regular and heavy caffeine consumers could have to deal with withdrawal symptoms in addition to the common pregnancy problems. But guess that is fine as all moms would want to do what’s best for the baby growing within them.
-windowtonews
