Pregnancy is a time when many women worry about their eating or drinking habits. Because it may be a few weeks before your pregnancy is confirmed, you may have been enjoying your usual coffee, energy drinks, wine or liquor in the earliest stages of pregnancy. Those first few weeks are also a time of high risk to your baby’s development, so it’s appropriate to be concerned.
Caffeine and Your Baby
Caffeine can be found in a variety of foods, beverages and even medicines. Caffeine is a stimulant; it increases your heart rate and blood pressure and can keep you awake. Caffeine circulates in your blood stream and crosses to your baby through the placenta. Caffeine can have the same effect on your baby that it does on you, and because the baby is so much smaller, a little goes a long way, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
Birth Defects and Miscarriage
There is no conclusive evidence that caffeine can cause birth defects in humans, according to the American Pregnancy Association. A study in the March 2008 “American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology” showed a link between high caffeine intake – more than 200 milligrams daily – and miscarriage. Women who consumed 200 milligrams of caffeine or more had twice the risk of miscarriage as those who consumed no caffeine.
Recommended Caffeine Intake
The American Pregnancy Association says recommendations about caffeine during pregnancy vary from less than 150 milligrams to less than 300 milligrams. The Baby Center of Canada says a cup or two of coffee is unlikely to cause any harm to your baby, but that it would be best to limit your caffeine intake to less than 300 milligrams a day. A 300 milligram dose of caffeine is the equivalent of 16 ounces of brewed coffee.
Alcohol
Unlike caffeine, alcohol carries significant risk to a developing fetus. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy increases the risk of birth defects, because alcohol is a teratogen – a substance that is known to be harmful to fetal development. Alcohol also crosses the placental barrier to your baby, and it takes a long time for your baby to metabolize alcohol. Alcohol can be especially risky during the first few weeks of pregnancy, as this is when the baby’s heart, brain, central nervous system, eyes, legs and arms develop.
Considerations and Warnings
Excessive drinking can cause fetal alcohol syndrome. Fetal alcohol syndrome results in mental retardation, birth defects, learning problems and other mental or physical deficiencies. If you drank caffeine or alcohol before you knew you were pregnant, there is nothing you can do about your past behavior. You can, however, stop drinking alcohol immediately and limit or eliminate your caffeine. If you are concerned about the possible effects of caffeine or alcohol on your baby, talk to your doctor.
References
- American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology: Maternal Caffeine Consumption during Pregnancy and the Risk of Miscarriage: A Prospective Cohort Study
- American Pregnancy Association: What's the Real Scoop on Caffeine during Pregnancy
- Baby Center: Caffeine and Pregnancy: What's Safe?
- American Pregnancy Association: Alcohol and Pregnancy: What You Should Know
- PubMed Health: Alcohol and Pregnancy
