Can you drink coffee when you are pregnant?

Can you consume caffeine when you are pregnant?

Will it affect the child's development, and make a child hyper-active?

Or stressed? These questions bother me and I started to do some research on them.

Here's what I found:

 

 

A Danish study was carried out between 1989 and 1996.

During this study, 18,478 pregnant women were followed until their delivery. Among them :

43% did not drink coffee,

34% drank one to three cups per day

18% drank four to seven cups

5% drank eight cups or more.

 

They found that the risk of death in the womb almost doubled among those who drank four to seven cups of coffee per day. The risk was multiplied by four in those who drank 8 cups per day.

 

The harmful effects of coffee still remain controversial. And we do not yet know all the mechanisms which are at the origin of the consequences on the child.

 

 

-Caffeine increases the release of catecholamines (chemical messengers) which can cause narrowing of the vessels (vasoconstriction) responsible for supplying the placenta, and lead to a lack of oxygen for the fetus.

-Caffeine can also have a direct effect on the cardiovascular system of the fetus, leading to tachycardias and other arrhythmias (having the heart beat too quickly).

 

 

 

Reducing your coffee consumption as much as possible during pregnancy helps reduce growth complications in the uterus and after childbirth.

Another study, carried out in Norway, collected data from 59,000 women who carried a pregnancy to term between 1999 and 2009.

Moms-to-be were asked to record their daily intake of coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, and chocolate, all of which contain caffeine in varying proportions.

 

The results are striking:

The results show that the risk of giving birth to a baby with a low birth weight was much higher among mothers who consumed between 200 mg and 300 mg of caffeine, than for those who had consumed less than 50 mg of caffeine per day. .

Intrauterine growth retardation can also have repercussions in childhood, or even adulthood, because it is possible to increase the risk of developing certain cardiovascular diseases.

 

So, according to this study, the ideal would be to drink only 50 mg of caffeine per day:

 

· a cup (approximately 250 ml) of filter coffee contains on average 179 mg of caffeine;

· a 30 ml espresso contains 30 to 90 mg;

· a cup (approximately 250 ml) of black tea in a bag contains 50 mg;

· a cup (approximately 250 ml) of green tea contains 30 mg.

 

 

Something that feels good! Like a drink with ginger and maca, called BLUES

Ginger: helps reduce heart aches

Maca: helps provide plenty of iron and minerals, both to the mother and the baby.

 

Nothing is contraindicated in BLUES , just drink it with milk and presto! It replaces morning coffee. Because, in addition, maca gives energy. So BLUES allows you to take a break from caffeine during this precious time during pregnancy.

 

If you want to know more about BLUES here is the link: https://siffleux.ca/products/le-blues

 

Source of information:

1 - Am J Obstet Gynecol 1983;147:939-42

2 - Am J Obstet Gynecol 1983;146:231-2

3- doctissimo.fr/html/grossesse/

4- sante.lefigaro.fr