“Anyone planning to have a baby needs to know that consuming caffeine during pregnancy can raise the risk of stillbirth and other pregnancy complications, so it's important to cut down as much as you can; the national guidelines should be the limit, not the goal, and the more you can cut down beyond that the better.
The researchers noted that caffeine is believed to cause blood vessels in the uterus and placenta to constrict, which could reduce the blood supply to the fetus and inhibit growth.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that pregnant women limit their caffeine consumption to less than 200 mg (about two, six-ounce cups) per day.
Until we know more about how caffeine can affect pregnancy, it's best to limit the amount you get to 200 milligrams each day. This is about the amount in 1½ 8-ounce cups of coffee or one 12-ounce cup of coffee. Be sure to check the size of your cup to know how much caffeine you're getting.
being over 35 years of age. smoking, drinking alcohol or misusing drugs while pregnant. being obese – having a body mass index above 30. having a pre-existing physical health condition, such as epilepsy.
At or after 40 weeks, the risk of stillbirth increases, especially for women 35 or older. Their risk, research shows, is doubled from 39 weeks to 40 and is more than six times as high at 42 weeks.
The most common symptom of stillbirth is when you stop feeling your baby moving and kicking. Others include cramps, pain or bleeding from the vagina. Call your health care provider right away or go to the emergency room if you have any of these conditions.
Our results suggest that a high caffeine intake in the third trimester may be a risk factor for fetal growth retardation, in particular if the fetus is a boy.
Even a small amount of caffeine can cause changes in your baby's sleep pattern or normal movement pattern in the later stages of pregnancy. Remember, because caffeine is a stimulant, it can keep both you and your baby awake.
You can have caffeine, but no more than 200mg per day. There is: 100mg in a mug of instant coffee. 140mg in a mug of filter coffee.
In particular, high caffeine consumption while pregnant can cause increased fetal catecholamine levels, which could lead to increased fetal heart rate and placental vasoconstriction and impair fetal oxygenation. Therefore, caffeine intoxication in pregnant women should be treated immediately.
Caffeine is rapidly absorbed and crosses the placenta freely. 19 After ingestion of 200 mg caffeine, intervillous blood flow in the placenta was found to be reduced by 25%.
New IRP research suggests that exposure to caffeine in the womb may affect brain development in a way that puts children at a greater risk for future obesity.
Some reports suggest that children exposed to more than 500 mg of caffeine per day in the third trimester of pregnancy were more likely to have faster heart rates, shaking, increased breathing rate, and spend more time awake in the days following birth.
Recommendations for pregnancy
The recommended limit in Australia is a maximum of 200mg caffeine per day. This would be equivalent to 1 cup of strong espresso style coffee, 3 cups of instant coffee, 4 cups of medium strength tea, 4 cups of cocoa or hot chocolate or 4 cans of cola.
Yes. The Food Standards Agency recommends that pregnant women shouldn't take more than 200mg of caffeine a day. A can of Coca‑Cola Classic contains 32mg of caffeine and a can of Diet Coke contains 42mg.
Consumption of caffeine during pregnancy could raise risks, both for a healthy pregnancy and for fetal development, a recent meta-analysis finds. The situation is particularly acute during the third trimester, since caffeine stays in the body longer due to maternal metabolism changes.
Stillbirth in Australia
In Australia, 6 babies are stillborn each day, affecting more than 2,000 Australian families each year.
The fetus may have died in the uterus weeks or hours before labor. Rarely, the fetus may die during labor. Although prenatal care has drastically improved over the years, the reality is stillbirths still happen and often go unexplained.
In more than 1 of every 10 stillbirths, the fetus had a genetic or structural birth defect that probably or possibly caused the death. Infection. In more than 1 of every 10 stillbirths, the death was likely caused either by an infection in the fetus or in the placenta, or by a serious infection in the mother.
Stillbirth is further classified as either early, late, or term. An early stillbirth is a fetal death occurring between 20 and 27 completed weeks of pregnancy. A late stillbirth occurs between 28 and 36 completed pregnancy weeks. A term stillbirth occurs between 37 or more completed pregnancy weeks.
Caffeine is safe during pregnancy in moderation. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) reports that it is safe to consume less than 200mg of caffeine per day, without any notable side effects for mom or baby.
Most experts agree that it's safe to have up to 200 milligrams per day of caffeine during pregnancy,1 which is equal to approximately two 8-ounce cups of brewed coffee.