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Caffeine and Pregnancy

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  • Caffeine and Pregnancy

    I thought this was really interesting...
    Up to 3 cups of coffee OK for pregnant moms
    Moderate caffeine doesn't negatively affect baby, scientists say
    Updated: 10:08 a.m. ET Jan 26, 2007
    LONDON - Drinking moderate amounts of caffeine during pregnancy does not lead to premature births or underweight babies, Danish scientists said on Friday.

    Up to three cups of coffee a day does not seem to have any negative impact on the baby or the pregnancy.

    Earlier studies that looked at the impact of moderate caffeine consumption during pregnancy have produced mixed results. Some showed no difference while others suggested too much caffeine could lower average birth weight by 100-200 grams (3.5-7 ounces).

    “In our study we found no effect from caffeine,” said Dr Bodil Hammer Bech, of the Institute of Public Health in Aarhus, Denmark.

    Unlike other research projects in which women who had given birth were asked how much coffee they drank while pregnant, the Danish scientists monitored 1,207 pregnant coffee lovers who were randomly selected to drink either a caffeinated or decaffeinated brew during the second half of the pregnancy.

    The women did not know which group they were in.

    “We had two groups and we actually found no difference between the average birth weight for moderate intake of caffeine -- about three cups,” said Bech, whose findings are reported online by the British Medical Journal.

    “The difference in the weight of the babies between the two groups was 20 grams (0.7 ounce) and there was no difference in the gestational age,” she told Reuters.

    In the caffeinated group, 4.2 percent of babies were born premature compared to 5.2 percent in women drinking decaffeinated coffee. The number of infants who were small for their gestational age were nearly the same in both groups.

    Bech said women who drink a lot of coffee usually smoke and drink more alcohol than other females, which could influence birth weight.

    But because the women were randomised in the study, the other factors that may have an effect on the baby and the pregnancy were equal in the two groups.

    In an earlier study, Bech and her team showed that excessive coffee consumption, eight cups or more, could increase the risk of stillbirth.

    “About three cups of coffee a day is OK but women with a higher intake should be careful,” said Bech.

    Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16824347/

  • #2
    My own little "experiment" (n=1) :>

    DS was in utero when I defended my Ph.D - and finished the lab work, submitted papers, blah, blah, blah. I think I had between 1-2 *pots* of coffee a day. (Sadly, no smoking or drinking. ) He was huge - 9 lbs 13 oz. He did have a scary sensitivity to caffeine - even in my breastmilk - that made me give up the stuff cold when he was a baby. To this day, he can stay up all night if he has a single soda. DD had no caffeine exposure in utero and had a similar birthweight. She has no sensitivity to the stuff. (She's "normal" in her caffeine reactions.) I'd be interested to see how second generation caffeine-addicts react to the same levels of the stuff. I'm convinced (mommyguilt, mommyguilt) that I altered his receptor levels or something.......:>
    Angie
    Gyn-Onc fellowship survivor - 10 years out of the training years; reluctant suburbanite
    Mom to DS (18) and DD (15) (and many many pets)

    "Where are we going - and what am I doing in this handbasket?"

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    • #3
      Its an interesting debate that I don't think will ever be solved b/c how much is okay and how much is too much. Also how do you "experiment" on pregnant women.

      I gave up coffee when I started TTC but I still drink one can of soda/day usually at lunch. Of course I've never been very sensitive to caffeine myself, I don't get stuck up all night when I drink coffee, even a cup with dessert after dinner.

      DH on the other hand would die if he had to give up his caffeine, which is an issue b/c they say it can affect sperm and if TTC continues to get worse for us he may have to try.

      Always an interesting topic IMO.
      Wife to NSG out of training, mom to 2, 10 & 8, and a beagle with wings.

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      • #4
        Three cups was certainly the recommendation when I was pregnant. I figured better safe than sorry and cut back, but I had half of a 10 oz cup of coffee almost every day of my pregnancy. During the first trimester it had to be flavored coffee, the regular stuff made me nauseous.
        Alison

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        • #5
          With DS #1- no caffeine- at all. I call this my "carrots and granola" pregnancy End result- very "active" child, no sensitivity to caffeine.

          DD #2- maybe a mocha once a week or so at a coffee shop? A soda once a week or so. End result - very "active" child with no caffeiene sensitivity.

          This pregnancy- I might name the baby Juan Valdez after all the coffee I have consumed. I will keep you all posted
          Rebecca, wife to handsome gyn-onc, and mom 4 awesome kiddos: 8,6,4, and 2.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Malpka
            This pregnancy- I might name the baby Juan Valdez after all the coffee I have consumed. I will keep you all posted
            Little Juan will be coming soon - right?

            I drank coffee w/both of mine - less w/#1 than #2. When I was pregnant I think the reccomendation was 2 c or less. The problem is the definition of "cup" is NOT quite what you get at Starbucks or Caribou.

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            • #7
              Our mugs from Starbucks hold four 8oz cups. Of course, neither Rick nor I have to worry about pregnancy...

              Jenn

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              • #8
                Nice mugs.

                After all, a "venti" is just that: 20 ounces. YUM!

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                • #9
                  When I read this I thought it was good news. I am "slightly" addicted to caffeine...okay more than slightly...and if I were to become pregnant I would be vary unpleasant company. But of course next thing you know, another study will come out saying its bad again.

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                  • #10
                    With DS I cut it out totally at the start and then slowly eased it back in around the third tri-mester and let'er rip while nursing...DS doesn't have any sensitivity. This time I am trying the one can of soda moderation route, but it has made me feel pretty jittery lately...I was drinking approx 72-100ish oz. diet coke a day That is why I make it a New Years resolution. So when I got the positive a few weeks later...I had already gone through the detox.
                    Gwen
                    Mom to a 12yo boy, 8yo boy, 6yo girl and 3yo boy. Wife to Glaucoma specialist and CE(everything)O of our crazy life!

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                    • #11
                      I don't drink coffee, but had one or two cans of pop per day during my three pregnancies. The first two were the same weight and the third was a pound heavier. They had no adverse effects to caffeine that I could tell. Some premies are given caffeine in the NICU to treat apnea.
                      Needs

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