Can You Drink Coffee While Pregnant? (2024)
What we’ll cover in this post:
Once you find out you’re pregnant, you start wondering what habits you may need to temporarily cut out of your life. One of these habits that come to mind may be drinking coffee. Years ago, it was expected for caffeine to be totally cut out of a pregnant person’s diet, but we now know that is no longer necessary.
While your diet may need to be slightly modified during pregnancy, we now know that a moderate amount of daily caffeine is totally fine. Wondering what not to and drink to eat while you’re pregnant can be a bit frustrating, but Motherboard has your back with all of the evidence-based and up-to-date information!
Can pregnant people drink coffee?
Pregnant people can drink coffee. If you’re someone who likes to drink multiple cups of coffee throughout the day, you drink espresso, and consume caffeine in other ways, you may need to come up with a plan to cut some of that out for the duration of your pregnancy.
It’s not uncommon to feel pretty sick during the first trimester of pregnancy, so you may not even be interested in drinking coffee for those first few months. If you’re someone who experiences caffeine-withdrawal headaches, you may need to slowly wean yourself down to a moderate amount of caffeine instead of just stopping cold turkey; even if you’re sick.
Like most things, caffeine during pregnancy is just fine in moderation.
How much caffeine is safe during pregnancy?
According to the American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), caffeine should be limited to 200 milligrams per day during pregnancy.
The reason caffeine should be limited during pregnancy is not only for the health and safety of your unborn baby (which we’ll talk about), but it can also affect you, the pregnant person.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, caffeine can increase blood pressure and heart rate because it is considered a stimulant. An increase in your blood pressure and heart rate is definitely something we don’t want to see consistently throughout a pregnancy.
Caffeine is also a diuretic, meaning it makes you pee more. Peeing more means you need to drink more non-caffeinated drinks in order to stay properly hydrated. It’s much easier to become dehydrated while pregnant, so adding a diuretic into the mix makes it even easier.
Keep in mind that this 200 milligrams suggestion includes all sources of caffeine; that means food too! We’ll discuss some other sources of caffeine a bit later.
What does 200mg of caffeine look like?
If you are someone who consumes multiple servings of caffeine on a daily basis, you may need to start reading labels and paying attention to how much caffeine you’re consuming.
Here are some examples of what 200 milligrams of caffeine looks like:
2.5 shots of espresso
2 mugs of tea
2.5 8oz Red Bull® energy drink
One 5-Hour Energy®
½ of a Starbucks Venti coffee
(2) 8oz cups of brewed coffee
If you are someone who likes to get your tea/coffee at coffee shops, you can always ask for the nutrition facts to ensure you are not getting too much caffeine.
How does caffeine affect a fetus?
Caffeine crosses the placenta and it is also absorbed very quickly. The problem with the quick absorption is that your unborn baby and the placenta do not have the ability to metabolize caffeine the way that our bodies do. Therefore, the caffeine can build up much faster.
Heavy caffeine consumption during pregnancy can lead to fetal growth restriction and low birth weight. The reason heavy caffeine consumption can have an effect on fetal growth is because the caffeine can cause the blood vessels in the uterus and the placenta to constrict. When blood vessels constrict, the blood does not flow as freely as it normally would. This blood vessel constriction can cause reduced blood supply to the fetus, which, in turn, could inhibit growth.
Some studies done on animals show that heavy caffeine consumption can cause:
Low birth weight
Preterm labor
Reduced fertility
Other reproductive health issues
Keep in mind that these risks come with heavy caffeine consumption. Unless otherwise directed by your healthcare provider, there is no evidence that consuming the recommended daily amount of caffeine for a pregnant person (200 milligrams) will cause any harm to you or your unborn baby.
Is caffeine safe during breastfeeding?
Just like with pregnancy, consuming a moderate amount of caffeine while breastfeeding is safe. According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), drinking 200 milligrams of caffeine per day will not negatively impact your baby.
There is some conflicting information regarding the recommended amount of caffeine that is safe while chestfeeding/breastfeeding.
There are multiple other sources that state that 300 milligrams of caffeine per day is safe during breastfeeding.
Whether you choose to consume 200 milligrams or closer to 300 milligrams of caffeine per day while breastfeeding, it’s important to pay attention to your baby to see if they are experiencing any negative effects from your caffeine consumption.
Some signs that your baby may be affected by your caffeine consumption while chestfeeding/breastfeeding include:
Restlessness
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
Hyperactivity
Fussiness
Irritability
These signs may or may not be related to caffeine consumption. If you are drinking caffeine daily and you notice some of these signs in your baby, try to cut back on the caffeine to see if these symptoms improve.
Keep in mind that newborns/babies can be irritable or have trouble sleeping for many other reasons unrelated to anything you’re consuming. Modifying your caffeine consumption is a great place to start if you’re unsure why your baby is having some trouble.
What if you accidentally consume too much caffeine during pregnancy?
So, you accidentally drank an extra cup of coffee one morning (mom brain!) or you were drinking a ton of caffeine before you knew you were pregnant…now what?
Consuming extra caffeine unknowingly or by accident is not going to cause any harm to your unborn baby. Once you find out you’re pregnant, it’s not too late to cut back on the caffeine. If you are one of those people who does not find out you’re pregnant until much later in a pregnancy, it doesn’t hurt to bring up previous heavy caffeine consumption to your healthcare provider. While that is probably the least of their worries, they may want to do some extra testing to be sure the baby's growth is on track!
One day of extra caffeine is not going to be detrimental to the growth/health of your unborn baby. As always, if you are concerned or have any worries, reach out to your healthcare provider to help ease your mind.
Other common foods/drinks that contain caffeine
While coffee may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about caffeine, there are lots of other drinks, and even some foods, that contain caffeine, too! If you’re calculating your daily amount of caffeine, you want to make sure you don’t forget that you may be getting caffeine from other sources too; even those chocolate snack bars you eat everyday! It’s always a good idea to get into the habit of reading the labels on your food and drinks.
Some other sources of caffeine include:
Some teas
Soft drinks
Energy drinks
Espresso
Some supplements
Chocolate
Cocoa beans
Guarana
Some medications
The Takeaway
While pregnant and breastfeeding/chestfeeding, it’s not uncommon to wonder what you can and can’t eat and drink. A large majority of people start their day off with a nice cup of coffee!
Good news is, whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding (or both), drinking coffee or consuming other sources of caffeine is totally fine in moderation.
Evidence shows that around 200 milligrams of caffeine during pregnancy is safe to consume and 200-300 milligrams of caffeine is safe to consume while breastfeeding. It’s important to listen to your body and pay attention to your breastfed baby to ensure you and baby are handling the caffeine well.
As always, if you have any concerns, always reach out to your healthcare provider.
🤍 The Motherboard Team
