Espresso while Expecting

A lot of us love coffee — for its aroma, flavour and unique ability to turn a blah morning into an awesome day.

Coffee is life.

But is it safe to drink if you’re nurturing a life inside you?

Over the years, there have been varying opinions on whether pregnant women should be allowed to drink this delicious dark brew.

Caffeine can easily pass the uteroplacental barrier and go from the mother to the baby where it can accumulate. Most fears have centered around the possibility of miscarriage, preterm deliveries, and impaired growth.

A study done by Clausson and colleagues revealed that heavy intake — defined by consuming more than 5 cups of coffee or 500 grams of caffeine daily— increases the risk of miscarriage. On the other hand, moderate intake or caffeine consumption less than 200 grams daily does not increase the risk of miscarriage.

Even if a pregnant mother increased her daily caffeine intake from moderate (200 grams) to just below heavy (500 grams), studies did not show an association with low birth weight, fetal growth restriction and preterm delivery.

In another study, more than 1,200 women were made to drink three cups of coffee daily. One group drank caffeinated coffee, while the other group drank decaffeinated coffee. There was no difference in the birth weight and age at delivery of their babies.

The CARE study group however, reported a 1.4 fold risk of fetal growth restrictions in women consuming more than 200 grams of caffeine per day compared with those who consumed less than 100 grams per day.

So what’s a girl to do?

The International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FIGO), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) all agree that it is safe for the pregnant woman to limit her consumption of caffeine to 200mg or two medium cups of percolated coffee daily.

It should be noted that coffee is not the only source of caffeine. It is also contained in tea and soft drinks. So if you could choose one, go for coffee or tea instead. They’re both loaded with antioxidants and contain less sugar than carbonated beverages.

Coffee comes in different forms and varieties, check out https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-caffeine-in-coffee#section2 to see how much of your favourite drink you should be having.

Consult with your OB GYN to make sure you don’t have any contraindications to enjoying your favourite beverage.