Does drinking coffee during pregnancy affect the fetus?

Coffee is a drink that many people like very much. In modern life, many people drink coffee frequently. Coffee contains a lot of caffeine. Long-term intake of caffeine is harmful to pregnant women. There is no problem for normal people to drink it, but pregnant women should pay attention.

Does drinking coffee during pregnancy affect the fetus?

1. A study once investigated the effects of caffeine on the development of babies of pregnant women who drank coffee. However, after 7 years of follow-up, the results failed to prove that caffeine had any effect on the birth weight, height or intellectual development of the children.

2. According to a US study, caffeine can increase the resistance of the mother's umbilical artery, which means that the blood flow in the umbilical artery may decrease, and the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the fetus may be affected. This finding can explain why caffeine may cause miscarriage in pregnant women or weight loss in babies.

3. A breastfeeding mother once found that her baby never slept. The doctor inferred that it might be caused by the mother's habit of drinking coffee. On the other hand, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that as long as pregnant women consume no more than 300 mg of caffeine per day, the impact on the baby is within an acceptable range. The impact of many foods on health is not a matter of "quality" but a matter of "quantity". It is generally recommended to drink less coffee during pregnancy, but it is not completely prohibited in life. It should vary from person to person.

4. For healthy pregnant women who have the habit of drinking coffee before pregnancy, drinking one cup a day is not a big problem. It can also prevent constipation, relieve headaches, improve depression, protect cardiovascular system, and reduce edema. But drinking more than 2 cups a day is not good anyway.

5. It is best not to drink too bitter black coffee during pregnancy. You must reduce the amount of coffee and add more pure milk to mix it. This can not only alleviate the stimulating effect of caffeine, but also avoid calcium deficiency problems. It is more likely to be dangerous in the early and late pregnancy, so you should be more cautious when drinking coffee. Don't drink it if you can. In the middle of pregnancy, you can decide according to your own situation.

6. If you are a high-risk pregnant woman, have any pregnancy abnormalities or are not used to drinking coffee, it is best not to try any form of coffee during pregnancy

7. Experts advise pregnant women not to drink coffee and caffeinated beverages, especially in the early stages of pregnancy. Nutritionists recommend that pregnant women refuse coffee, eat more high-protein foods, go outdoors to breathe fresh air, and do light gymnastics, which can replace the refreshing effect of coffee to ensure the healthy growth of the fetus.

What are the harms of drinking coffee during pregnancy?

1. Cause insomnia

Caffeine is a stimulant that will speed up your heartbeat and metabolism, which may cause insomnia, tension and headaches in pregnant mothers. It will also stimulate gastric acid secretion and cause heartburn.

2. Dehydration

Caffeine is also a diuretic, which can cause you to go to the bathroom more frequently and become more dehydrated, which is also not good for pregnant women.

3. Causes Calcium Loss

Not only does caffeine have no nutritional value, it can also cause calcium loss in your bones. The adverse effects of caffeine are likely to get worse as your due date approaches, as your body metabolizes caffeine more slowly, leaving you and your baby with higher levels of caffeine in your blood.

4. Increase other risks

When pregnant women drink a lot of coffee, the caffeine contained in it will stimulate them, causing faster heartbeat, higher blood pressure, dizziness, nausea, etc. In addition, consuming too much caffeine may affect the development of important organs such as the fetal brain, heart and liver. According to research, consuming a lot of caffeine during pregnancy may slightly increase the risk of premature birth or low birth weight. Coffee contains a certain amount of caffeine, which can easily stimulate uterine contractions.

Can pregnant women drink coffee occasionally?

In fact, we do not recommend pregnant women to drink coffee during pregnancy. The main reason is that coffee contains a lot of caffeine, which can excite the brain's nerve center, making many people feel very excited. This excitement will also affect the baby. Many pregnant mothers find that their baby's fetal movement frequency increases after drinking coffee, and the amplitude of fetal movement also increases, and the sleep time is reduced. This is actually very bad for the baby's growth and development!

Not only that, scientists say that caffeine can enter the baby's body through the placenta, and the vasoconstriction of caffeine will significantly reduce the chorionic blood flow of the placenta, which has a great impact on the baby's development! Therefore, we do not recommend pregnant mothers to drink coffee during pregnancy, but nothing is absolute. If you only drink a cup of coffee occasionally, as long as you don't feel obvious changes in the baby's fetal movement, or don't feel that the baby's sleep time has decreased dramatically, there is no problem. Another point that pregnant mothers should pay attention to is that the amount of caffeine that pregnant women can consume in a day cannot exceed the amount of a pack of instant coffee, otherwise it will affect the baby's brain!

Be sure to pay attention~ Stop drinking coffee when you find that the fetus is excited (fetal movement increases significantly). Even if the fetus does not show obvious excitement, you should pay attention to monitoring the fetal development speed. If you find that the fetus is developing slowly (less than the gestational age), you should also stop drinking coffee. It is not recommended for pregnant women to drink coffee during pregnancy. Many pregnant mothers may feel that they are already in the late pregnancy, and the baby in the belly is almost fully developed and will not cause any harm to the baby. However, the fact is just the opposite. As long as the baby is in the mother's belly, these foods may have a great impact on the baby, so mothers must pay attention. Don't regret it because you didn't pay attention to these small details and hurt the baby, it will be too late!

What should pregnant women do if they drink coffee?

Some pregnant mothers are also pregnant for the first time, and they don’t know what to be cautious about. They also love coffee very much. What should they do if they drink coffee without knowing it? I believe many pregnant mothers will be in a hurry, right?

In fact, as long as you don’t consume too much caffeine, pregnant mothers don’t have to worry. Just relax, adjust your mentality, and pay attention next time. It will not have any adverse effects on the fetus. If you feel that you have consumed too much caffeine, you can judge it according to the baby’s fetal movement at this time, and stop drinking coffee immediately. You should also pay attention to folic acid supplementation, because folic acid is a nutrient required by pregnant mothers and has nutrients to prevent fetal nervous system malformations. Therefore, it is still helpful to know more about pregnancy. Pregnant mothers should stop being confused!