What can caffine do to the baby?

[sadies93]

I am pregnant with my frist child, i am 28 weeks tomorrow with a boy. I love soda, if i dont drink atleast a pepsi a day i get a really bad migrane. I was told by my doctor that a couple of sodas a day doesnt hurt, as long as i dont go over board. However i havent been able to get my midwife, doctor or my nurse to tell my what caffine does to the baby, by the way everyone talks it only may harm the mother. To my understandings no one really knows what caffine does to the baby is why its suggested that you stick under 200miligrams of caffine a day.

Today i have been really worried about my baby being healthy, i am afraid because i cant kick my soda habbit that my baby wont be healthy and today it has really worried me. I only drink 2-3 pepsi's a day but i also drink alot of milk, i dont really drink alot of water because the water here is disgusting and every time i try to drink it, i end up puking and i cant afford to buy bottled water right now. I also eat fruit. I get $10/month for fruit and i eat some canned fruit.

So does anyone know what caffine does to the baby?
Should i be worried about having a healthy baby?

[isiahsmommy]

Trust me...avoid dark sodas and coffee altogether ....some drs say stick to these amount a day but all of that carbonation can cause u discomfort like bloatiness and gassiness...water is really important during pregnancy...I always have to have crushed ice in my water...try that. Or simply lightly sweetened tea.

[isiahsmommy]

Trust me...avoid dark sodas and coffee altogether ....some drs say stick to these amount a day but all of that carbonation can cause u discomfort like bloatiness and gassiness...water is really important during pregnancy...I always have to have crushed ice in my water...try that. Or simply lightly sweetened tea.

[summero87]

My Dr is fine with my having a cup of coffee in the morning I drink water an eat something before i drink it ..an my friend who is also pregnant was told to incorporate 1 cup in her day to help reduce the headaches she was having ...I'm 21 weeks with a perfectly developed little boy so it comes down to what you want to do ..would keep it to just 1 soda a day though an drink water in between the soda ..:)

[Starzabove9]

It was difficult for me to give up coke/pepsi and I had a headache for literally almost 2 weeks non stop. However, once I got passed the caffeine withdrawl, I no longer got headaches. 3 sodas a day is a lot. I know its hard, but you should cut down. Trust me the headaches will go away, but only if you stop drinking coke so often. Its a little thing to sacrifice for 9 months.

[steph_ut]

The primary reason for the vagueness is the lack of conclusive studies in humans. There are some animal studies, and historical data that can be mined, but that's about it since no one is likely to ethically approve a study that would subject human fetuses to possible harm.

I looked in to this and asked a my doc and a midwife friend. There is little scientific evidence for the effects of caffeine on developing fetuses. There were a few studies that indicated that caffeine consumption could be correlated to higher rates of first trimester miscarriages, but no evidence of causation. There were other suggestions/theories that caffeine consumption could be related to kids developing ADHD, etc but none of those have been reproduced, and seem to be given little attention these days. It seems the jury is still out on whether it causes preterm labor and birth defects and no human studies have been performed, or are likely to be. Coffee contains compounds called phenols that interfere with iron (or other critical vitamins/minerals for pregnancy) absorption... I'm not sure if pop contains the same compounds. Finally, something concrete is that caffeine is both a stimulant and a diuretic and does cross the placenta meaning your fetus is subjected to those effects. The way I look at it is a 2-6 lb. fetus (rough 3rd tri estimate), with immature excretory and nervous systems, doesn't need the extra work of dealing with a bunch of chemicals messing with those systems while developing all the time.

All that being said, personally, I love my cup of coffee. I allow myself a mug of decaf coffee (which still contains caffeine, just less) most days and feel quite comfortable doing so in light of the reading and questioning I did about the subject. I eat very little in the way of processed foods, refined sugars, completely avoid fake sugars, don't eat red meat and have cut out alcohol and my much-love unpasteurized stinky cheeses so I feel that if I'm going to allow myself a vice, a bit of caffeine is ok. We're pregnant and responsible for this little being, but we are still human!

[mamaj07]

Soda has sugar which can give u n ur unborn baby diabetes its way too high in carbs n fructose n most have more caffeine than recommended ..if i were u id research online n slowly start replacing ur daily habit of soda addiction with something much more healthier that can still give u some caffeine ..believe me i have migraines its genetic in my family n they r horrible ive quit soda n coffee over 5 years not only r my migraines have gotten better but my health feels great n im eating more antioxidants from fruit that give me natural energy ..plus soda rots ur teeth the darker the liquid the worse for ur body except natural liquids of course

[mamainmay]

Yes you definitely need to drink water..my doctor said for every glass of soda I drink I need to drink 2 glasses of water..at Walmart they have a gallon of water for like 90 cents..they also have the filters for your kitchen faucet for 25-30 dollars..we saved our money and got the filter because our water was nasty to..but as long as you're not drinking LOADS if soda like a case a day you should be fine..the only thing i've heard is if you drink too much the baby will go through caffeine withdrawals.

[Rachelxo]

It couldn't hurt to have a few sodas, jus like your doctor said, don't go over board. Maybe you should try and drink juice too, jus so you won't be drinking caffeine all day. But you are suppose to drink at least 8 glasses of water, or more a day, especially when pregnant. && with summer jus around the corner, you should be drinking lots of it, cus sodas make you dehydrated and its not good to be dehydrated while pregnant. I know water can be expensive, but its cheaper than soda.