Coffee in pregnancy

Is it possible to drink coffee during pregnancy? This question has been asked by more than one generation of workers in the scientific and medical field. Moreover, coffee production has reached a different level and now it can contain not only organic elements, but also various chemical impurities.

Pregnancy is the best state of a woman, despite all the unpleasant feelings and discomfort. Pregnancy renews a woman's body. However, pregnancy is a time to think not only about yourself as a person, as an independent person, as a self-sufficient woman who has achieved something in life, but most importantly - it is a time to realize that you are giving life to a small person, a new person, whom you will love the most.

Also during pregnancy, it is necessary to realize that the health of your future baby depends on your choice, your style and rhythm of life. Therefore, it is necessary to regulate the quality, quantity and frequency of food intake, as well as the liquid you drink. Everyone knows that during pregnancy, as well as throughout breastfeeding, a woman should not drink alcohol and, preferably, nicotine, since these factors can negatively affect the development of your baby's organs, which will subsequently lead to frequent, possibly chronic, illnesses, and in the worst case - to death.

However, we were interested in the issue of drinking hot drinks, and in particular how coffee affects pregnancy. Many people cannot imagine their day without drinking coffee. But the issue of its use during pregnancy should be considered more carefully.

[ 1 ], [ 2 ]

Coffee and pregnancy - what are the risks?

Doctors claim that drinking coffee during pregnancy can have a negative impact on the life and health of your child. This information is confirmed by many studies. The results of the study of this issue are generally unambiguous, but differ in their nature. On the one hand, drinking coffee can cause premature birth, and coffee in the early stages of pregnancy can even provoke a miscarriage. On the other hand, there is a risk of placental abruption. And in almost all cases, coffee during pregnancy promises an increase in blood pressure. And this is far from a complete list of negative consequences associated with the use of a wonderful invigorating drink - coffee. However, these consequences do not concern those who sometimes indulge themselves in coffee drinks, but rather lovers of strong and rich real coffee, and in large quantities.

What is the effect of coffee on pregnancy? Why do people love coffee so much? In addition to the wonderful aroma and rich taste, coffee is an energy generator. Caffeine, which is the main goal of coffee lovers, has an exciting and invigorating effect on the entire body as a whole, and on the nervous system in particular.

So why is coffee not allowed during pregnancy and what are the risks of its frequent consumption?

It is important to note that caffeine is a type of mild narcotic substance that is not only addictive but can also be fatal if consumed excessively.

Coffee has a beneficial effect on the body within 20-40 minutes of drinking it – it improves your mood, increases your performance, and fills your body with warmth and comfort. In addition, it increases your blood pressure, which can harm the pregnant woman and her baby. Drinking small doses of coffee during pregnancy can only be useful for mothers with hypotension (low blood pressure). However, caffeine is not only found in coffee! It can also be found in cocoa-containing products (cocoa, chocolate, etc.), tea, cola, energy drinks, and other products.

In addition to caffeine, with its ability to raise blood pressure, coffee also has a certain diuretic effect. Since pregnant women already have frequent urination, coffee will make a woman visit the toilet even more often, which will cause considerable discomfort. In the case when a woman does not receive a sufficient volume of liquid for good metabolism, drinking coffee can cause irreparable harm to health, since the microelements and vitamins necessary for adequate functioning are washed out of the body.

Coffee also has a destructive effect on the mucous membrane of the stomach and digestive tract, which manifests itself, for example, through heartburn. In addition to caffeine, this drink also contains N-methylpyridine (found mainly in dark-bean coffee) and N-alk-5-hydroxytryptamide, which, when combined, deal a crushing blow to the body.

Decaffeinated Coffee During Pregnancy

Decaffeinated coffee is also harmful to drink during pregnancy. In general, it is worth noting that the concept of "decaffeinated coffee" is obviously false. Even in this form of coffee, there is still caffeine, only in small quantities. Also, among doctors, there is an opinion that decaffeinated coffee can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.

Decaffeinated coffee, moreover, undergoes a number of treatments that cannot have a beneficial effect on the human body. Therefore, not only pregnant women, but also all lovers of decaffeinated coffee without exception, are recommended to drink no more than 2 cups a day, and weakly brewed and as rarely as possible.

[ 3 ]

Coffee with milk (with cream) during pregnancy

Coffee with milk (with cream) during pregnancy is also not the best. It is especially worth giving it up if you have to drink it on an empty stomach. Coffee with cream or milk is a fairly filling drink, but it does not contain nutrients and therefore has a negative effect on the digestive tract - filling the stomach with this creamy milk drink, you forget about your appetite for a while and do not get the necessary dose of vitamins, and also irritate the mucous membrane and cause heartburn.

If you can’t resist the beloved taste of coffee with milk (with cream), be sure to drink it weakly brewed and only after meals.

[ 4 ]

Instant coffee during pregnancy

It is strictly not recommended to drink instant coffee during pregnancy. This type of processed product contains a minimum percentage of natural coffee (in most cases, these are either the most rejected beans or just the husk that remains when roasting coffee beans) and the maximum concentrate of all kinds of chemical elements. Thus, instant coffee during pregnancy causes very serious harm to the woman's body and even more to the body of the unborn child, to whom everything that the mother eats and drinks is transmitted through the blood. As a result of using this product, various diseases of the circulatory and vascular systems, as well as other body systems, can develop.

Natural coffee during pregnancy

Natural coffee during pregnancy should be consumed in small quantities and only if it is necessary due to low blood pressure in a young mother. One small cup of natural coffee of not too strong brewing during pregnancy will not harm the child, but can help the woman feel better, more focused and more cheerful. However, you should not make the use of this drink a permanent habit, since drinking coffee is also a kind of drug use, which, like any addiction, can most likely be passed on to your child.

Coffee and tea during pregnancy

Still, during pregnancy you sometimes want to drink something warm and warming. However, are coffee and tea equally contraindicated during pregnancy?

This article has already described quite a lot about the harm of coffee, but tea has remained in the shadows for now.

Tea is also contraindicated during pregnancy, as is coffee. A cup of tea, especially strong brewed, contains no less caffeine than a cup of coffee. Therefore, if you really want tea, you should drink it very diluted.

In addition, it is a deliberately false statement that green tea contains less caffeine than black tea. The percentage of this element is approximately equal in both black and green tea. However, green tea is still better, since it contains both useful microelements and biologically active substances. Therefore, preference between black and green tea should still be given to green.

As for fruit and herbal teas, they are safer for the body of a pregnant woman and her fetus. But here too you need to be careful, since there are natural teas and those created with the help of flavor additives. Be sure to read the composition of fruit tea before buying it and choose the one that has the least amount of chemical additives. And the best drink for you will be a natural herbal collection, hot compote or uzvar. And remember that even herbal or fruit tea during pregnancy is best diluted with water.

[ 5 ], [ 6 ], [ 7 ], [ 8 ]

What is the best thing to drink during pregnancy?

In this article, we learned what harm coffee does during pregnancy. It is not recommended for both mother and child to drink coffee during pregnancy. However, a woman still wants to drink, especially in the second half of pregnancy, when the cyclicity of water-salt metabolism changes and the total volume of fluid circulating in the body increases, so you need to know what alternatives exist to these drinks.

• First, drink water – good, purified, preferably live, for example, spring water. Bottled water (without unnecessary additives) and boiled water are also suitable. A pregnant woman should always carry some water with her to prevent the onset of dehydration. Remember that water during this period should make up the predominant share of all liquids that enter the body.
• Secondly, it is absolutely recommended to drink freshly squeezed juices or (in the cold season) fruit drinks. Such liquids will help to get an additional amount of vitamins and will not bring unwanted elements into the body. Fruit drinks can be prepared from prepared fruits, pretzels, jam or preserves.
• Third, drink herbal teas of your own making. This does not mean that you need to comb fields and forests in search of the necessary herbs. Dried herbs can be purchased both in pharmacies and elsewhere. However, it is not recommended to mix many types of plants, but to brew them alternately. In addition, it is important to use the herb that grows in your area as a base for tea (linden, viburnum, calendula, raspberry, currant, mint and others).

Dear women! Pregnancy should bring complete renewal and comprehensive improvement to the body. In many ways, these renewals depend on you, because, as is well known, “we are what we eat” and drink.

Coffee during pregnancy, no matter how it is prepared, can cause harm to both you and your child. Therefore, it is better to refuse its consumption during pregnancy. This will protect you from various troubles caused by this product.

Be healthy, don't drink coffee during pregnancy and give birth to healthy, happy babies.