If you are interested in the side effects of caffeine on pregnancy you should know that this substance can cross the placenta and reach the baby.
This is why you should have less than 200 mg of it per day. This is a substance that can cause complications to the pregnancy.
Miscarriage
Some of the studies conducted in the field show that having more than 300 mg of caffeine per day can lead to a miscarriage. Nonetheless if you have caffeine in smaller amounts, it doesn’t have the same effect. You could have up to 200 mg of caffeine per day.
The pregnancy side effects of caffeine appear because when the substance reaches the baby, he or she isn’t able to metabolize it as fast as adults and so the developing cells may be affected. Both tea and coffee contain caffeine, but you should know that both of them are available in the decaffeinated versions.
Iron absorption
When thinking about the side effects of caffeine, you should know that if you have coffee with your meal, it becomes more difficult for your body to absorb iron. This is caused by the phenols that can be found in tea and coffee. There are a lot of women who have an iron deficiency because of caffeine.
Low birth weight
Another one of the negative effects of caffeine is that it can make the baby have a low weight at birth. In order to make sure that your baby will have the best start in life possible, you should limit the caffeine intake. There are some hidden sources of caffeine that you should avoid.
Facts about caffeine consumption
You may see the side effects of caffeine if you consume a lot of chocolate, Excederin, coffee flavored ice cream, colas, nuts, hot chocolate, coffee and tea. Keep in mind that having caffeine is something like smoking or drinking: once you get used to it, it might be quite difficult to give it up.
Reducing caffeine
In order to avoid the adverse effects of caffeine you should start giving it up slowly. If you stop having it at once you might experience nausea and headaches. You could try replacing the caffeinated beverages for decaf ones but this is pretty much related to the placebo effect. Keep in mind that it is up to you to enjoy the decaf version as much as the real thing.
As you can see there are different kinds of side effects of caffeine on pregnancy. The bottom line is that you should do everything you can to avoid it for the sake of your baby’s health.
