Coffee is considered to be perhaps the most popular drink in the world. He won mass recognition a few centuries ago and from the moment he met a person, he only expanded his circle of fans. The scale of its production also grew. As long as this fragrant drink exists, there is so much debate about its benefits and harms. It is known that it has many medical contraindications, therefore it is not surprising that pregnant women should also refuse it.

Is coffee harmful - is it a myth?

Why shouldn’t pregnant women drink coffee and is it really so? Some consider this statement a prejudice from the field of "why you can not cut and knit women in position." Although you should not confuse folklore with really real facts, the great minds of science and the luminaries of medicine have been studying them for years. Of course, nothing wrong with one cup of coffee will happen to either mom or child. In addition, there are many skeptics who unanimously claim that they personally consumed coffee throughout their pregnancy (or know such cases) and took out absolutely healthy children.

But after all, alcoholics and drug addicts also do not always have inferior children. If there is at least some doubt, even when you do not know exactly why pregnant women should not drink coffee, it is prudent to play it safe. It is better to tolerate without a drink just 9 months, then to enjoy your happy motherhood all your life.

How does caffeine affect the fetus?

The main reason why pregnant women should not drink coffee is, of course, its harm to the health of an unborn child. Therefore, taking risks only for the sake of one's own whim is at least selfish. Some argue that coffee is harmful only in the first trimester of pregnancy, others are of the opinion that the greatest danger awaits in the latter. But all experts, without exception, adhere to one point of view on whether coffee is harmful to pregnant women.

Caffeine is sometimes compared in its effect to amphetamine. It causes a specific dependence in the same way and instantly enters the blood, brain and all organs of a person. And if the fetus receives the same nutrition. Drinking coffee is not worth it during the period of bearing a child, or during lactation. It is a mistake to believe that you can pregnant. This name is only conditional, because caffeine in the drink is still there, just in smaller quantities. A woman should understand that almost everything that enters her body penetrates the baby’s body through the placenta. Caffeine constricts the placental vessels, which is why the baby experiences oxygen starvation and lacks the nutrients that it needs for full growth and development all the time.

Nervous system and skeleton

Caffeine is exciting and this negatively affects the development of the fetus. In itself, such a condition can disrupt the sleep of any person. And for a pregnant woman, this can turn into insomnia, fatigue, and frequent mood swings. But there are more serious explanations for pregnant women. Even a slight excess of the normal dose of coffee affects the nerve cells and the overall work of the mother's body. And her innocent love for the oldest drink affects the nervous system and skeleton of the child.

According to studies and observations of doctors, coffee promotes the removal of calcium from the body. If this may not really affect the well-being of a healthy person, then a deficiency of calcium and minerals is detrimental to a child in the mother’s womb, whose skeleton is at the formation stage. All these elements the fetus receives from the mother. Even if she fully eats, large doses of caffeine will interfere with the normal absorption of trace elements and vitamins from food.

Body blow

Why can’t coffee be pregnant? Regardless of whether it is natural or soluble, for women in position, this drink is fraught even with disorders of the internal organs. So, due to excessive consumption of coffee, the work of the kidneys and the frequency of urination are significantly accelerated. The kidneys already suffer a lot of stress during pregnancy, especially in the last trimester. Because of this, swelling often occurs, there is an increase in pressure and a number of related problems. A woman should strive to minimize this process, and not to aggravate it. The general well-being and the ease of transferring the entire gestation period depend on this. And if she had previously had problems with the kidneys, it is better to refuse coffee altogether (and not only during the period of gestation).

For pregnant women, constant monitoring of blood pressure is very important. Fragrant drink not only increases it, but also becomes the cause of heart palpitations and shortness of breath. Along with this, the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach increases, which affects its mucous membrane. Heartburn during pregnancy is almost a commonplace phenomenon that plagues women around the clock. Coffee is one of the causes of this ailment.

Conception and gestation

Specialists working with the problems of conception and the inability of women to bear a pregnancy have come to the conclusion that coffee plays an important role in this matter. Their observations showed that it is more difficult for coffee women to get pregnant than women who prefer other drinks. Therefore, even at the planning stage of motherhood, it is recommended to refuse coffee. Or at least significantly reduce the number of cups drunk per day.

Why shouldn’t pregnant women drink coffee? It is possible that, leaving this seemingly harmless habit with her, a woman will lose her baby at an early date, because miscarriages often occur due to an increased uterine tone. The risk of preterm birth for those who drink three (or more) cups of coffee daily is 60 percent higher than for women who abandoned it.

The main thing is a sense of proportion

Understanding why coffee is harmful to pregnant women, it would be unfair to ignore the question of what dose is considered abuse. Of course, in moderation, the harm from this drink is not so serious and is fraught with consequences for the woman herself and for her unborn baby. So how much can pregnant women drink coffee? Even 2 cups a day is already a lot! Those who are so attached to him that even fear for their own child does not become a motive for a complete refusal can sometimes indulge themselves, but not more often than once a week. At the same time, it is recommended to avoid large portions and high strength of the drink.

Is it possible for pregnant women? It is known that soluble analogues cannot be compared with real brewed coffee beans. But many choose them, believing that such a drink is less strong, has less caffeine in its composition, and therefore is not so harmful. In fact, this is not so. Being in a position, women should give preference to natural products, without any impurities and additives. This also applies to coffee. If he will be present in your life at least once a week, make sure that it is a really high-quality variety.

Caffeine addiction

It is unlikely that even the most desperate coffee lovers will disagree with the fact that a beloved child is still more expensive than a favorite drink. But it’s easy to say, but it’s not always easy to do. People who are accustomed to starting the morning with a cup of espresso, having lunch with him, having dinner and falling asleep will not be able to endure for several days to get another aromatic charge of vivacity. Especially if your favorite drink is very close, at arm's length, how to resist the temptation?

In such cases, a cup a week is not an option, but rather torment and additional daily stress due to such a severe restriction. Sticking to the rules is unlikely to succeed. Doctors advise getting rid of addiction and temptation in one fell swoop by excluding coffee from your diet altogether. Just forbid it to yourself, like alcohol or spicy food. As practice shows, deliverance by complete rejection is much easier than gradual weaning. In order to smooth this period somehow, it is necessary to replace the drink with another drink, for example, instead of a cup of coffee, a glass of water without gas.

Coffee and more

In addition to coffee, it is recommended to refuse black tea during pregnancy, it also contains caffeine. Of course, not completely, but it is better to brew weak tea or add milk to it. Cocoa, unfortunately, is also partially prohibited for pregnant women. This sweet drink belongs to allergens, like chocolate, and also does not have a very beneficial effect on the absorption of calcium. Green tea also entered this list, which even with a low percentage of caffeine is fraught with considerable danger. It is known that excessive love for him leads to a loss of calcium, joint pain, even in absolutely healthy people. And pregnant women already give a lot of resources of their own body to a growing baby. Of course, if you choose from three evils, then green tea is the least. There are many vitamins and minerals in it, so you can drink it, most importantly - do not forget about the sense of proportion.

What can I drink?

Of course, from hot drinks fruit tea is more preferable, but not in bags, but from real dried fruit. It is better to replace carbonated sweet drinks with water without gas and fresh juices from fruits and vegetables. They are not forbidden, and even homemade compotes, fruit drinks, kefir and milk are even recommended. Based on this, the answer to the question of why coffee should not be pregnant is obvious. After all, not only coffee, but everything that brings less benefit than harm, it is undesirable to use during the entire time of bearing a child. Adherents of a healthy lifestyle calmly do without coffee, soda, non-natural food and drink every day. Perhaps you will join their ranks with the whole family. And you will continue to take care of your health even after childbirth.

Hello dear readers!

In this article, we will find out how much coffee you can drink during pregnancy and what benefits it can bring.

When a woman finds out about her pregnancy, she seeks to maximize her diet and lifestyle as a whole. And then the benefits of drinking coffee are called into question. Adds fuel to the fire and conflicting information from the Internet and the media. In addition, this is the drink that many women find it very difficult to refuse.

So, let's find out what consequences for the fetus can lead to the use of caffeine.

Coffee is a delicious, invigorating, hot, aromatic drink! A lot of controversy in scientific circles is caused by the effect of coffee tree beans on a person.

He helps many to wake up, can raise blood pressure (only to those people who rarely take it), to relieve headaches. And morning drowsiness and, possibly, headache are frequent companions of pregnancy.

In addition, there is evidence that moderate consumption of a fragrant drink has an antidepressant effect. A pleasure from a drunk cup is worth it! A little coffee can be beneficial for type 2 diabetes - it increases the sensitivity of tissues to insulin.

A fragrant cup will also bring some benefit in case of constipation - frequent companions of the third trimester of pregnancy.

2. Implications for the fetus

We have dealt with the benefit, now let's move on to the risks for pregnancy.

Coffee is a plant product. Many plants have a pronounced effect on the human body.

Often, the mechanism of action of plants is not fully understood. Some plants and herbs are undesirable to use during pregnancy or their use must be drastically limited.

Coffee tree is one of these plants. In addition, grains undergo a roasting stage during processing, and when exposed to high temperatures, toxins can form in the products.

Due to the wide popularity of the drink, scientists conducted research on the effects of coffee and caffeine-containing products on pregnant women. And here are the conclusions they came to:

Moreover, the dose of coffee that can cause negative consequences is purely individual. Depends on the general state of health and the state of the enzymatic system of the liver, in particular.

3. How to make a drink safe

The risk of drinking coffee during pregnancy is directly related to its quantity and caffeine content in a drink.

All sources are taken into account: tea, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, cola and others ... It is desirable to limit black coffee to the 1st cup or less, since it is the most significant source.

It is worth considering that the caffeine content depends on the variety of grains and the amount of powder per serving of the drink, as well as the method of preparation.

For example:

• Boiled in Turk (210 ml) contains from 80 to 135 mg of caffeine.
• From a drip coffee maker (210 ml) contains from 115 to 175 mg of caffeine.
• Espresso (210 ml) contains about 100 mg of caffeine.

A complete rejection of caffeinated drinks such as cola, limited consumption of coffee, tea, cocoa and chocolate will help to get all the benefits of these products, to preserve and enhance the health of mother and unborn child.

There is also evidence that filtered (through a paper filter) coffee is preferable to not filtered. A paper filter takes on oily substances, thereby preventing the increase in low molecular weight lipoproteins ("bad" cholesterol) in the blood.

Conclusion

Despite all the beneficial aspects of coffee, it is not the only and most effective way to solve the problems of pregnant women with drowsiness, fatigue, low blood pressure, swelling and constipation. If any of the above problems occurs, it is recommended to consult a doctor who is observing pregnancy.

Personally, I really like brewed coffee. However, in the light of such information, I limit it in my diet and I like it!

Thank you for sharing the article on social networks. Good luck to you!

Sincerely, Elena Dyachenko

Is it possible to drink coffee while carrying a wren, in what quantity? The effect of coffee on the fetus and pregnancy in general

  Scientists are still arguing over whether harmful or healthy coffee is for pregnant women. Unequivocal evidence of the harm of an invigorating drink was not found as well as they can not confirm that it is absolutely harmless. Before making coffee with the number one drink during the period of bearing the baby, you should still thoroughly understand this issue and understand for yourself whether it is necessary or not. Therefore, it is important to find answers to the most common questions that will help you navigate in the right direction.

Popular questions about coffee during pregnancy:

Can caffeine lead to premature birth?

  The answer is, if it is not sad to realize - yes, it can. The fact is that since ancient times, coffee has been famous for its properties, one of which is tonic effect on the human body. Tonus is an acceptable, and even necessary level of tension of nerves and muscles for normal health. The uterus is a smooth muscle organ and, at the slightest fluctuation, it can begin to contract, which is dangerous for pregnancy in general.
  However, one should know that in small quantities, coffee cannot provoke a premature birth. The minimum allowable dose is not capable of a catastrophic effect on the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Does caffeine affect fetal development?

In doses that you can choose for yourself, a radical effect on the fetus is not produced, but penetrating the placenta into the fetus, it is not known how it can behave. In most cases, problems caused by brain hypoxia have been observed. In addition, some argue that a large amount of coffee can trigger the development of diabetes in the fetus.

Would caffeine use lead to baby hyperactivity?

  It has long been known that caffeine is a cardiac stimulant. After ingestion, the heart begins to contract more often. The baby is still connected with his mother inside the womb, also experiences the same feelings and manifestations of coffee. Accordingly, it is safe to say that when a baby's heart beats more often, it will be more active in her mother’s stomach.

Does caffeine affect sleep?

  From the previous answer to the question, it emerges that coffee takes away sleep. He invigorates and it’s unlikely to fall asleep calmly, especially if you drink a lot. Not all people agree with this question. Many argue that after coffee they calmly fall asleep and sleep without interruption for 8 or more hours. Although it should be noted that it still depends on nervous tension, the level of anxiety. Can a woman quickly calm down after coffee and sleep normally.

Can pregnant women drink decaffeinated coffee?

  By and large, there is no caffeine-free coffee. All existing versions of natural coffee contain a high percentage of this substance. Caffeine-free coffee contains just a little less. So the difference is not very big. Rumor has it that caffeine-free coffee is harmful to pregnant women.

How can a future mother replace coffee?

  There is an alternative to a coffee-containing drink. Can be replaced with plain water, cocoa, a drink with chicory. It is important not to go too far and do not get hung up on coffee. If you really want to, you can afford a little a cup or two a day, but no more.
  In general, the conclusion is that a pregnant woman can drink coffee, but carefully and without fanaticism. In some cases, it is better to notice other drinks, at least temporarily, for example, in the early and late stages, in order to exclude fetal rejection, it is necessary to reduce coffee consumption to zero.

In the modern world, it is difficult to imagine a person without a cup of morning coffee in his hands. This drink makes you wake up and cheerfully start your day. But once there comes a moment when a healthy pregnancy is put on the scales as opposed to one's own comfort. Bearing a child is both a joy and a huge responsibility, so coffee fans often wonder if coffee can be pregnant in the early stages.

General information

It’s difficult to call this drink harmful. This is especially true for hypotensive women who cannot imagine a day without a cup of coffee. If in this case, even for a day to abandon the product, the pressure drops sharply, drowsiness and apathy appear. Many attribute this to addiction, but in fact this is a specific feature of the body.

By itself, this product improves blood circulation and dilates blood vessels. Everything seems to be completely safe, but a rush of blood to the uterus leads to irreversible consequences - a miscarriage.

It is impossible to drink coffee during pregnancy in the early stages. With a daily drink, the risk of fetal rejection rises to 65%.

The abuse of a drink during early pregnancy upsets the water-salt balance, which impairs the penetration of oxygen and nutrients through the placenta, exacerbating vascular obstruction. As a result, the child does not receive enough oxygen and nutrition, which causes hypoxia, inhibition of development and fetal freezing.

Caffeine, or rather its overabundance, exacerbates the development of the child's cardiovascular and nervous systems. For the same reason, the baby has a greater chance of developing diabetes in the future. Excessive use adversely affects the development of teeth, bone skeleton and cartilage scan of the fetus.

Benefit

Is it possible to drink coffee for pregnant women in the early term? Reviews of experts in this matter are not uniform. If you do not abuse the drink, then coffee in the early stages of pregnancy can be considered completely harmless. The product is especially useful for those women who drank it for many years. Such a sharp failure provokes headaches and depression.

Provided that the body does not require a drink, it is better to completely refuse coffee at the beginning of pregnancy. If the task is not feasible, you should limit yourself to one small cup of natural ground coffee per day. A weak product, diluted with cream or milk, will be the perfect start to a new day. A drink prepared in this way is not only tasty, but also healthy.

Coffee will also help cope with the depression and apathy that plague many pregnant women. The product facilitates the flow of hormonal bursts in the body. Natural coffee improves performance, mood and improves well-being.

The limit of coffee in the initial stages of pregnancy is 1 cup per day. Women for whom the habit of 4-5 cups of the drink a day must certainly reduce its use for the benefit of crumbs. Even 2-3 doses already make the future mother at risk.

Contraindications

Despite the fact that the drink has a quite satisfactory effect on the body of a woman in position, it is possible that it is impossible to drink it.

Why coffee is not allowed in the early stages of pregnancy:

• due to the problem of washing out calcium from the body, drinking coffee during pregnancy in the early stages often harms the body;
• just a couple cups of a drink a day can disrupt the brain activity of a man;
• caffeine can irritate the gastric mucosa and cause heartburn;
• a strong product increases the tone of the uterus;
• the drink often causes nervous overexcitation and bouts of excitement;
• caffeine negatively affects the already formed cardiovascular system of the mother and the baby’s heart is just starting to form.

The main reason for abandoning this product should be concern for the well-being of the future newborn. Therefore, no matter how great the desire to feast, for the sake of one's own whim, one should not take risks. A doctor’s consultation also will not give a definite answer, since in this matter all doctors contradict each other. According to the reviews of mothers, 100-150 ml of coffee in the morning will not do harm, but it will give a charge of energy for the whole day.

Alternative

If you can’t adequately survive a pregnancy without coffee, and the doctor insists on abandoning it for a number of very good reasons, you will have to be content only with the aroma of your favorite drink. The good news is that manufacturers now offer a huge number of coffee drinks, which practically do not differ from the original product in taste, but are less harmful, and often even useful.

Instant coffee can be replaced with chicory, it is also invigorating, fragrant and delicious. If instead of the main drink to drink a barley drink, it will energize and add tone to the body. But it also needs to be used with caution, as the product has its contraindications. The ideal substitute for coffee is cocoa, especially if mixed with milk or cream. It is important to remember that even with all the safety of products, you need to know the measure in their use.

You can always mitigate the unpleasant bitterness of a drink with cream or condensed milk. In this case, it is recommended to take ingredients of low fat content, so as not to provoke an increase in blood cholesterol and not to give the drink more calorie content.

All advice to future mothers comes down to one thing: you can eat everything, but in moderation. From a small cup of coffee with milk brought by a caring husband to bed with breakfast, the maximum that can happen is an attack of vigor and good mood.

The invigorating aromatic strong coffee made from the fruits of the coffee tree has become an indispensable attribute of the life of a modern person. The fashion for drinking coffee has been shaped over many centuries. Today, this drink has become so loved and distributed that for many people it is an integral and even necessary part of their daily diet. Coffee is drunk at any time of the day, milk, cream, ice cream, sugar and various syrups are added to it. The tonic properties of this unique drink are that it contains a fairly large amount of a substance called caffeine.

Cultural traditions associated with the use of coffee in each country were formed individually. As a result of such a long process, today there is a great variety of recipes for preparing this fragrant drink. Drinking a cup of coffee, a person feels a surge of strength and vitality, passes drowsiness and a feeling of fatigue, increases mental activity and physical performance is activated. However, despite the positive that a drink made from coffee beans brings into our lives, it is not possible for everyone and not always. Today we will talk about whether or not you can take coffee during the gestation period.

Beneficial features

In order to understand the question of whether or not pregnant women can drink coffee, it is worthwhile to find out what the body benefits when drinking this drink. Taking just one small cup of coffee, the female body receives an extensive gamut of flavoring and aromatic shades, thanks to tannic and essential oils, and in addition, a portion of alkaloids - these are the so-called tonic components, one of which is caffeine.

In addition to alkaloids, the coffee drink contains amino acids, carbohydrate components, minerals and vitamins. Most of all, coffee contains vitamins B and D. It is believed that 100 grams of ground coffee beans by 50 percent make up the daily requirement of the body not only in these vitamins, but also in the mineral salts of iron and phosphorus. In addition, the coffee drink is enriched with sodium and calcium - their amount is about 20 percent of the daily human needs.

Studies show that during the roasting of grains, some alkaloid compounds are converted to vitamin PP, called nicotinic acid, which is an indispensable substance in the human body and actively affects the stimulation of the central nervous system.

On the body of a woman preparing to become a mother, coffee has the following effect:

• gently helps to increase arterial blood pressure with hypotension;
• invigorates, tones and improves the overall tone of the body;
• relieves anxiety, normalizes the psychological background, improves mood;
• stimulates the body's endurance, improves brain function;
• activates intestinal motility, being the prevention of stagnant processes;
• improves the secretory activity of the digestive tract;
• has a diuretic effect, removing excess water and preventing the appearance of puffiness;
• promotes the dissolution of cholesterol in the vascular bed;
• normalizes the condition and improves well-being with vegetovascular dystonia;
• stimulates the heart and activates the respiratory center of the brain, so that the body is saturated with oxygen.

Coffee shows its positive properties already after the first cup drunk, however, a pregnant woman is not recommended to abuse this drink and take it more than three cups per day. According to research by the World Health Organization (WHO), during pregnancy, a woman can consume up to 200-300 milligrams of caffeine daily. At the same time, one should not forget that this dose can be collected not only from a coffee drink - the same number includes a tea drink, cocoa, chocolate products, Coca-Cola and other similar products or medications.

In addition, when deciding on the advisability of using coffee, one should take into account the general well-being of the woman and the presence of concomitant diseases. Sometimes, women who are pregnant, fearing the negative effects of a coffee drink on their health and well-being of the unborn baby, resort to using its substitutes or add milk, water, cream to coffee. Recently, the so-called decaffeinated coffee has become fashionable.

Important! Many pregnant women mistakenly assume that drinking such drinks, they are protected from the action of alkaloids and can take them in unlimited quantities. However, in reality the situation is somewhat different.

Decaffeinated

This type of drink is prepared from grains that have undergone special industrial processing, as a result of which the content of alkaloids, including caffeine, is significantly reduced in them. Even despite this fact, taking more than 2-3 coffee cups of the drink per day is not recommended for the expectant mother.

The reason is that coffee beans contain the substance cafestol, and during the decaffeination process this substance is not eliminated, and its effect on the human body is very similar to caffeine. Therefore, the uncontrolled use of caffeine-free coffee is just as dangerous as a drink containing caffeine can be dangerous. In addition, coffee beans are processed using special technology using a chemical called ethyl acetate to eliminate caffeine in them. Therefore, coffee beans that have been processed, even after the subsequent procedure of cleaning them with water or steam, can leave traces of this chemical, which is not at all beneficial to human health.

With milk

If milk or cream is added to the coffee beverage during preparation, this will reduce the tonic and stimulating effect of caffeine in coffee beans. In addition, with dilution of the drink, its concentration decreases. This method is indeed the most sparing option for pregnant women, as well as in situations where a person suffers from diseases of the stomach, liver, kidneys or other health problems in which caffeine should be limited.

But in this case, one should not forget that when drinking a drink with milk in large quantities, the total dosage of caffeine can exceed the daily allowable volume and cause negative consequences for the body.

Chicory

Instead of coffee, in certain cases, doctors recommend taking chicory. The taste of the chicory drink is, of course, far from the aroma and taste of coffee, but with light bitterness it remotely resembles something. The composition of chicory does not contain caffeine, however, the drink soothes the central nervous system and stops a rapid heartbeat.

In addition, chicory improves blood circulation, but does not have a stimulating and exciting effect on the heart muscle. The drink lowers blood glucose, improves metabolic processes, as well as the body's immune properties.   Chicory can be a substitute for coffee, but their principles of action on the body are different.

Important! Pharmacologists consider caffeine an easy narcotic, therefore, a woman's craving for its use can be formed long before pregnancy. In order not to disrupt the natural course of fetal development and pregnancy, the use of a coffee drink will have to be limited or replaced with safer and more healthy products.

Possible harm

During pregnancy, especially at the very beginning of its development, the body of the expectant mother is subjected to rather serious stresses and tests. Often, toxicosis develops in the first trimester of gestation. To cope with its manifestations, a woman resorts to using a coffee drink, trying to eliminate dizziness, nausea, lethargy, and drowsiness. However, coffee not only has positive properties, but also threatens the successful development of the fetus in the womb.

Under the influence of caffeine, spasms of blood vessels can occur, disrupting blood circulation not only in the female body, but also in the child's place - the placenta, which in turn leads to anemia and hypoxia of the fetus.

It is especially harmful to take low-grade coffee, which is often done by women who suffer from hypotension. Various varieties of cheap coffee, which are abundantly filled with the counters of retail outlets, usually have an attractive appearance, but contain chemical residues that are used to give coffee raw materials attractive consumer properties.

The systematic use of such drinks during pregnancy is harmful, as it can cause premature birth or a frozen pregnancy, and also contributes to the development of defects in the fetus. Perinatologists determined the following conditions in which it is strictly forbidden to drink coffee for pregnant women:

• heart rhythm disturbances (tachycardia);
• hypertension and a tendency to hypertension;
• toxicosis of pregnant women;
• uterine hypertonicity, the threat of miscarriage, placental abruption;
• frequent and persistent headaches;
• irritability and instability of the psyche;
• violation of sleep and the process of falling asleep;
• low hemoglobin;
• abnormal forms of development and attachment of the placenta;
• diseases of the liver, kidneys, pancreas;
• hypersecretion of gastric juice and gastritis.

Scientifically proven that caffeine, getting into the mother’s blood stream, enters the body of the developing fetus through the placenta.Low-grade coffee with traces of chemical components disrupts the formation of a child's liver, kidneys, and bone system. Often, while taking such a product, a child develops a metabolic disorder and develops diabetes. In addition, it was found that the development of the central nervous system is disrupted in the fetus and abnormalities of the development of the heart appear.

There is a direct correlation between the amount of coffee the future mother drank and an increase in the fetal heart rate. Quite often, uncontrolled consumption of coffee leads to spontaneous miscarriage or childbirth earlier than the prescribed time, against the background of abuse of the drink, children with body weight below the physiological norm can be born.

When is it allowed to use?

More recently, doctors categorically forbade pregnant women to drink coffee. However, now their opinion has become less categorical, because, despite the prohibitions, some women still continued to use it, but in limited quantities. Today, there is an opinion that the solution to the question of whether or not to drink a coffee drink can only be decided on an individual basis, taking into account the health of the mother and her developing fetus.

In addition, each trimester of pregnancy has its own characteristics and possible negative consequences associated with the use of alkaloids. It is worth considering in detail the positive and negative aspects of drinking coffee at different stages of pregnancy.

First trimester

This period is considered the most important, since the developing embryo is subject to any external and internal influences. Right now, the unborn child is laying all the organs and systems of his life support. In addition, the embryo itself is very small in height and weight. Once in the mother’s blood, caffeine crosses the placenta and enters the embryo - there is practically no chance of such crumbs cope with large doses of this substance. As a result of exposure to caffeine, the baby's heart rate increases. But this is not all - caffeine can provoke vascular spasm and impair placental blood supply. In this case, the baby will feel a lack of oxygen and nutrients, so necessary for him to live.

In addition, under the influence of a coffee drink, the general condition of the mother can be aggravated, especially if she suffers from early toxicosis. The fact is that coffee can increase the feeling of nausea and increase the acidity of the gastric juice, which manifests itself in the form of heartburn. There are statistics that, with daily use of 5-7 cups of coffee per day, pregnancy can be interrupted, since caffeine increases the muscle tone of the uterus. The verdict of doctors is unequivocal - it is in the first trimester of pregnancy that it is necessary to limit the amount of coffee consumed by the mother as much as possible, if there is absolutely no way to completely refuse it.

For the sake of the successful development of the fetus at this stage of pregnancy, you can drink no more than one cup of coffee mixed with milk, and this can be done no more than once every three days.

Second trimester

At this stage of pregnancy, bone tissue is actively formed, of which the skeleton of the fetus consists, therefore, the presence of calcium ions in the maternal body is the most important condition for the successful passage of this stage. Sometimes it happens that mom’s calcium reserves are consumed quite quickly, which is manifested by fragility of nails, hair and teeth. If during this period of development of the baby, the mother actively consumes coffee, her child will be guaranteed to be short of calcium. The reason is simple - coffee washes out a woman’s body nutrients, including calcium.  Against the background of a violation of the water-salt balance, not only the baby suffers, but also the mother.

In the middle of pregnancy, all systems and organs of the unborn baby are already formed, but doctors do not recommend taking alkaloids uncontrollably. If a woman does not suffer from edema and high blood pressure, her kidneys and liver function normally, and there are no pathologies on the part of the baby and placenta - a pregnant woman is allowed to drink one cup of a coffee drink diluted with cream or milk. You can drink such a drink in the morning or afternoon, but no later than 15 hours. After the coffee is drunk, it is necessary to drink two glasses of plain boiled or mineral water within an hour - this is necessary to prevent dehydration of the body and maintain the mineral balance.

Third trimester

At the final stage of pregnancy, the baby has a skeleton and the entire system of internal organs. Now the fetus grows and gains mass, preparing for a difficult and crucial moment - the process of childbirth. The success of the birth process will largely depend on how much the baby grows stronger during this time. However, even in the third trimester, the fetus is vulnerable to exposure to caffeine.

Penetrating blood flow through the placental barrier, caffeine inhibits the process of weight gain in a child, as a result of which the fetus may lag behind in physiological parameters, compared with children whose mothers did not abuse coffee drinks during pregnancy.

In the later stages of pregnancy, the baby has already formed a central nervous system, which has become capable of responsiveness to any stimuli, and the effect of caffeine only enhances this reaction of the body in the fetus, as a result of which the baby becomes restless, mobile.

Excessive mobility of the child makes him consume a significantly greater amount of oxygen, and sometimes this amount, which is transmitted through the placenta with a blood stream, is sometimes not enough, in which case the baby experiences hypoxia. Severe forms of fetal hypoxia can have far-reaching consequences after childbirth - the baby takes her breasts poorly, is tearful and hyper-excitable, it is more difficult to adapt to her new environment.

Too large doses of alkaloids entering the body of the mother and fetus can provoke the onset of premature labor, as a result of which the baby is born prematurely, which also has a number of its adverse effects in the postpartum period and affects the further development of the baby. Given the above factors, doctors allow the use of a coffee drink diluted with milk only to those women who, by the time the gestation period has ended, have not revealed any pathological changes in their health status, as well as subject to a full-fledged baby development process.

It is most reasonable, even with complete well-being, to take no more than 1-2 cups of the drink per day and it is advisable to try to do this not every day.

The opinion of doctors

In modern conditions, coffee has so tightly entered the life of some people that without this drink they consider their life not comfortable enough. It is absolutely known and there is scientific evidence that coffee causes addiction, which is equally affected by both men and women. Such addiction year after year can change the human body for the worse.

Therefore, doctors advise all women who are lovers of coffee and consume large quantities of it when planning pregnancy to reduce the amount of drink they take, as well as conduct a thorough medical examination of their body to correct the problems found before the conception of the baby. Any doctor, guided by the care for the health of the baby developing in the mother’s body, will advise the woman in the process of gestation to stop drinking coffee and other products containing caffeine, or significantly reduce the concentration and volume of the drink consumed. This recommendation is relevant during pregnancy, not only in the early, but also in the late stages of development.

Of course, a complete rejection of the use of coffee would be ideal. However, there are situations in which the choice of coffee is the safest tool compared to other, for example, medical preparations. Such a case may be persistent or chronically low blood pressure in a pregnant woman.

During pregnancy, hypotension can bring many unpleasant moments regarding the well-being of the expectant mother, especially if this condition is combined with toxicosis. In this case, the use of a cup of coffee will be a justifiable measure taken to raise blood pressure to a physiological norm. But there are nuances - the fact is that only a doctor can correctly determine the daily dose of caffeine necessary for the mother and safe for the baby, so it is unacceptable to conduct independent experiments or to drink coffee cup by cup uncontrollably.

Well-known children's doctor Yevgeny Olegovich Komarovsky in one of his television programs examined the issue of drinking coffee during pregnancy. In his opinion, the decision to take a coffee drink should be made on the basis of each specific situation, and a woman should do this in consultation with a doctor, since it is necessary to carefully weigh the pros and cons. However, an ideal case, believes O. E. Komarovsky, would be an absolutely complete rejection of the use of products containing alkaloids, including caffeine. The generations of our mothers and grandmothers did not have the opportunity to drink the “overseas” drink, which is unusual for the body of a Russian person. After all, everyone knows that initially the love of coffee was cultivated as a tribute to fashion and belonging to secular society.

Dr. Komarovsky believes that the harm from drinking coffee is not only in the caffeine contained. Coffee tree beans contain proteins that are foreign to our body. To assimilate these proteins, the liver functions with increased load, and during pregnancy, a woman’s body, including liver cells, experiences maximum loads and stress. But this is not all - proteins alien to the body of our compatriots enter the body of a developing child, causing an allergic reaction in its mother’s womb. Therefore, often after birth, children suffer from atopic dermatitis, which can subsequently provoke the development of bronchial asthma.

When illuminating the issue of the possibility of drinking coffee by a pregnant woman, Dr. Komarovsky cites Danish scientists as an example. Almost 90 thousand pregnant women took part in the experiment for six years. All these women were addicted to drinking coffee and could not abandon their habits even while carrying their child. During the experiment, such impressive results were obtained as:

• with daily use of up to three cups of coffee per day, fetal death occurred in three percent of women;
• when drinking from 3 to 4 cups of coffee, pregnancy was terminated in 13% of the subjects;
• those women who drank from 4 to 7 cups a day lost their baby in 33% of cases;
• the most malicious coffee addicts drank more than 8 cups of coffee drink per day, while 59 percent of the subjects lost their baby in the early stages of pregnancy.

One cannot but agree that these figures are very impressive and speak for themselves. In addition, during the experiment, scientists found that mothers who abuse coffee had children who lag behind not only in terms of weight, but also lag in mental development.

Based on scientific research data, pediatricians and perinatologists agree that coffee is not such a harmless product, therefore, during pregnancy, you need to handle it very carefully, and it is best to exclude it from your diet altogether.

If the woman’s state of health is excellent and the doctor allows her to take coffee drinks in small doses, it is best to give preference to coffee beans. At the same time, coffee beans should not be strong roasted, and also not processed with artificial flavoring substances. Freshly ground coffee, unlike freeze-dried soluble concentrate, has no foreign impurities and its effect on the body is less aggressive. Regarding the choice of coffee, this issue also matters for a pregnant woman. The most famous varieties around the world are considered to be Robusta and Arabica.

There is an opinion that the most useful drink recommended for pregnant women is plain clean water. However, everyone understands that it is quite difficult to survive 9 months of gestation in such a strict framework.

Pregnant women quite often want to diversify their drinking diet. Most of all, for this purpose, natural freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs, berry compotes and even drinks based on honey are suitable. If there is a very strong craving for coffee, you can try to replace this drink with green tea or chicory. Black tea also contains a lot of caffeine, like coffee, so drinking it often during pregnancy is also not recommended.

When you can’t completely refuse to take coffee, you should try to take it in the morning, avoiding drinking a drink in the evening. Coffee drunk in the morning will show all its properties during the day and by the evening its action will be minimally expressed, thereby protecting from insomnia and irritability.

It is best if you drink a cup of coffee once every 2-3 days.  This approach will help reduce the craving for the drink and minimize its negative impact on the pregnant woman and the child. Using coffee in the diet, a woman should remember that after drinking a serving of a drink, she needs to replenish the body's volume of fluid and mineral salts.

Therefore, on the day of coffee, you need to take 2-3 glasses of liquid - it can be ordinary or mineral water, juice, a decoction of herbs, compote or other liquid.

When taking coffee, a woman needs to carefully monitor the reaction of her body. If dizziness, heartburn, nausea, or vomiting occurs, the body gives a signal that you should immediately stop taking this drink and seek medical advice to find out the reasons for this state of health. Often, expectant mothers, especially at the very beginning of gestation, are attracted to seemingly unusual products - there is a desire to eat chalk, pickles, raw cereals, sometimes even ground.

It happens that a pregnant woman has a desire to drink coffee, and earlier, before pregnancy, a woman could be absolutely indifferent to this drink. Such a craving should cause caution, as it is often caused by iron deficiency anemia, which can cause changes in food addictions and taste sensations. To make sure of this and not to miss anemia, you need to consult a doctor as soon as possible, as well as take a blood test for the level of hemoglobin in it.

In the process of making coffee, it is necessary to remember that there are many varieties of its forms of serving. For example, there is espresso, latte, americano, cappuccino and other types of drink. A woman should know that one cup of espresso will contain as much caffeine as a large cup of cappuccino or latte. To taste, these drinks will not be as concentrated as they are diluted with milk or water, but the amount of coffee concentrate is the same everywhere.

If you want to reduce the dose of caffeine, you need not to dilute the standard dose of coffee, but to reduce it. And only then add milk or water in any quantity.

About whether it is possible to drink coffee during pregnancy, see the video below.