Can pregnant women drink coffee? This question has many answers. The short answer is yes. There is no concurring evidence that says otherwise. The answer comes with a disclaimer; it is best that consumption by pregnant women be limited.

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Can Pregnant Women Drink Coffee?
Author : Luara Write
Categories : Health Tips
Can pregnant women drink coffee? This question has many answers. The short answer is yes.
There is no concurring evidence that says otherwise. The answer comes with a disclaimer; it is
best that consumption by pregnant women be limited.
Global Popularity
Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide. In America, nearly every office serves
free coffee to either its customers or employees. It is a popular drink dating back at least two
centuries worldwide—and in some places the drink is even older than that.
What makes the drink a daily global standard? What is it about coffee that makes people drink it
every single day? It can’t be the taste. Straight black coffee is both bitter and strong. If drinking it
black was the only way, it would not have grown into the commodity it is today. There are two
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compelling reasons pregnant women should not make coffee part of their daily routine.
Most people can drink coffee to their heart’s content, but not everybody. Can pregnant women
drink coffee? Yes, they can. It might be more appropriate however, to ask if pregnant women
should drink coffee.
Caffeine
The answer lies in its effect on people. Unmodified coffee beans contain caffeine. Coffee has
been found to be safe for pregnant women—in moderation. Moderation can be difficult for pregnant
women. Pregnant women tend to overindulge on various foods to satisfy often-excruciating
cravings. Medically speaking, caffeine is the reason most experts recommend against coffee
consumption with pregnant women.
Caffeine has its purpose. Caffeine is a stimulant. Mostly, it wakes people up. Sometimes, caffeine
is sold in pill form under the pretense it will keep people awake and alert. Some people use
caffeine regularly to help with headaches. People drink coffee in the morning because of that
alertness “boost” that helps people get through their morning.
The danger with caffeine lies with its addictive properties. While caffeine is believed to be
supplemental to headaches, it can also cause them. Dr. Lark has found that too much caffeine
over time has led to the development of cysts (calcium deposits) on the breasts of women, as
noted in The Women’s Health Companion.
The question remains. Can pregnant women drink coffee? So far, the answer is leaning more
toward the “no” side. It’s still not set in stone.
How much is too much?
To be on the safe side, pregnant women should not drink coffee because of the caffeine alone.
There’s another big reason to abstain, but caffeine is perpetrated as reason enough. Experts say
that if coffee must be consumed, don’t drink over one or two small cups daily.
For preserving your heath, we say none. If coffee is too tough a habit to break, make the switch to
half caffeinated coffee, then to decaffeinated coffee.
Acidity
Aside from being the global daily standard for caffeine intake, coffee is a very acidic beverage. The
pH scale is the measuring scale that determines whether a substance is acidic, neutral, or alkaline.
A pH of 0 is acidic. A pH of 14 is alkaline. A pH of 7 is neutral. The pH of the human body cannot
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be altered. According to Sonya Collins from WebMD in her article “Alkaline Diets”, human blood
shifts more to the alkaline side with a pH of 7.35-7.45. The article discusses an alkaline diet. Her
take to acidic foods is interesting.
People who believe in the alkaline diet say that though acid-producing foods shift our pH
balance[s] for only a little while, if you keep shifting your blood pH over and over, you can
cause long-lasting acidity.
Coffee is slightly acidic, with an unroasted coffee bean having a pH of about 5. Long term coffee
consumption can very well shift your blood pH over to the acid side consistently and lead to long-
lasting acidity.
Your Unborn Baby
Caffeine is a stimulant, and like other stimulants, is highly addictive. Consumption of addictive
substances is harmful to an unborn fetus. Moderation is essential when it comes to coffee and
caffeine. Take this example about alcohol consumption. While it is common knowledge that
alcohol consumption is dangerous for an unborn fetus, some people still imbibe while pregnant.
This dangerous act often gives the baby a predisposition to alcoholism. This means that the child
will be born with a chemical complex whose response to alcohol can make the child much more
likely to become an alcoholic. Another example involves heavy drug users. When a pregnant drug
addict gives birth, the baby is often already addicted and can go through life-threatening
withdrawals when born and physically cut off from the mother.
The above examples paint a grim picture. Caffeine is not as harmful as heavy illegal drugs. That
doesn’t make it any less addictive. Indulgence in coffee can bring about harmful effects when a
baby is born. Caffeine withdrawals include painful headaches and light sensitivity. The extent to
which an infant will experience this depends upon the habits of the mother.
Abstinence
When in doubt, say no. Questions will always be there. Abstinence is an excellent policy to adapt.
Obedience to this policy may not make you a health wise superhero. Abiding by this policy can
protect you from the harmful effects of coffee. Two sides of this coin exist. There are people who
will promote coffee and tell us about the many health benefits of coffee. At the very least, our
recommendation is to keep coffee consumption while pregnant to a minimum.
Findings
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Can pregnant women drink coffee? Yes. Should they drink coffee? We say no, but that shouldn’t
stop them. For every well-researched source in favor of pregnant women drinking coffee, there is
another against it. Do your own research. Come to your own conclusion. If need be, seek the
advice of a medical professional. We make every effort to give you sound advice. After all, health
is what we do.
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