Caffeine and Pregnancy: How much is too much

One of the first things most of us women prepare to say goodbye to once we see those two pink lines on our pregnancy tests is caffeine. Many women will stop their caffeine habit cold turkey out of the sheer fear of doing some sort of damage to the new life growing inside of them. These women will swear off anything that has caffeine in it from coffee, and soda to even chocolate. Then there are some of us who will still drink caffeine but cut back. Instead of drinking five cups of coffee a day, we might cut back to at least one cup of coffee to get us through the day.

Our mothers and grandmothers will probably tell us that they drank the same amount of caffeine pregnant as they did when they were not pregnant and their children turned out fine. However a lot more research has been done since their time and studies are showing that too much caffeine can cause some complications such as preterm labor and/or low birth weight.

So how much caffeine is too much caffeine? Doctors are telling their patients that a moderate amount of caffeine will not harm their babies. Even though caffeine does cross the placenta, anything less than 300 milligrams a day (an 8 ounce cup of strong coffee) will not do any harm. Anything over 300 milligrams puts your baby at risk and studies have also shown that women who drink more than 300 milligrams of caffeine a day during their first trimester have a slightly higher risk of a miscarriage.

Studies have also shown that women who had over 500 milligrams of caffeine a day had babies who had faster heart rates and faster breathing rates. These babies also spent more time awake in their first few days of life rather than peacefully sleeping after their long journey.

There are a number of other reasons why we women might want to cut back on the amount of caffeine we drink during pregnancy. For starters, it has no nutritional value. If there is ever a time for us to be aware of our nutritional needs it is when we are pregnant. Second, caffeine is a stimulant which will increase your heart rate and can cause insomnia and headaches which can put some stress on your growing little one. Third, caffeine can cause heartburn. If you have been pregnant before you know that heartburn can be a burden to begin with, and caffeine just makes it worse. Lastly it is a diuretic which means it can cause you to lose fluids which can put you at a risk of becoming dehydrated.

While it is not necessary for you to give up all caffeine through out the duration of your pregnancy, you should learn how to drink it in moderation or don't drink it at all. If you can not handle having only one cup of coffee a day, then you might be better off drinking no coffee at all. Stick with caffeine free sodas and even decaf coffee. Remember though that decaf coffee still contains small traces of caffeine so make sure you take that into consideration.

To learn more visit
http://birthdefectcauses.blogspot.com
http://www.pregnancy-guidelines.com

Common Obstacles in achieving Pregnancy – How to resolve them.

If you or your partner are trying to conceive than your biggest concern is with getting pregnant. For most couples getting pregnant is as ordinary a process as waking up and going to work in the morning. Unfortunately as with anything pregnancy is also filled with many unknowns. Some couples will have difficulty conceiving or getting pregnant.

There are many common problems that can delay successful conception. Up to 15 percent of couples experience problems when trying to conceive. Some of the problems associated with getting pregnant are more easily resolved than others. Most fertility problems or troubles couples experience getting pregnant are easily overcome. In fact nearly 90 percent of couples experiencing fertility problems will overcome them and achieve successful pregnancy.

Here is a list of some of the more common culprits when pregnancy is not achieved immediately:

• Timing – Many times pregnancy is not achieved simply because a couples timing is not correct.

• Minor Health Problems – Many times temporary infertility is experienced resulting from a minor illness. This may include for example a recent bout with the flu or common cold.

• Odds – Most women have only a 25% chance or less of getting pregnant within the first month of trying. Those odds dramatically increase over the course of a year. . Many will defy the odds and get pregnant in the first month of trying. Still others will get pregnant accidentally!

• Endometriosis – This is a more complicated condition that may result in infertility. Endometriosis is a condition where the uterine lining grows outside of a woman’s uterus

• Hormonal Irregularities – If you suffer from irregular menstrual cycles there is a chance you are not ovulating regularly. Ovulation problems commonly result in infertility

• Poor Egg Quality – This is more of a cause of infertility among older women. If women have poor egg quality their body may have more difficulty sustaining a pregnancy.

• Stress _Sometimes the mere stress of trying to get pregnant overrides ones best efforts at successful conception. You may find the moment you throw up your hands or ‘give up’ you actually become pregnant. This actually happens often for many couples.

To learn more visit
http://birthdefectcauses.blogspot.com
http://www.pregnancy-guidelines.com