Diet Soda

KikiCohen

I -thought- I read somewhere that we should avoid diet soda b/c of the artificial sugar.  I can't seem to find anything definitive now.  I have had a glass of Diet Dr. Pepper and I really, really want another with my lunch.  Water just sounds gross.  Does anyone know about this?

pugmom11

It's all about what you feel comfortable with... I have had friends who drank their diet coke all PG long... and had no ill effects. I'm avoiding it, just because I don't like the idea of all the artificial sweeteners floating around in my body. Totally personal choice.

jquirke9881

My doctor said it is fine in moderation.  There are concerns over artificial sweeteners for pregnant and non pregnant alike.  I used to drink 1 diet coke a day and now I just have one a week or so.  I am really trying to limit it.

NeverKnew

Anything about artificial sugar and pregnancy is anecdotal and not researched. If you didn't have any qualms about drinking it prior to pregnancy, I don't see any reason to stop now. Everything in moderation, and just watch the caffeine - which is actually linked to issues.

lindsayanne14

I stopped all artificial sweeteners when TTC (which was a big deal, I was a diet coke addict!).   I just didn't want the chemicals in my body anymore...it was a personal choice.  Many women drink diet drinks while pregnant. 

genmalone

I cut out all artificial sugar a while ago.  If you really want it though 1 isn't going to hurt.  I just wouldn't drink 5 per day.  Trust me, I've eaten plenty of things since being KU that I know aren't good for me.  When you don't feel well  you just have to eat whatever you can get down, you know?

ckkgb2001

I for moderation and limit myself to one diet soda a day.  Other than that I stick to water and 1 glass of OJ a day.

ndolehan

My doctor told me to drink absolutely nothing "diet" and was very firm about this. I didn't ask any questions, since I don't drink diet anyway.

Your best bet is to ask your OB what they think and go from there. 

KikiCohen

Thanks, all!  Moderation is the key I guess.  I used to drink a lot of diet ginger ale mainly to avoid the calories, but switched to regular when I got my BFP. 

And about caffeine- I switched to half caff when we started TTC and usually had two cups a day.  After my BFP, I only had a cup every few days.  I was getting crazy headaches, and my OB said go back to regular and just drink a 1/2 cup to a cup per day to avoid the headaches.  I did that for awhile, but I'm trying to cut back again.

beeunit

I drank it all through my first pregnancy and I am still drinking it.  I don't drink 10 a day, but 2-3.  Aaron came out with all his fingers and toes (and no extra limbs), so I'm sure the same will be true this time.  And if it's not, I doubt it will be because of artificial sweetners.

MissGOP

ndolehan:

My doctor told me to drink absolutely nothing "diet" and was very firm about this. I didn't ask any questions, since I don't drink diet anyway.

Your best bet is to ask your OB what they think and go from there. 

My OB said the same thing. They told me it was better to just have a small cup of reg. soda if any at all. But I would love some Diet Dr. Pepper!!

egingras

beeunit:

I drank it all through my first pregnancy and I am still drinking it.  I don't drink 10 a day, but 2-3.  Aaron came out with all his fingers and toes (and no extra limbs), so I'm sure the same will be true this time.  And if it's not, I doubt it will be because of artificial sweetners.

 

This.  My perinatal specialist actually laughed at DH when he questioned it hurting the baby (she's kind of a biotch) and said that she drank it through all three of her pregnancies.  I do limit it, and I drink a TON of water as well.

magnoliablossom00

It's not the diet soda part that is bad, its the aspartame (sp?). It stays in the placenta for a longer amount of time, meaning that it's harder for your body to absorb. However, it has not yet been linked to birth defects etc, it just stays around the baby longer. For that reason, I only drink diet coke with Splenda sweetener in it (available at a lot of stores) or limit the amount of regular diet cokes. It really isn't that big of a deal. All in moderation!

I drank decaf diet cokes throughout my entire pregnancy with DD, and she is the picture of health. Just use good judgement!

JessParmesan79

I thought this provided some good info on the different types of artificial sweetners. 

https://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/artificialsweetner.htm

Everything in moderation. Drinking regular soda every day with all of the sugar in it probably isn't great for you either.

 

tetiananina

I love Diet Coke, when we started to TTC I started to limit my Diet Coke I drank. This past weekend I was craving one, I had 2 caffeine free diet cokes, I won't buy them all the time but if I crave it I will have one. Other than that water is all I drink.

operilman

Aspartame, which is the artificial sweetner in any Diet soda, is really bad for you in general, not just when pregnant.  I was a diet coke fiend and stopped cold about 6 months ago, when we started talking about TTC.  If I have a craving, a little bit of regular coke is much better than ingesting a poison-like substance in your body.  Most amounts are trace and most people are ok, but it's better to be safe than sorry. 

ZooCrewMom

I LOVE diet soda, but I avoid artificial sweeteners during the first trimester. After that I'll have one periodically. 

Right now, I'l drink a regular Sierra MIst once in a while. My biggest beverage though is the Crystal LIght PURE grape flavor. It reminds me of non carbonated grape soda and its made with sugar and stevia so I don't feel bad drinking it.