Coffee drinkers...smaller babies, longer pregnancy?!

sloturtle · February 2013

Last night on the evening news they did a report on their "Health" segment about drinking coffee during pregnancy could result in smaller babies and a longer pregnancy. I decided to listen to see what was to be said about this. Basically to shorten up the segment, this is what was said in a nutshell.

Women who drink coffee during pregnancy could have a smaller baby (no specification was made on how much smaller) and for every 100mg of coffee consumed will extend your pregnancy by 8 hours.

I am guessing with how much caffeinated coffee I have consumed during this pregnancy, I could be pregnant though out the rest of the year!! So much for the July due date Crying

Any moms that drank coffee in any previous pregnancies find this true, smaller baby or an over due baby?

lovelyday39 · February 2013

If that's true, I'll be pregnant for the next 5 years, LOL! What a load of garbage!

Abeille · February 2013

It was if you consumed 100 mg of caffeine per day every day added 5 hours to your pregnancy, 8 hours if it came from coffee. Not 8 hours for every single cup of coffee. I wish I could link but I'm on mobile.

FWIW, I rarely drink caffeine and I hate the taste of coffee. My daughter was born 10 days early and weighed 9 lbs, 5 oz. Maybe I should be drinking coffee :P

danieleandwayne · February 2013

Did the segment give the parameters/conditions of the study (studies?) that they're basing this on? I bet not...

There is no conclusive evidence that says caffeine affects a baby or your pregnancy either way. However, the current recommendations are that you can have one cup of coffee a day without having a dramatic effect on your body/the baby. So, if you're only drinking one cup of caffeine (be it soda, coffee, etc) a day, you're very likely not changing much about your pregnancy or baby's birth size. This recommendation is based more on the fact that caffeine is technically a substance that alters your body chemistry to a degree-- and therefore is subject to the "everything in moderation" rule of thumb, so to speak.

The medical studies go back and forth about the benefits/evils of coffee and caffeine. It just depends on what year it is.

I know plenty of moms who drank one cup a day with no change in baby's size or pregnancy length (i.e. the baby arrived around the due date) and I know plenty of moms who drank one cup a week with no effects (one or two of them had babies that arrived about 5 or 6 days "late"). Use your judgment.

ELF4321 · February 2013

sloturtle:

Last night on the evening news they did a report on their "Health" segment about drinking coffee during pregnancy could result in smaller babies and a longer pregnancy. I decided to listen to see what was to be said about this. Basically to shorten up the segment, this is what was said in a nutshell.

Women who drink coffee during pregnancy could have a smaller baby (no specification was made on how much smaller) and for every 100mg of coffee consumed will extend your pregnancy by 8 hours.

I am guessing with how much caffeinated coffee I have consumed during this pregnancy, I could be pregnant though out the rest of the year!! So much for the July due date

Any moms that drank coffee in any previous pregnancies find this true, smaller baby or an over due baby?

I call BS on this one, at least if you stay within the recommended 100mg a day.

I drank just under 100 mg every day through my pregnancy and went into labor 8 days early in spite of all of the warnings that FTMs usually go late. DD was 7.5 pounds, only slightly on the small side in terms of weight (U.S. at least -- in Europe that would have been average!), but well within normal range. She was also 20" long already, and that's taller than average, especially for being a week early.

I wouldn't worry about it -- baby will come when s/he is ready!

sloturtle · February 2013

I didn't really take this segment too seriously. I was just curious if there was any truth to this. Personally I'm not too worried about it.

dhreczuck · February 2013

I'll report back in about 10 weeks! I've been having a small cup every morning, though I very rarely end up finishing it. So far baby is weighing in average at every check in.

ocho2002 · February 2013

With DS#1 I drank 1-2 coffees a day. If I had 1, I probably had a diet Coke. DS was born at 38 weeks and was 8lbs, 8oz and was 21 inches.

ShellBear+ · February 2013

It seems like nonsense to me. I rarely drink coffee and I'm hoping to be on time or a little early so I guess we'll see

.

diana.filipi · February 2013

This is complete baloney IMO.

I drink 2-3 pots of coffee a day with a little help from DH. My only concession to pregnancy has been to keep both regular and decaf so I can determine how much each pot should have but it's never less than 1/4 caff and most often about 1/2 caf. There are many days where it's the only thing I end up drinking (opps). DD was a perfectly average 7lb8oz and DS was 8lb13oz a week early.

MT-Head · February 2013

I didn't drink any coffe with no. 1 and he was born 8 days after his EDD, with the help of picotin and the salad tongs.

I have had occasional coffee with this one; maybe a cup on weekends.

The only reason I had no coffee at all with no. 1 is because the smell of coffee made me nauseus. This time around, I don't have that reaction and have decaf during the week.

Did the "study" include caffine from other sources, like chocolate or regular tea? Or just specifically coffee?

sloturtle · February 2013

missymr:
I'd like to know how many were in the study, who peer reviewed it and over what period of time they measured.
Also what were the control factors.
Let's say you had a cup of coffee a day every day of your pregnancy. Adding eight hours to your pregnancy, According to them you'd be pregnant for another 93 days? (40 weeks times 7 days times 8 hours divided by 24 hours - hope I did that math right, it is not my strength)
The whole thing sounds insane to me.

It the news segment, researchers studied 60,000 women.

sloturtle · February 2013

MT-Head:
I didn't drink any coffe with no. 1 and he was born 8 days after his EDD, with the help of picotin and the salad tongs.

I have had occasional coffee with this one; maybe a cup on weekends.

The only reason I had no coffee at all with no. 1 is because the smell of coffee made me nauseus. This time around, I don't have that reaction and have decaf during the week.

Did the "study" include caffine from other sources, like chocolate or regular tea? Or just specifically coffee?

They didn't specifically say caffeine from other sources. They mentioned coffee, tea, and soda.

sloturtle · February 2013

The article: If you click on "provisional pdf" towards the bottom of the page you can read the entire study.

This is an article that was posted from 2nd trimester. It has more information than they reported on the local news.

CousinVicki · February 2013

i drank half regular/half decaf (only in 2nd and 3rd tri on and off) and went ten, yes ten days overdue. to clarify: i don't attribute this to the coffee, it was just how things went! he was also 7'2oz, but he's always been a smaller dude and, sometimes when you go far overdue, the baby starts to lose a bit, not gain.

surpriseaddition · February 2013

I drank regular coffee every day with both my pregancies. DD was 8 lbs, 5 oz and DS was 9 lbs 12 oz and they were both born at 38 weeks. I guess I'm the exception to this? I'd hate to think the babies maybe would have been even larger if I hadn't had the coffee! No GD either. BTW....love your LO name!

*sparky* · February 2013

When I was PG with my DS I averaged a cup of coffee every day, some days it was halfcaf. He was fairly small, 6 lbs 3 oz, but he also came 2.5 wks early.

RedDDD · February 2013

With #1 I drank a cup of coffee a day and he was born at 34 weeks and was a large preemie at 5lbs 8oz. I was told he likely would have been over 9lbs had he been full term. So that myth is debunked....

stever · February 2013

Sounds like bunk. I refrained from caffeine with my first pregnancy and was 2 weeks overdue. I had a cup of tea or coffee every single day of my second pregnancy and had DS2 at 39w3d.

mamajess68 · February 2013

total garbage... I drink one cappuccino every morning and have every day for 18 years. Sometimes I will drink other coffee throughout the day, but not when I'm pregnant, only that one. and no, my babies were not small (have ranged from 7.14 - 8.6). Now I was c-sections, so I can't tell you about the longer pregnancy, but I promise, no respectable Dr would let you go 2 weeks past MAX. Stay calm and carry on! Wink

doodlemonkey22 · February 2013

I laughed out loud when I read this. Not true at all for me. I drank a cup of coffee everyday with baby #1. He was 3 weeks early and weighed 7bs. With baby #2, I also drank a cup everyday...sometimes 2 cups. He was 2 weeks early and weighed 8lbs. 4oz.

Rubygirl · February 2013

LOL. There's a study and statistic for everything. I drank coffee in my first pregnancy, though was off of it for a few weeks in the first tri due to m/s. DS was a week early and 7lbs15oz. I probably drank 1-2 cups / day.

Holly130 · March 2013

Thanks your post about a cup of coffee a day or soda a day is ok! I was a 3 cup a dayer before becoming pregnant and since finding out a week ago I have cut down to one 8oz cup a day!!! Never thought I could do it and was worried I would have to cut it out completely. I have two weeks before my first DR. app.---I was starting to stress, and it helps to hear positive things from people like you!!!!

ba23ba02 · March 2013

I love coffee and I did give up the coffee while being pregnant so that I would have a healthy baby. Only talking about 9 months of giving up something in exchange of a healthy baby.!!!! Give up the caffine. Good luck.

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