Hi ryne
Just to share
Are there other possible risks besides miscarriage?
Yes. Because caffeine can cause blood vessels to constrict, it may reduce blood flow to the placenta. And because it easily crosses the placenta and reaches your baby (who then very slowly metabolizes it), caffeine may directly affect his developing cells.
A study in Denmark found that the risk of stillbirth more than doubled in women who drank a great deal of coffee per day — eight cups or more — compared with non-coffee drinkers. And some studies suggest that high levels of caffeine consumption by Mom may slightly reduce a baby's birth weight, but other research has shown no association.
One study found a link between maternal caffeine consumption equal to three cups of coffee per day and an increased risk of having a son born with undescended testes. This happens when the testes don't move from the pelvis into the scrotum as they usually do in late pregnancy.
Other research has shown that babies whose mothers consumed more than 500 mg of caffeine a day had faster heart rates and breathing rates and spent more time awake in the first few days after birth.
One thing's for sure: You'll feel better if you cut back on caffeine. It's a stimulant, so it raises your heart rate and may raise your blood pressure slightly, too. Plus, it can make you feel jittery and cause insomnia. Caffeine can also contribute to heartburn (something you probably don't need help boosting!) by stimulating the secretion of stomach acid.
These effects may be more pronounced or last longer than usual as you approach your due date, because your body breaks down caffeine more slowly as your pregnancy progresses. And that means a higher level of caffeine in your bloodstream and in your baby's.
There's one more reason to cut back on coffee and tea during your pregnancy, whether it's caffeinated or not. These beverages contain compounds called phenols that make it harder for your body to absorb iron. This is particularly important because many pregnant women are already low on iron. If you drink coffee or tea, have it between meals so it'll have less of an effect on your iron absorption.
Coffee is one, of course. The amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee varies widely, depending on the type of bean, the brewing method, and how strong it's brewed. And your serving size depends on the size of the coffee cup.
To cut your caffeine intake, though, you'll need to be aware of other sources, like tea, soft drinks, "energy" drinks, chocolate, and coffee ice cream. Caffeine also shows up in herbal products and over-the-counter drugs, including some headache, cold, and allergy remedies.
In my opinion, it's better to avoid coffee and tea during ttc and also 1st trimester.
I took at least a cup of bubble tea and coffee per day as I nvr knew that I was pregnant and mc at 17 weeks.
However when I conceived my ger and took coffee/tea from 3rd trimester onwards, it was fine. I gave birth to her at 39 weeks.
I wonder is it coincidence? I've mc twice when I did not prepare myself well for TTC.
When I first got pregnant, I didn't realise the importance of preparing myself for TTC and even drank slimming tea and went on a diet.
Howver I stopped upon learning my pregnancy but still mc at 10 weeks, I was devastated and read the whole mc thread (this thread) from the beginning and learnt from there,
I became a fan of TCM, preparing tonics for me and hb almost everyday, even offered some to my neighbour as she say she could smell it daily
.
I took folic acid everyday, , dom every night and no "liang" food/drink. I conceived my ger after the 2nd menses, everything went smoothly and I gave birth to her at 39 weeks 3 weeks at 3.6kgs.
This time, my pregnancy was unplanned though i took precaution, I was hospitalised twice and finally mc during 17 weeks.
BB was healthy during the scan but the body was unable to carry him to term.
I attribute the cause of the mc due to the fact that I did not prepare the body well before conceive. It seem like I need to change my lifestyle before my body is able to carry a pregnancy to term.