Q: "I've just found out I'm pregnant and although I'm delighted, I'll really miss my morning latte. Is it OK to drink decaf, or should I avoid coffee altogether?"
A: GP Dr Sarah Jarvis says: "Losing your morning latte isn't a necessity. Mums-to-be don't need to cut caffeine out completely, but you should limit how much you have.
"Current Food Standards Agency guidelines recommend that pregnant women should limit their overall caffeine intake to 200mg a day from all sources.
"It's been suggested that high levels of caffeine during pregnancy can result in babies having a low birth weight. A 2007 study published in the British Medical Journal found that, on average, women who ingested more than 200mg a day of caffeine had babies who were on average 60-70g lighter than the babies of women who consumed under 100mg – hence the 200mg guideline.
"So what does 200mg of caffeine actually mean? It roughly equates to about two mugs of instant coffee (100mg each), one mug of filter coffee (140mg each), two mugs of tea (75mg each), five cans of cola (up to 40mg each), or four (50g) bars of plain chocolate (up to 50 mg each). Caffeine in milk chocolate is about half that of plain chocolate – good to know for mums with cravings.
"As long as you add up all your caffeine sources and stick within these guidelines, you can relax and enjoy your morning coffee. It's been shown to improve alertness and can count towards your daily fluid intake – one less thing to worry about in pregnancy."
