You know that long list of stuff you CAN’T have when you are with child? Sushi (sob!), Pinot Grigio (see you in a few months, my friend!), soft cheese (seriously, how bad can a teeeny tiny bit be?!) And the rest.
But we have some good news for you if you are getting a little fed up with all the restrictions: The forbidden list is about to get a little shorter. While you still can’t pour yourself a glass of vino, at least you can now officially go back to enjoying your second favourite beverage; coffee.
According to a new study, caffeine consumption during pregnancy is far from as bad as previously thought. (Thank God, says you, because tackling caffeine withdrawal during the most energy zapped nine months of your life is kinda hellish…)
The study, published in American Journal of Epidemiology, looked at 2,197 mother-child pairs who took part in something called the Collaborative Perinatal Project, which collected data between 1959 and 1974. You may know this era as the one when women smoked and drank alcohol and slurped all that coffee before we really knew we shouldn’t.
Because the researchers grabbed data from a few decades ago, they were able to get a wider range of caffeine intake numbers during pregnancy. They also measured child IQ rates at 4 and 7 years old to try to get a better grasp on what the long-term effects of caffeine on kids could be. What the researchers found is that when it comes to two markers — intelligence and obesity — there don’t really seem to be any.
The most recent study focused on IQ and ultimately found:
“There were no consistent patterns between maternal caffeine ingestion and the development and behavior of those children at those points in their lives.”
One of the researchers went on to say, “Taken as a whole, we consider our results to be reassuring for pregnant women who consume moderate amounts of caffeine or the equivalent to 1 or 2 cups of coffee per day.” Note the word “moderate” though, gals. We are not suggesting you should be living off espresso shots alone.
But if you have been abstaining from coffee because you’re not sure how it will ultimately affect your child, this could be a good reason to cut yourself a little slack if you feel like you need a delicious java pick-me-up to get you going in the mornings.
Did YOU cut out coffee when you were pregnant? Join in the conversation with us on Twitter at @Herfamilydotie
