Things to Avoid

Caffeine and Pregnancy

Too much caffeine isn’t good for your baby. Caffeine can take water away from your baby and can make you nervous and not able to get a good sleep.

Also, if you drink a lot of caffeine, your baby may not get the nutrition he or she needs to grow and develop.

How much is too much?

If you are pregnant, then you should have less than 300 mg of caffeine a day. This usually means having no more than 2 small cups of coffee or a few cups of tea each day.

Some herbal teas ARE NOT SAFE during pregnancy. Do not drink:

• Chamomile
• Labrador tea
• Juniper berries
• Aloe
• Coltsfoot
• Pennyroyal
• Buckthorn bark
• Comfrey
• Sassafras
• Duck roots
• Lobelia
• Senna leaves

A lot of other drinks have caffeine too. Here is a list of the amount of caffeine in some drinks:

A word about energy drinks...                                                    
Energy drinks usually have a lot of caffeine. They can also have other ingredients that are not safe during pregnancy. It is best to avoid energy drinks when you are pregnant.

How to have less caffeine

Most of the time, choose drinks that have no caffeine like:

• Water
• Caribou, fish or seal broth
• Milk
• Hot drinks like hot milk or hot water with lemon
• Decaffeinated coffee or tea
• Safe herbal teas like peppermint, bitter orange/orange peel, ginger, red raspberry leaf or rosehip

Pop and Juice

Food and drinks with lots of sugar do not help you or your baby because they can fill you up and take the place of healthy food and drinks.

Pregnancy is a great time to drop pop! Pop is full of sugar and does not have the nutrition that is needed to build a healthy baby.

Powdered juices or “punches” or “fruit drinks” are also full of sugar and have little or no nutrition. The best juice to pick is 100% real juice that has no sugar added. But, there is still a lot of natural sugar in 100% real juice – you may be surprised how much!

How much sugar is really in drinks?

The amount of sugar in your drinks is pretty shocking. Check out your favourite drink on the table below.

(insert Pop and Pregnancy sugar table from BHB Inuit Handouts)

What should I drink?

• Choose healthy drinks like water and milk
• Avoid powdered juices or “punches” or “fruit drinks”
• Have a maximum of 1 cup of 100% real fruit juice each day

 Questions

What about diet pop? Is it a good replacement for sugary drinks for pregnant women?

Answer: Diet pop is not a healthy drink even though it has no sugar. It doesn’t have any of the vitamins or minerals that you or your baby need. It is OK to have sometimes, but shouldn’t replace healthy drinks.

How do I know a juice is “100% real juice” and doesn’t have other stuff added?

Answer: The only way to figure out if a juice is 100% real juice is to read the ingredient list on the label. The only ingredients listed should be juice, water or ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). If you see sucrose, fructose, glucose, galactose, high fructose corn syrup, maltose, honey or maple syrup then you know it has added sugar and is not 100% real juice.

Source: Health Canada.  Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2010^©