Are you people for real???? All that caffeine during pregnancy can only lead to trouble! Same as having an alcoholic beverage each day; it should be OFF-LIMITS! Where is the willpower? Pregnancy is so temporary but a damanged baby is forever!!!! And that poor child never asked for such a selfish parent!

Yes, everyone. Forget the scientific studies, doctors, etc. Listen to eyore--obviously an expert. I mean, you have scientific evidence vs. a statement that "all caffeine can lead to is trouble". That's pretty compelling. I'm willing to bet eyore is either a) a man who will never have to be pregnant, or b) a woman who feels compelled to heap judgment among anyone who doesn't do exactly as she does. Either way, I'd rather look to published science and specialty medical associations for my recommendations.

I'm eight months pregnant and have just started to have a small cup of coffee each of the days that I work (3 days per wk). I don't drink soda, eat lunch meat, soft cheese, drink alcohol or smoke but after weeks and weeks of sleeping about four or five hours a night (and not all at once) due to back and hip pain, the small amount of coffee helps me feel more alert. Eyore 1206185 -- Should I use my "willpower" to stay awake behind the wheel of a car with my two year old??

I'm eight months pregnant and eat whatever the hell I want. Oh and I drink at least one soda a day and I had (gasp) a drink of wine the other night. All this paranoia about pregnancy is ridiculous. Sure, don't drink in excess, do drugs, or smoke like a chimney, but other than that the best and most healthy thing you can do for your baby is to relax, get some moderate excercise, and see your doctor or midwife regularly. Just another way for society to try and make women feel constantly guilty that we are somehow responsible for all the world's problems because we dared to give into a need for coffee while we were pregnant with baby einstein. The vast majority of miscarriages are not caused by anything you do, but by genetic mutations that cannot be prevented. Women, STOP FEELING GUILTY!

In my first pregnancy, I drank 2 cups of coffee most days, in the second and third trimester had an occasional half a glass of wine and my 3 year old is perfectly healthy and even developmentally ahead. She was also born 2 weeks late at 9lbs 4oz. Yes, I stayed away from lunch meat, sushi and more than 2 servings of fish a week, but I also ate the occasional bite of raw cookie dough.

Doctors are always going to err on the side of caution because all it takes is the patient saying 'well the doctor said...' and they can sue the pants off that doctor for something that there may not be conclusive evidence to show that's where the harm came from. That's why there's such a high c-section rate. If the baby is in any distress, that's what they want to do right away so that if the baby is born with cerebal palsy the doc can defend that s/he did everything possible to deliver the baby as quickly as possible and that the CP was not a result of the birth. If we weren't so sue happy, you would find fewer 'emergency' c-sections because many times it's not truly an emergency, but patients are scared into it.

Just like the rest of life, moderation is the key.

And beckyleah is right, many miscarriages are the body's way of saying that there is something wrong with the baby or placenta and this is the best thing.

to eyore-These studies prove that moderate caffeine consumption "doesn't significantly contribute to miscarriages or premature births". So, how does that make a women who has a cup of coffee during pregnancy a "selfish" person who will give birth to a "damaged baby"?

My first pregnancy, I completely gave up caffeine prior to becoming pregnant, along with alcoholic beverages. I was very sick the first trimester, but muddled through. My second pregnancy, I was so sick I almost needed to be hospitalized for dehydration. My doctor instructed me to drink anything I could hold down, even if it had caffeine in it. Coke stayed down, so on those days I was sickest I would drink some Coke. Once the throwing up passed, I stopped. Did it hurt my son? Doesn't appear to have. Dehydration vs. caffeine - I chose the caffeine. Criticize away.

yep, eyere is an ass.

Really the only thing a mother should ever do is what feels right to her. Stress causes more harm than many people realize. We tried to get pregnant for so long, and when it finally happened I was worried that I would miscarry. So I cut out all the caffeine, alcohol, processed meats, soft chesses etc.....It helped me feel like I was in control or at least eliminate me as the cause if I did miscarry. It's what made me feel good....or better. Now that I have been through it I will relax a little more the second time around. I'm still against alcohol when pregnant (and absolutely against smoking!) but that is just me.

Whoa, eyore! Let's calm down and look at something here- the key words here are 'moderate caffeine consumption.' Labeling people as 'selfish parents' for participating in an activity that is medically ok'd isn't fair or appropriate, and quite frankly makes you look ignorant. I have to agree with BRM about using will power to stay awake while driving a car, especially towards the end of a pregnancy. Have you experienced that? Also, lets take a look at the statistic of children that are born WITH development and/or medical issues where the parent did EVERYTHING by the book prior to delivery. Trust me, it's not zero percent.

I suffer from migraines, and a cup of coffee was far better medicine to take when pregnant than the usual anti-inflammatories. Those are off limits in the third trimester due to increased bleeding issues. I was also prescribed a glass of wine during my first labor, when contractions started, but then stopped. Much better option than pitocin as a first try to get things going again, IMHO.

I agree with the poster that says to stop feeling guilty about reasonable food and drink consumption during pregnancy. It seems that once you blow up with a baby, everyone's a critic, and all sense of reason and logic go straight out the window.

There is no one more judgmental than one woman of another woman. I do not believe that any woman who makes an EDUCATED decision to eat or drink certain things in moderation deserves to be labeled as "selfish."

For most of us, we weigh the evidence, talk to our doctors and make the best decisions for our families. For my part, I am 7 months pregnant and I drink the occasional cup of coffee. I have a 3 year old that still does not sleep through the night, so there are days where the extra jolt from the coffee is very very necessary. Like the other posters, I am not selfish - I do it so that I don't fall asleep while driving my toddler or in the middle of feeding him dinner. Willpower alone does NOT keep an exhausted pregnant woman awake.