No one has ever proven that caffeine is linked to birth defects. There is a small group of studies that may suggest excessive amounts of caffeine increase infertility and risk of intrauterine growth restriction. I drank coffee, and I had two huge kids.
I tell my patients that they can have up to 200 milligrams of caffeine in their daily pregnancy diet, which is the equivalent of two nice-sized cups of coffee. Of course, the amount of caffeine in different beverages (lattes, teas, caffeinated colas and other soft drinks) varies, so you need to do your own research.
A lot of people entirely cut out caffeine from their pregnancy diet, but in the first and second trimesters -- when many women get headaches -- an iced coffee can make them feel so much better. (Caffeine is one of the active ingredients in many headache medications.)
I had an aversion to coffee in the first trimester of my pregnancies, but then I went back to drinking coffee. When I was pregnant, a patient of mine once saw me at Starbucks. She was so excited to see me and said, “If you drink it, I can too!”
People like rigid guidelines. Avoid alcohol, don’t smoke, don’t use drugs. But you really can enjoy most other things, including coffee, in moderation.
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