Some women like drinking soda and hold it as a habit which they can’t stop easily; some of the women can extend this habit even when they are pregnant. A Gallup poll in the year 2012 revealed that about 48 percent of Americans consume around one to two soda each day. Some of the pregnant women wonder "can i drink coke while pregnantit" and if it can have an effect on their developing baby in the womb. Some may tend to think that it has adverse effects because of its hyperactivity, but the truth of the matter is that the soda might not have the adverse effects but the caffeine contained in the soda could pose as an issue.

Can I Drink Coke While Pregnant?

It’s safe to drink coke during pregnancy; however, in moderate amounts. Regular use of soda provides the so called empty calories without any other nutrients. When you are pregnant you will want to make every calorie count in your diet. You should not let soda substitute the nutritious drinks and foods that you can consume. In addition, you should consider the recommended caffeine intake of no more than 200 mg per day during pregnancy. A soda contains about 35 to 55 mg of caffeine, so it could be wise to limit the intake accordingly, considering that you may get significant amount of caffeine from the other foods you consume daily such as tea, coffee and energy drinks.

Harms and Risks of Excessive Coke

Dangers of Caffeine

Most of the soft drinks i.e. colas will contain caffeine. This caffeine crosses the placenta getting to the fetus very easily. If taken in small doses, it cannot have adverse effects on your baby. However, large doses of caffeine will reduce the blood supply to your developing baby, affecting their growth. It will also increase the possibility for miscarriage. In addition, caffeine is a diuretic and makes your body loose water. When you choose to take the caffeinated beverages, ensure you also add the nutritious drinks e.g. milk and fresh fruit juices in your diet. It’s also important to know that excess caffeine may affect your sleep especially at night.

Dangers of Artificial Sweeteners and Preservatives

Artificial flavouring and preservatives exist in most of the soft drinks, even the diet soda, which may have some significant amount of artificial sweeteners. Massive amounts of these substances i.e. preservative, sugar substitutes, artificial flavour and colors are not suitable for any pregnant woman.

You may see several types of artificial sweeteners especially on the labels of most soft drinks. Some of these artificial sweeteners include:

• Aspartame (NutraSweet). It is safe if consumed in moderation. For instance the amount found in 12-ounce servings of soda per day could be fine.
• Sucralose (Splenda). This is actually modified regular table sugar, it’s new and there is not much study done on it and that’s why it appears to be safe to use.
• Saccharin (Sweet and Low). In a research which was conducted on rats, it was found that the substance in the sweetener caused some birth defects if taken in high amounts. However, it’s not yet proven safe if taken in small amounts, so it’s good to avoid it completely.

Alternative Drinks

Mentioned below are some of the drinks that can replace the caffeinated beverages and drinks.

• Fresh fruit juice
• Nimbu pani
• Lassi
• Aam pani
• Coconut water

The Bottom Line

To sum up all these, drinking soda during pregnancy might not be a good idea for you. According to the experts, drinking an occasional soda may not be that risky. If you can’t cope up with the habit of drinking soda often, you can reduce or minimize the amount gradually. Watch the amount of caffeine and artificial sweeteners in it.

Caffeine Content in Common Foods and Drinks

The amount of caffeine in particular amount of a beverage is mentioned below: