I can’t function without my morning wake-me-up coffee. But now that I’m pregnant, can I still have my cup of coffee every morning?
- Dipti

Check with your doctor about caffeine intake during your pregnancy. One cup of coffee is usually OK, but it's best to not have more than that. It's hard to know exactly how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee, since it depends on factors like the brand of coffee and the size of the cup.

Studies indicate that caffeine consumption of more than 150-200 milligrams a day (about 1-2 cups of coffee) may put a pregnancy at higher risk. High caffeine consumption has been linked to an increased risk of having a low birth-weight baby or miscarriage.

If you're having a hard time cutting back on coffee cold turkey, here's how you can start:

• Cut your consumption down to one or two cups a day.
• Gradually reduce the amount by combining decaffeinated coffee with regular coffee.
• Eventually cut out the regular coffee altogether.

Reviewed by: Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MD
Date reviewed: October 2012