Caffeine

Should I avoid and/or limit it? Yes. It's wise to cut down or eliminate caffeine intake. Studies indicate that caffeine consumption of more than 150 milligrams a day (about 1 1/2 cups of coffee) puts the pregnancy at higher risk. Less than that amount is probably safe.

What are the risks to my baby? High caffeine consumption has been linked to an increased risk of miscarriage.

What can I do about it? If you're having a hard time cutting out 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.
And remember that caffeine is not limited to coffee. Green and black tea, cola, and other soft drinks contain caffeine. Try switching to decaffeinated products (which may still have some caffeine, but in much smaller amounts) or caffeine-free alternatives.

If you're wondering whether chocolate, which also contains caffeine, is a concern, the good news is that you can have some of the scrumptious treat in moderation. Whereas a cup of brewed coffee has 95-135 milligrams of caffeine, the average chocolate bar has between 5-30 milligrams. So, small amounts of chocolate are fine.