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Expert Q&A:
What are the risks, to me and my baby, of drinking soda when I'm pregnant?

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Margaret Freda
Answered by Margaret Freda Ed.D., R.N., C.H.E.S., F.A.A.N.
"I've been a professional nurse working with pregnant women and parenting families since 1966," says Margaret Comerford Freda. "Pregnant women and parents need to know as much as possible about their own health and that of their children."

Margaret Comerford Freda, Ed.D., R.N., C.H.E.S., F.A.A.N., is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics &; Gynecology and Women's Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, and also serves as Director of Patient Education Programs for that department. Since 1993, Dr. Freda has been the Consultant for Nursing at the National March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation and the Chair of the National March of Dimes Nurse Advisory Council. In addition, Dr. Freda serves as the editor of MCN, The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing.

Dr. Freda received her Master's Degree in Nursing from New York University and her doctorate in Health Education from Columbia University. She has worked in women's health for her entire professional career. Dr. Freda has published 50 research articles in professional journals, and is a frequently invited speaker at nursing and medical conferences. She has written two books: Perinatal Patient Education, published by Lippincott Williams &; Wilkins, and Miscarriage After Infertility, published by Fairview Press, written with her daughter Carrie Semelsberger, who is also a nurse.

Dr. Freda has received several noteworthy awards, such as the Distinguished Professional Service Award and the First National Award for Excellence in Nursing Research from the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), the Woman of Distinction Award and the Maternal Child Nurse of the Year Award from the March of Dimes, the Patient Care Award for Excellence in Patient Education from the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Research Recognition Award from Molloy College, and several Outstanding Research Paper awards at national conferences. She serves on the Scientific Advisory Council for the March of Dimes, and was selected to serve on the Select Panel of the Centers for Disease Control to advise on prenatal health. Dr. Freda has developed patient education booklets and videotapes that are now distributed nationally.

Dr. Freda has been married for four decades. She has two daughters, two sons-in-law, three grandsons, and a granddaughter.
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Question


What are the risks, to me and my baby, of drinking soda when I'm pregnant?

Answer


Fluid intake is important during pregnancy, and pregnant women should drink about 8 glasses of fluid daily. Water is the best fluid to drink, for it gets right to work in your body lubricating every part of you. Sufficient water intake can keep you from becoming constipated, keep your skin from being too dry, and flush toxins and waste products from your body efficiently.

Soda doesn't need to be totally eliminated from your diet during pregnancy, but soda has some qualities that aren't so good in pregnancy. Regular soda is filled with sugar and empty calories —those are always a problem in pregnancy. Diet soda is filled with aspartame or other artificial sweeteners, and it's not a good idea to overload on those in pregnancy either. Some clinicians are worried about the calcium depletion that is possible with the ingestion of a lot of phosphate, as is found in soda. Also, many sodas contain caffeine, which should be ingested very sparingly (if at all) during pregnancy. There are no studies showing that artificial sweeteners harm fetuses, but just as you avoid other substances during pregnancy, these additives shouldn't be a routine part of your diet in pregnancy either, just to be safe. So, if you absolutely love soda, having an occasional one isn't going to hurt you, but you're far better off drinking water and fruit juices during pregnancy.

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Member comments
fruit juices
I drink a lot of soda because thats pretty much all i have at work unless i buy juice which i dont h..

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