Drank Pepsi max in week 4

[Chakubaa]

Hi. I’m 17dpo. Getting positive tests since few days & since day before getting really strong lines.

yesterday went to Pizza Hut to celebrate a few things. I stupidly drank a few sips of Pepsi max from my husbands glass. May be totalling to half a glass or less.

woke up in middle of night with weird stretching sensations in stomach. And read about not drinking diet sodas at all in pregnancy.

im now worried that I have destroyed everything.

did anyone drink diet soda in early pregnancy & went on to have safe pregnancy?

FWIW I drank pepsi max when I was pregnant. DD is now a very healthy, happy, chatty 2 and a half year old!

Ice cold Diet Coke was my craving. It’s never tasted as delicious as during pregnancy.

I knew I’d accidentally fallen pregnant with my second when I realised I wanted Diet Coke all the time as I don’t usually drink it.

What do you think is in a few sips of Pepsi Max that you think has caused your or your baby harm OP? Have you read the ingredients, and can you be more specific?

Do you have any support with your anxiety?

I would think that nearly every pregnant mum has done this . I totally understand how anxious you are about your pregnancy but please don’t worry about this . Your anxiety & worrying will be far worse for baby than a few sips of coke . I’m sure your midwife can give you more reliable information on what you can / can’t eat and drink .

I drank pepsi max throughout my whole pregnancy.

As kindly as possible....stick to reading what you can and cant have in pregnancy on the NHS website or speak to your midwife. Ignore all other sources of information. There is so much out there that is untrue or just plain wrong.

The only thing in diet sodas to be careful of is the ones that contain caffeine. You need to watch your caffeine intake.

Obvs caffeine free would be preferable other than that it will make no difference to your pregnancy.I am a midwife of 31 years.
Relax and enjoy this time.You can refer to the NHS guidance on eating and drinking in pregnancy.

I never really drank coke before I got pregnant but it became one of my cravings. I limited myself to 1 can a day due to caffeine but I had an easy, straightforward pregnancy and a healthy DS who is now 9.

Yeah ignore that. It's the caffeine to be wary of but I drank Pepsi max every day I just kept it to one glass.

I say this with kindness as someone who nearly destroyed themselves with anxiety during my first pregnancy in particular: you need to nip this kind of thinking in the bud.

I have never heard of diet pop being bad in pregnancy outside of the caffeine content if you drink loads of it, and even then that's a small risk of a low birth weight and nothing overly serious.

You're going to have a very long 9 months if you let this kind of worry consume you so please try and remember that babies are born healthy all the time to women who don't know they're pregnant, women who smoke, women who have to take different medication etc during pregnancy. The guidance is there to help you make informed and sensible decisions. It's absolutely not a case of 'do this / don't do this or you'll miscarry'. I found it very hard to see the grey area in my pregnancy and assumed not following guidance meant that my baby would 100% be harmed and that's just not true at all.

With my second I didn't know I was pregnant, and I'd been out drinking alot over the Christmas period. She turned out absolutely fine. I think you're absolutely fine, don't worry too much.

When I had HG with my first all I drank was flat Diet Coke

If you live in the UK then refer to the NHS advice (PP have kindly linked for you already) and nowhere else. By googling random stuff you end up with incorrect nonsense like the idea that you can’t have pepsi max and also advice that applies to other countries with very different food standards, most commonly the US. If more generally you’re feeling like you’re struggling with anxiety then talk to your midwife- it’s quite common during pregnancy and there is help available. Otherwise crack and if you fancy a pepsi max it’s ok to have one, or even 2! I had a coffee every morning and a diet coke with lunch throughout both of my pregnancies.

This is going to be a long pregnancy...

Hi All, thank you for your very kind and some very firm messages. Apologies for not responding earlier, I had a rough morning. I really appreciate you taking time to help with my anxiety.

as some of you suggested, I am going to speak to midwife about pregnancy anxiety. I don’t really have anxiety issues as such. But I went into spiral as I have had previous miscarriage & numerous chemical pregnancies. And my friend shared a few things she read about aspertame causing issues in fetus etc.

im usually not a soda drinker. I only drink it occassionally. And I don’t take caffeine in any other form. Drink decaff tea once or twice a week. But yesterday the food on the table felt extremely smelly & hard to swallow without a drink.

its true. Anxiety will cause more harm than a few sips of soda. I am going to relax & watch some tv. And not stress about it anymore.

I would ask your friend not to share articles tbh or " advice". She may mean well but it's not always helpful

sorry, OP, I know how hard it can be to relax into pregnancy after previous losses. The first trimester is just a major headfuck for me given my history. All you can really do is accept that what will be will be, and that very little you do besides the obvious will have any effect whatsoever. It's so natural to look for things you can control but half a glass of pop won't make a difference.

Congratulations on your pregnancy, and crossing my fingers tightly that this is a sticky one for you x

There's a lot of nonsense out there about artificial sweeteners, OP. It is nonsense. They are safe.

Thank you for understanding. Yes, it’s very hard with previous losses.

That's nonsense. Try not to worry so much for both you and the baby.

It's absolutely fine. Many people drink soda all the way through pregnancy. It's just about watching your caffeine intake. But you can still have it.

I did and both babies were fine. Don’t worry honestly.

I wouldn’t worry about a few sips. I spent about 95% of pregnancy with nausea and vomiting and Pepsi max really saved my sanity. Didn’t drink fizzy drinks prior, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do to survive. Take a deep breath and don’t loose your ability to see what’s a big problem, a small problem or something to just be aware of. Congratulations on your positive test!

Seriously?
I drank Monster/Redull, full fat cola and Pepsi max pretty much every day in both my pregnancies, both pregnancies went perfectly and my kids are fine.

Use your common sense OP and stop being ridiculous. Get your anxiety treated before it gets worse and actually could cause harm to your pregnancy or child. If your mental health is this fragile, is having a baby really a good idea?

Don't be daft.

It sounds like you need some support with your anxiety as the pregnancy hormones may be messing with your brain to the point that you're worrying about ridiculous things like this.

Contact your local perinatal mental health team today.