Stevia and Asparatame ok during pregnancy?

Since I've been pregnant, I have been drinking at least 8 oz of Trop 50 orange juice at least 4-5 times a week and it has Purevia (from the stevia plant) brand sweetner in it.  I LOVE the stuff and that I found a lower sugar OJ that tastes so good, since I have really missed not having regular OJ since my RNY.   I just found this stuff like 2 months ago and can't believe I went so long without it, it's so good!   The orange sunrise crystal light worked for me for a while, but now it just tastes gross (bad aftertaste) and not even like OJ to me anymore.  But I figured the Stevia plant was all natural so it was ok during pg, but now I'm wondering if it really is ok.

And I'm eating things several times during the week that have asparatame in them and figured that's ok because I've seen several women on here say that their doc says it's ok during pregnancy.   Like I love sf popsicles and have one at least 4 times a week in the evening after the kids go to bed.   And I bought some NSA hot chocolate and love drinking it right now to warm up when it's so cold and have that at least twice a week.   Stuff like that, is it ok do you think? 

I had an anatomy scan of the baby at 20 wks and they looked at the brain and everything and said everything is developing normally, so I figure it's ok.   I mean it's not like I'm smoking or drinking and doing bad stuff like that, it's just artificial sweetners!   What do you all think?

my doc told me no blue or pink stuff but i could have splenda. i did ask about the stevia stuff and he said there isnt much info on it, it is natural, but to use with caustion since there has not been much said about it. i guess i am just glad to keep my splenda !!!

Granted this was a year ago...Stevia was just coming on the market full force.... but when I googled it there were mixed opinions.

Officially it's not endorsed by the American Pregnancy Association.....or it wasn't last year.  They do say Asparatame and Splenda are okay.

I drank only water my first trimester (well mostly) but after that I gave in.... I drank one Coke Zero a day and Crystal Light all the time.  And Cooper is fine so far.....

Cindy

I take the Utah "All things in moderation" stance on this type of thing- there is evidence that it is bad, there is evidence that it is fine, and so I try to not over do anything. If I go through a craving for something for a while- my first trimester it was sugar free cherry Koolaid, then I went with it. I got over it, and now am very comfy with water most of the time. I also love the Trop 50- isn't it fabulous? I do have some of that a few times a week. When evidence is so mixed, I really think it's all inconclusive, and moderation is the best option, at least for me. Do what makes you feel comfortable!

Carrie

i'm glad one of you mentioned the american pregnancy association, I went on their site and it said this about Stevia:

Stevia: This sweetener is derived from a South American shrub. It can add sweetness to foods, but has not been approved by the FDA to be sold as a sweetener. Stevia can be sold as a “dietary supplement" but not as a sweetener because its safety has been questioned when used as a food additive. The safety of Stevia is unknown when used as a sweetener by pregnant or lactating women.

I'm pretty sure I've only been drinking the Trop 50 for about 2-3 months, so after my first trimester was over.   But I'm going to try and really limit my intake of this stuff now, since they aren't sure of the effects yet for pg women.  I just love this stuff and I'd drink a whole carton in a day or two if I could.  But I usually drink a few 8 oz glasses of it a week.   And some days, I drink 16 oz of it (2 glasses), eek!  But as for my popsicles and the NSA hot chocolate, I can still have those in moderation since the APA says those are safe during pg.

Thanks!

This is just my opinion, but here goes... artificial sweeteners are bad for our body whether we're pregnant or not. Luckily, stevia is just as natural a sweetener as sugar, only calorie free. I don't do artificial sweetener, but then again I'm able to consume regular sugar at will (though I do limit it). There's still not a lot known about stevia, but IMO it's better than a chemically engineered mystery sweetener.

You can make your own hot cocoa at home with stevia. There's lots of recipes online and it's really easy. It's mostly powder cocoa, dry nonfat milk, non dairy creamer, and sugar (which you'd substitute the stevia or use regular sugar only less of it). It costs about as much as two boxes of packaged cocoa but it makes enough to last through five winters lol. You can mix up a big batch and store it in a ziploc bag, mason jar, washed out spaghetti sauce jar, etc. Anything you can seal.

I was preg last summer, and my dr said no aspartame before 12 weeks, limited after that.

She said no research has really been done with Stevia, but it is most likely safe. She had me avoid just in case.

Splenda was ok in unlimited quantities.

I read one study in my pregnancy that said in order to pass aspartame to an unborn child you would have to drink gallons of diet drinks each day, so it's more a "better safe than sorry" thing than a concrete danger.