There may be one simple solution for many of the weird questions in pregnancy, such as, “Am I in labor? “Do I need to call my doctor or consult Dr. Google?” Water could be your simple solution! I’ll also include how much water is enough and what to do if you don’t like drinking water. To skip reading and jump to the video, click here.
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1. Preventing Preterm Labor
The uterus is so cool. It’s this huge organ that grows and grows and grows with a baby inside all during pregnancy, and then at the end, it has contractions to get the baby out. So the muscles around it, or the uterine muscle, tightens, causing contraction, which open the cervix and smoosh baby into the pelvis.
Before the end of pregnancy, we want the uterus to be quiet and not contract and not tighten. If it’s dehydrated, however, it becomes irritable. When I become irritable, I’m grumpy, I’m tense, I lash out at people pretty quickly. I’m not fun to be around.
Related: How to Prevent Tearing in Labor
Same as a uterus. It gets crampy and starts hurting and contracting, even though it’s not really time. With time, it can pull up that cervix and dilate the cervix, causing preterm labor. We do not want that, so we have to keep the uterus happy and hydrated with water. This is how I stayed hydrated, and felt cute, while pregnant 🙂
Think of an athlete and how they use their muscles to perform their best. They eat well, lots of proteins, electrolytes, fluids, fuel for their muscles. They don’t restrict their fluid due to having to pee often and then expect their muscles to perform at their peak.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Taking Control of Your Childbirth is a 5-star rated online class and a great way to learn more about baby-having parts and what to expect in labor!
2. Getting Sick While Pregnant
Number two, the common cold. Water can help boost our immune system, and the crazy part about pregnancy is mama is supporting two immune systems. We want that communication in the placenta between mom and baby to be efficient and healthy. No germ-passing, please! So, if the pregnant person stays hydrated,communication with baby is efficient and can help prevent mom and baby from getting sick.
This bottle helps remind you to drink throughout the day!
3. How to Combat Nausea
Number three, nausea and vomiting. Dehydration can cause nausea and vomiting if
it’s severe. There are a lot of reasons why pregnant people become nauseous, and not all of them are preventable, unfortunately. BUT, if the vomiting causes dehydration, then it’s this vicious cycle of nausea, vomiting, dehydration, and because she’s dehydrated, it’s really hard to catch up and prevent that nausea and prevent that vomiting and get out of dehydration. So being very aware of your hydration, very aware of your water intake, will help prevent that vicious cycle.
If heartburn is your current battle, citrus-infused water might make it worse. Ice water might soothe the burn, and berries or cucumber can replace that lemon slice.
4. Not Feeling the Baby Move As Much
If your baby isn’t moving as much, that can be a sign that she’s not getting enough oxygen and nutrients, which pass through the placenta. So in order to increase those nutrients and that oxygen, we need to keep the pregnant person hydrated to keep that communication going through the placenta between mom and baby.
5. Low Amniotic Fluid
Number five, low amniotic fluid. The amniotic fluid is that water that surrounds the baby, and low fluid can be indicative of a baby in distress. So, we wanna keep that fluid up, and there are studies that show that mom’s hydration can increase amniotic fluid levels. Yay! Well, that’s easy.
6. UTI
Number six, bladder infections. These are painful complications of pregnancy, and preggo people are at risk. Staying hydrated keeps that urine flowing through the kidneys, through the bladder, and out to decrease the risk for a urinary tract infection (UTI).
7. Constipation in Pregnancy
Number seven, constipation. Oh, constipation. There are so many reasons why pregnant people can get constipated. Our prenatal vitamins have iron in them which can cause constipation. Anti-nausea medications can cause constipation. Everything shifts around when you’re pregnant, which really messes up your gut, and an unhappy GI tract doesn’t work super efficiently. Ya get backed up. Increasing water intake can help prevent and treat constipation.
8. Dizziness in Pregnancy
And finally number eight, dizziness and lightheadedness. A lot of things can cause dizziness and lightheadedness in pregnancy – it’s not always dehydration. Staying hydrated can definitely help if it is from not enough fluids or low blood pressure.
Pregnancy is supposed to be magical, but your body goes through so many changes that it’s difficult to know what’s normal pregnancy and what’s a real problem. Staying hydrated, drinking enough water, can help your body stay healthy and ready for all of the changes of pregnancy so that it’s easier for you to tell if there’s a problem, “Do I need to call my doctor, or is this just normal part of pregnancy?”
The Triage Conundrum
When I’m the triage nurse, everyone in the bay gets a big jug of water. Of course, this is not going stop real labor, but a lot of times, water can help solve a lot of these problems and just help make you feel better. So save time, save money, save your health and stay out of the hospital if you don’t need to be there. There are sick people in the hospital, for crying out loud! Staying hydrated may prevent some of these common pregnancy complications – and who’s got time for extra stress?! NOPE
How Much Water Do I Need in Pregnancy?
Okay, how much water do you need to drink in pregnancy? Well, it’s recommended that you have about 10 eight-ounce glasses of water a day. That’s 2-3 liters. Some say even more, like 3-4 liters. A day. Each day. Every day.
Yeah, that can be a lot. 
I recommend getting your favorite water bottle, looking on the bottom to figure out how many ounces or milliliters it can hold, and then doing a little math on your phone to figure out how many of those you’re going to need throughout the day.
Then, start early! My goal: drink half of my daily water before noon (my goal is 4L), then I’m relaxed about the rest and less likely to be up all night peeing.
Insider tip: Oh, you don’t like water? That’s okay. Try adding berries, your favorite citrus, like lime, lemon, orange, grapefruit, even herbs! I’ve heard of people putting basil, mint, cilantro in combination with berries or limes, into their water. There are a lot of different combinations you can try, then just let it sit in your water. I like to use an infuser in my fridge, because ultimately my family wants to join the fun 🙂
It makes it taste really good and it’s good for you. The fruit has antioxidants in it. Ice cold water can be easier to drink for pregnant people, and drinking it through a straw or try sparkling water, if you can’t keep just plain water down.
Let me know in the comments your fav way to get your 2-3 liters so we can try your recipe or water hack!
Click on the video below for more juiciness! 👇
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