Why You Need to Stay Hydrated During Pregnancy!
Elitia Barnes Staying hydrated is especially important during pregnancy to ensure the safety and development of your baby. Throughout pregnancy, your body relies on water to help produce amniotic fluid and transport vital vitamins, minerals and hormones throughout the body and to the placenta.
During pregnancy, drinking enough water is key in helping prevent bladder and kidney infections, digestive issues and constipation. Water helps flush out toxins and maintain healthy kidney function.
Are you feeling extra sweaty? When there’s a baby in the oven, women produce up to 50% more blood! All that extra blood can cause our internal temperature to rise - especially during the third trimester when our metabolism slows down. Drinking water helps to cool you down, so you feel less like an oven.
That’s not all! If your hands and ankles are swelling (“edema”), staying hydrated can help by flushing out any excess sodium!
How much water should you drink while expecting? Every pregnancy is different, so always check with your practitioner to see what’s best for your body. A common rule of thumb is to drink 8 to 10, 8-ounce glasses of water per day. It’s important to listen to your body. Remember, don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink water. Feeling thirsty is actually the first sign of dehydration.
Drinking that much water can seem daunting, so find fun ways to stay hydrated! If you’re having a fall baby, then maybe make some hydrating mint, lime and cucumber popsicles! Or if you and your growing baby are hibernating during the winter months, herbal teas are a cozy way to stay hydrated.
Now that you’re drinking water for two, it’s essential to make sure the water in your home is safe and clean. Most cities in the United States use chlorine and chloramines to kill off any harmful bacteria in our tap water. Unfortunately, chlorine and chloramines aren’t so great for our bodies. Not only can these chemicals make our water taste bad, they also dry out our skin and hair. This can be especially irritating for babies and young children with sensitive skin. To avoid giving your newborn a bath in chlorinated tap water, you can install a whole house water filter. A whole house water system filters out the harsh chemicals and contaminants, ensuring you and your family have clean, safe water for drinking, cooking and bathing!
