How Hydration During Pregnancy Can Benefit You and Your Baby

When you're pregnant, you need more water than the average person in order to form amniotic fluid, produce extra blood, build new tissue, carry nutrients, enhance digestion, and flush out wastes and toxins.

Benefits of Staying Hydrated

Especially during hot summer months, you’ll want to make sure you stay adequately hydrated. Here are just some of the benefits of staying hydrated during your pregnancy:

• Decreases constipation/hemorrhoids
• Reduces swelling
• Softens skin
• Increases energy
• Keeps you cooler
• Decreases risk of urinary tract infections
• Decreases risk of preterm labor and preterm birth

Since you need more water during pregnancy, how much is enough? It’s recommended that you drink 8-12 glasses of water a day, or 2.3 liters. If your trips to the bathroom are frequent and your urine is pale or colorless, you're drinking is on track.

If you have a hard time getting enough water every day, here are a few tips to help prevent dehydration:

1. Add fruits such as lemons, limes, and frozen raspberries to your water.
2. Avoid caffeine.
3. Increase your fruit and vegetable intake (they have water, too!).
4. Milk, juice, sparkling water, tea, and soups all count as water or fluid intake.
5. Listen to your body; drink enough fluids that you rarely feel thirsty.
6. Drink enough fluids that your urine is and colorless or light yellow.
7. Stay out of the heat. Exercise indoors or early or late in the day.
8. Increase your fluid intake when you increase your activity level.

RELATED: How Infused Water Can Help You Stay Hydrated

Dehydration during pregnancy can result in mild symptoms to serious complications.

Signs of dehydration

• Maternal overheating
• Headaches/sluggishness
• Dark or concentrated urine

Serious Complications

• Low amniotic fluid
• Kidney stones
• Swelling
• Birth defects
• Urinary tract infections, which can lead to preterm labor and preterm birth.

In addition to the many benefits of staying adequately hydrated during your pregnancy, it’s also essential to the health of your baby. Talk to your provider if you have any questions.