Is beign pregnant riving you to drink? Of course it should! As a mother-to-be, it’s essential to be doubly sure that you’re drinking enough water. This is one of the questions doctors usually ask.
It then means that water performs a lot in your system during this time. Below are those basics water does.
It delivers essentials to your unborn baby
The good stuff in the prenatal vitamins and healthy foods you’re consuming every day are shipped to your fetus by water. This helps your body absorb essential nutrients into the cells and transports vitamins, minerals and hormones to the blood cells.
To that end, you’ll need more water to keep your system running for you and your unborn baby.
The American Institute of Medicine insists that pregnant women in temperate climates should aim to drink 12 or 13 glasses of water (they count a glass as eight ounces) each day, which is slightly more than the amount for non-pregnant women (around 11 glasses each day). Try to space out your sips to keep them coming steadily throughout the day rather than gulping a lot at once, which could leave you feeling uncomfortably. Since most of us don’t drink enough fluids, filling a water bottle or two every morning and keeping it handy all day takes the hassle out of hydration. Be sure to sip before, during and after you work out, or if you find yourself outside on a hot day. Note, too, that if you feel thirsty, it’s a sign that your body is already on its way to being dehydrated.
How can you tell if you’re getting enough? If your trips to the bathroom are frequent and your urine is pale or colourless, your drinking is on track.
Helps to prevent constipation and hemorrhoids
Now that you’re pregnant, you’re not just eating and drinking for two — you’re also excreting for two. You therefore will have more trash to take out of your system than ever before. Water helps to dissolve the waste products and flush them from the kidneys. Drinking enough also keeps your urine diluted, which not only keeps things flowing but also helps urine to flow and not hang out too long in your bladder and could become a breeding ground for infection-triggering bacteria, as well as bladder and kidney infections.
A copious consumption of water also helps immeasurably in the poop department to move solid wastes more speedily down the digestive path. Since constipation is common in pregnancy, its pressure can cause bleeding.
Acts as aid in fatigue, headaches, swelling and overheating
You feel hot the more when you are pregnant, so it’s ideal to drink more during pregnancy. By so doing, you can keep the body’s cooling system running smoothly — even when your inner thermostat is cranked all the way up — by dispersing excess heat in the form of sweat.
An ample flow of fluids also keeps pregnancy tiredness in check — one of the first symptoms of dehydration is exhaustion — and can also keep headaches at bay (another dehydration symptom). It also helps your body get rid of excess salt, among other things, minimising swelling — particularly edema.