Just as important as following a healthy diet during pregnancy is to drink the right amount of liquids. The blood volume during pregnancy increases considerably and drinking enough liquids may avoid common situations as dehydration, which can cause other problems too during these months.

Avoiding dehydration

When a person loses more liquid than he or she drinks, dehydration occurs. Depending on the circumstances and your age, it can be more or less dangerous (in babies, for example, it can be very dangerous). During pregnancy, dehydration can be very dangerous and cause other problems like headaches, nausea or even contractions in the last months of pregnancy.

Among the advantages of staying hydrated during pregnancy one is to avoid the most common and unpleasant problem: constipation. What’s more, proper hydration may also prevent urinary tract infections that are common during pregnancy, as well as fluid retention in your legs.

Drinking water often can also help you avoid having an upset stomach or heartburn which the gastric juices and nausea bring on.

Symptoms of dehydration

Symptoms of dehydration may start to show up subtly and then worsen. Thirst is the best warning sign the body has to tell us we need to drink. Nevertheless you should avoid feeling thirsty by drinking enough water beforehand. Other symptoms of dehydration are a dry mouth, feeling dizzy, urinating less and dark urine.

If you are experiencing thirst and a dry mouth, in spite of drinking lots of fluids, you might have diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a common illness among Latinas and one of the symptoms is constant thirst accompanied by a dry mouth and frequent urination. This is a way for your organism to get rid of the high levels of sugar in your blood.

The best drink: water

To stay hydrated you should drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day, but during pregnancy, you should drink a little more: about 10 glasses. The best liquid to drink to stay hydrated is water. Juices also contain water that avoids dehydration, but you must take into account that they add calories to your diet, so you shouldn’t drink too many of them.

Other drinks you should consume in moderation are those that contain caffeine (tea, coffee, guarana, colas, mate) because caffeine has a diuretic effect. If you find water boring to drink, try flavored waters or better yet, add some lemon or lime juice to water to change the flavor.

Carry a water bottle with you all day and always have it handy. Drinking a bit of water regularly is easier and healthier than drinking two glasses at one go.

On the other hand, going to the bathroom very frequently is something common in pregnancy. If at night you can’t get your rest because of all the times you have to get up to go to the bathroom, try to spread out the times you drink water throughout the day so that you stop drinking water a few hours before going to bed.