Not drinking enough water... Is that really bad for baby??

[mizzywizzy]

It's winter in Australia and drinking water has become a challenge! I probably drink about 3 glasses a day on average although I know you should be drinking up to 8. Am I really hurting baby by not drinking enough?

 

[anita665]

You won't be hurting baby. If you were that dehydrated you would feel very thirsty and have bad headaches all the time. Also your urine would be very dark and strong.

I lots a lot of blood after my first labour which makes you feel very dehydrated. I had a dry mouth and was soooo thirsty all the time until my fluid levels were back to normal.

If you're just not drinking quite enough it's more you who will suffer than baby by feeling a bit rough.

It isn't just water you have to drink anyway. All fluid including fluid in food counts towards your daily total.

 

[hwills41]

I wouldn't say you would hurt the baby at this point, but as you get a bit farther along you should really concentrate on drinking at least the recommended amount of water each day. Your amniotic fluid depends on that, and for some people, like me... I needed to drink a LOT of water so I could keep my levels up.

 

[sevenofnine]

If you're having trouble drinking water, just make sure to add fluids in somewhere. Eat fruits that have high water content (watermelon, honeydew, etc.) and drink some milk in addition. Getting it from other sources is better than not enough all-together!

 

[Tashadb]

Are you drinking any other liquids besides water? Juices, milks and fruits can make up the difference if you find drinking pure water difficult. I find drinking small bottles of water easier since they are so little. I'll drink 6 in a row without realizing it.

 

[TaraMum]

If you don't get enough fluids then this can make your uterus irritable and in some cases increasing the risk preterm labour. Check your wee, it should be nearly colourless or a very pale straw colour, any darker than that and you're already dehydrated, you don't necessarily need to have the more extreme symptoms of dehydration like headaches etc to actually be dehydrated in pregnancy. I have lots of water in small glasses (even though I struggle drinking it!) fruit smoothies, cucumber in sandwiches, hot chocolate (as I don't like milk) but I only have 3 cups of decaffeinated tea a day as caffeine in tea as well as coffee can dehydrate you even more. Ice lollies are also good if you like those. But hwills41 is right, in order to keep the amniotic fluid replenished properly you really need more than 3 glasses a day. Good luck x

 

[Mamabean4ever]

If I don't drink enough water my body lets me know right away. I get tired so easy, dizzy, yeast infections....it's not pretty lol... I make sure to try and drink at least 40 ounces a day. I know we're supposed to be drinking at least 64 ounces but I find that very hard to do. I have a 20 ounce water bottle and make sure to drink 2 of them and it seems to help not having to count every 8 ounces.

 

[Beccaboop]

Ive never drank much water for some reason i dont really get thirsty i normally drink 3 or 4 glasses a day but im not dehydrated my pee is fine and i dont have any other symptoms! Obviously on a hot day i drink more but its probably still not enough!

The only problem i have is when im sick as i have hyperemesis and some days im sick up to 20 times a day and it doesnt take me long to get dehydrated them cos i cant keep water down and i dont have much water in my system to start with!!

I dont think i could drink 8 glasses a day even if i tried!!

 

[AmesLouise]

I am soooo bad about consuming water throughout the day. I would be lucky to get 10 oz! I force myself to drink it at all meals and sip on it throughout the day. Your baby won't suffer unless you are extremely dehydrated- its you that will suffer. I have gotten the headaches and it takes about 24 hours for it to go away after finally realizing I need WATER!!!

 

[zombiedaisy]

I remember when I was pregnant with my daughter, my MW told me dehydration can do some weird things to you if your not getting enough while pregnant. It wont necessarily hurt the baby, but she told me it can make you feel more short of breath, cause you to have contractions, things like that.

I also have a hard time. I try to drink as much water and add gatorade to the mix to get as much as I need. If I dont get enough in a day, I'll know because I get horrible headaches.

 

[DaisyAnne]

I'd definitely recommend trying to drink more water if you can. I honestly have no idea how it affects baby, but I can tell you water has made all the difference for me! I feel much better all around- morning sickness, headaches, kidney stone prevention in my case, healthier, leg cramps, etc., etc. I wasn't drinking enough before I got pregnant and during the first 4 months, then I had a kidney stone so I was very focused on drinking plenty of water. I can tell you the days I feel the most sick or just 'blah' are when I haven't been drinking as much water...it really proves to me how much it impacts my body.

Also, I find if I stick to mainly water during the day, I drink more overall. If I have soda, tea, coffee, juice, etc., I tend to want fewer glasses of liquid in general all day. My doctor told me that if I have problems drinking water, then to try and fill the glass all the way up with ice and drink it ice cold. I also used a straw so I would drink it more slowly than taking gulps- that was the only way I could really drink water for a long time. Once I did, I felt a world of difference. I am team H2O, haha

 

[britneybabyy]

A way that helps me drink water is a saying that a midwife told me.... she said give ur kidneys a birthday by drinking lots of water and also create a waterfall for them...as thats what happens when u drink lots ur kidneys will lovvve u for it xx