Dehydration During Pregnancy: Signs and Ways to Avoid
Water is the essence of life, however, our bodies are made up of water, and during pregnancy a lot of women feel dehydrated due to the fact that they are essentially drinking and eating for two people. As Ramadan is also upon us and heat in Pakistan is always very harsh, there are a lot of ways pregnant women can avoid dehydration.
Whenever you feel dry lips, and have darker colored urine you should know these are classic signs of dehydration if left un-checked. This may cause premature labor, insufficient breast milk production (foods to boost breast-milk production), as well as in some severe cases deformities in the babies. However, your health will naturally give the baby better health. A normal adult women needs around two to two and a half liters of water per day; however, when you are pregnant, a women needs around three to four liters of water daily.
Signs of Dehydration in Pregnant Women
Some of the classic signs of dehydration which should ring alarms in your mind are; darker colored urine, feeling thirsty, dizziness, headaches in the heat, feeling extra tired or sleepy in the heat or coming out of it, dried lips, mouth and eyes. These signs should warn the mother or people around her that she is dehydrated and needs water.
Effect on the Mother
Dehydration has different effects on the body of the mother and the baby. For the mother the dehydration can cause morning sickness, and this can result in nausea. This dehydration and nausea can cause pregnant women to feel more dehydrated resulting in feeling tired and having pain in their body. If left unchecked this can cause a lot of problems the most severe being hospitalization where the mother will be given IV fluids to help resolve the problem.
Effect on the Baby
If there is not enough fluids in the body of the mother then she will not be able to supply the baby with amniotic fluid. This will definitely effect the growth of the baby, a deficiency will cause some physical deformations in the babies hands or feet.
How to Avoid Dehydration During Pregnancy
How to avoid dehydration, especially during pregnancy is a very big task, but here are some ways to avoid it.
1. Drink Lots of Fluids
A cliché solution, but something that is taken very lightly, often people do not drink water, either they do not like carrying a bottle around with them or in fact they just don’t like to drink water. Just make sure you drink anything to keep yourself hydrated, be it plain water or flavored water. Except for drinks there are also many foods to consume such as porridge, pulses and milk to make sure you stay hydrated during the heat.
2. Cutting Down on the Coffee
Well this might be a difficult task for a lot of women who need coffee after waking up and making sure they have the energy to make sure they stay active. However, the fact of the matter is that caffeine drains your body. A single cup of coffee can be okay, but never in access as it can lead to dehydration.
3. Avoid Unnecessary Exposure to the Heat
During pregnancy it is recommended by doctors that pregnant women should avoid any activities that are difficult or strenuous, this can be anything that puts a toll on the body. Also any unnecessary exposure to heat can have a very high impact on the health of the mother and the baby. Therefore, it is best to avoid both the things during the pregnancy.
