Drinking more water is always a great idea, but especially important during pregnancy. That's because your blood volume is increasing drastically, meaning you need more water to stay properly hydrated than you did pre-pregnancy. Which makes sense, right?
Benefits of Drinking More Water During Pregnancy
Staying hydrated by drinking more water during pregnancy is really just better for overall bodily function. You're more likely to feel and look your best if you're drinking enough water throughout the day.- Lower risk of UTIs and kidney or bladder infection by diluting urine
- Decreased risk of constipation and hemorrhoids
- Prevents preterm labor
- Better delivery of nutrients to your baby
- Lowers risk of overheating
- Helps with headaches and fatigue
How Much Water Should Pregnant Women Drink?
A lot more. According to the American Pregnancy Association,"When you’re pregnant you need more water than the average person, at least 8-12 glasses a day."
Note that If you're breastfeeding, you'll need to increase drinking water even more.
8 Tips to increase water intake during pregnancy
Use these simple tips and tricks to consistently drink more water during pregnancy - and to have a much easier pregnancy in general.
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Put your water in something cute.
Buying a new bottle can be just the kick in the butt you need to up your water intake. You'll want to bring it everywhere! Just like that cool new yoga mat that gets you to class, or the adorable planner that makes you WANT to plan your day and helps you stay organized.
Hydro Cell Stainless Steel Water Bottle w/ Straw & Wide Mouth Lid, 24 oz.
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Use a Smart bottle.
These high-tech bottles, like the Icewater's Smart Water Bottle, have reminders that often sync with your smart-phone or glows to gently nudge you to take another sip.
3-in-1 Smart Water Bottle
Glows to Remind You to Stay Hydrated
Play Music 20 oz. -
Infuse flavors with fruit.
An old but good tip - using flavors like lime, lemon, or berries to give your taste buds some excitement. If you're not used to drinking so much plain water infusing water helps..
Opard 32oz Sports Water Bottle with Motivational Time Marker to Drink, Reusable BPA Free
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Set reminders on your phone.
It will probably seem annoying at first, but pretty soon won't even need reminders to drink more water. The Google Calendar app has a great built-in reminder feature that will make this super easy.
This video explains how to set a reminder on Android. Plan to drink a few ounces at least every 20 or 30 minutes. -
Make a DIY water bottle.
You know the bottles with tick marks that symbolize how much water you should have consumed by a certain time of day? They're super easy to DIY.
Personalize your water bottle with your babies, spouse, delivery date to keep you inspired.
Not into making your own bottle? They have super cute pre-made ones on Etsy.
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Use meals as a built-in reminder.
This one is very easy! Every time you sit down to a meal, drink or chug at least one 8 ounce glass of water.
This technique is referred to habit stacking. According to esquire stacking is grouping related smaller activities such as drinking water at meal time into an existing routine. "This makes the routine memorable and anchors your new habits to an existing trigger"
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Use an app to track your intake.
Make it even easier to track how much water you've consumed with the help of a free fitness app like Daily Water Free, MyPlate, or FitBit.
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Eat water-rich foods
Adding fruits and vegetables to your diet is a sneaky but tasty way to get more water every day. Foods with a high water content include:
- Cucumber
- Watermelon
- Zucchini
- Grapefruit
- Lettuce
- Celery,
- Strawberries
Related Stories: 17 Ways You Should Eat Your Watermelon This Summer
Conclusion
Drinking more water is essential for a healthy pregnancy and you'll need to drink much than you normally do during pregnancy. These 8 steps will help you consume more.
Now that you're drinking more water, let's work on quitting coffee