This is obviously a typical question. But I was after more detail on this as it seems to be very broad. I would like to know how many mm of fluid we should be drinking. I am only small and therefore only have a small bladder. But I have been trying to increase my fluid intake since becoming pregnant mainly because of constipation. Before being pregnant I could drink at most 750mm a day and be happy with that some days less. I have always needed to go to the loo a lot, so increasing my fluids has meant even more trips which gets hard when I need to travel a bit for work. My other question is, Is any of this fluid that I am drinking actually helping because it feels as soon as I drink I pee it out almost straight away. It goes straight through me. Am I actually absorbing any of it?
Not sure what the golden rule is but I drink 2 - 2.5L water a day plus 2 glasses of milk or a milkshake (one am & one pm) and a glass of orange & grapefruit juice (fresh squeezed).
I do a desk job so it's easy for me to sip on water all day.
I think most nutritionist/dieticians recommend at least 2 litres per day when not pregnant but the amount you actually need probably does depend on your size.
I have found that I am drinking a lot more - like heaps - and more healthy stuff (no coffee and now I'm even going off tea too ). I go by the colour of my urine. It's not really possible to drink too much water. You would be absorbing it because most of our bodies are actually water and we need a lot more fluid to make a baby - extra blood, cells, amniotic fluid, mucus etc etc. It just feels like it's going straight through you but its really just that your bladder is getting full. Most people have the urge to wee when their bladder gets to about 250-500ml but it can actually hold a couple of litres. Of course, everyone is different in this area too. Sorry, guess there are no definites! HTH.
The midwives at my antenatal classes said you need to drink between 2 & 3 litres of fluid a day. Which I struggle with, as like you I never drank a lot of fluid before hand.
The best things I have found to get more fluid are:
Having juice with breakfast
Straight after breakfast, having a hot chocolate (the ones you just add water) with metamucil in it
Having a bowl of fruit on the table to snack on
Having a cup of soup as a snack (either by itself or with something)
Having a bottle of water or weak cordial on the bench & have some every time you walk past
Icey-poles, tinned fruit or jelly
Always having a drink with a meal or a snack
Keeping a bottle of water by the bed for in the middle of the night
Hi Puppies
The amount of water you need depends greatly on your lifestyle so without knowing a lot more about you I can only make a general suggestion. The amount of water you absorb is only part of the total requirements. The water you absorb will keep all your cells and organs working however, you also need water to transport oxygen and nutrients around your body. You also need water to wash all of the poisons out of your body. Water is also needed to regulate your temperature. It is recommended that all pregnant women should drink at the very least 2 litres each day. If you have an active lifestyle then you should be drinking about 3 litres a day.
I can't answer you question entirely but I do know that water consumption is seasonal. You need to drink more in summer than winter. I know this sounds obvious but many people abide by blanket rules that really are not useful eg "you should drink 8 glasses of water a day". Consider your biology. Your body needs more water when it sweats, when you are physical (exercising, doing lots of walking) when it is sick. Your body needs water to do almost every metabolic activity. Pregnancy speeds up your metabolism so you would need a bit more when pregnant when not pregnant.
Sometimes people get confused when they get oedema (puffiness that is related to water retention) they think that because they are retaining water they should cut down on their water intake... the exact opposite is true... if you are puffy then your body would benefit from drinking MORE water to re-establish a better balance. I know this is not your problem... you're not puffy are you? (ankles and fingers are good areas to check).
Check the colour of your wee. If it is dark then you need to drink more. Ideally it should be a very pale yellow.
Are you thirsty? if you are constantly thirsty it could be a sign of diabetes. Mention it to your doctor.
750ml is a reasonable amount to aim for but I'd try for more. I wouldn't say that is too much for a pregnant woman... a litre should be do-able for most people. (Eta: thanks Alan... I agree, more is better)
There is a good thread about water consumption called "The water Drinking Challenge" it's a sticky in the general health section.
If you consume caffeine in tea/coffee/cola then it will speed up your system and tend to make fluids pass through a lot more quickly.
Thanks so much for your advice. I am also a desk worker. I try to drink my 750ml drink bottle by lunch time and tend to avoid drinking after 2pm as I have to sit in heavy traffic most of the way home. I try and catch up when I get home by drinking another 750 of my drink bottle. But this tends to make me need to pee a couple of times a night. That is only 1.5 litres a day and not enough by standards. I will try today to finish my first 750ml by lunch time. I am almost done now. And I will do my best to drink another 750ml bottle after lunch but before 2pm. And I will try and drink another one when I get home. I am not sure how this will go though. The constant peeing thing is so frustrating. I do not suffer with puffiness although I used to. Come summer though I do get puffy.
But how much of this fluid is actually staying in my body if I am constantly peeing it out?
Hi Puppies
There is no practical way of knowing how much fluid is staying in your body. You can get an estimate by weighing yourself just before you have something to eat or drink then every time you go to the toilet. Another way would be to measure the amount of urine you pass however neither of these methods are very accurate. Providing you are a normal healthy woman then there is no real need to try to estimate the amount of fluid that you retain, your body will take care of this for you.
Thanks guys. I think the main thing that worries me is the full bladder. I have never been able to hold on for very long. Its not that I pee myself if I hold on too long, its more that I find it so painful and my muscles cramp up so much that I struggle to then be able to pee at all. Then I end up with bladder infections. This has been a problem for me since I was a little kid.
My DH says I am going to have to learn to toughen up and learn to hold on. I am worried about my 18 week scan as they said I need to have a fuller bladder than I did for my 12 week scan. I am wondering if you can train your bladder to hold for longer? If so how do you do this without causing bladder infections?
Ok just finished my first 750ml bottle and about to make my second! I mix lemon cordial with it, cause I really hate drinking water by itself.
I've always been a big water drinker, ever since i can remember i drink at least 3 litres a day.. and being pregnant i drank that maybe a little bit more some days.
how much water should we be drinking?
Reply With Quote
). I go by the colour of my urine. It's not really possible to drink too much water. You would be absorbing it because most of our bodies are actually water and we need a lot more fluid to make a baby - extra blood, cells, amniotic fluid, mucus etc etc. It just feels like it's going straight through you but its really just that your bladder is getting full. Most people have the urge to wee when their bladder gets to about 250-500ml but it can actually hold a couple of litres. Of course, everyone is different in this area too. Sorry, guess there are no definites! HTH.
Bookmarks