Pregnancy Dehydration
Dehydration isn’t a big worry for most pregnant women, but for some women, it can become quite dangerous. Dehydration for anyone can cause weakness and sickness, but during pregnancy, it can also cause harm to your unborn baby or a spontaneous miscarriage.
Most of the time, dehydration during pregnancy occurs in the first trimester while the mother-to-be is dealing with morning sickness. When a woman experiences nausea and is unable to keep much of anything she eats down, including water, becoming dehydrated is very easy to do. Vomitting can deprive the body of the fluids and vitamins that it needs in order to stay healthy and to keep the baby hydrated.
Pregnant women will often end up in the hospital, and may need to be hooked up to an IV in order to be rehydrated when they are severely sick. A hospital stay can sometimes run to several days while the doctors try to get her vomiting under control. The biggest fear at this point is there not being enough amniotic fluid for the baby to grow in. Without enough amniotic fluid your baby could have deformities of the feet, legs and arms.
Later in pregnancy, during the second or third trimester, if a woman becomes dehydrated either from being sick, being too active and not drinking enough water, or during the summer months when it is very hot, it can cause different kinds of problems for both the mom-to-be and the baby. Dehydration often leads to premature labor as your uterus will start contracting. If you think this might be the case, try drinking at least two big glasses of water and laying down to rest to see if the contractions stop. Call your doctor or midwife as well to see what they suggest.
It is just as important to drink your eight glasses of water a day while pregnant as it is when you are not pregnant. Not only do you need to do it for your health, but you must do it for the health of your unborn baby as well.
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