Hydration…how much?!

Hydration is key for health and fitness under normal circumstances, but pregnancy and breastfeeding require even more hydration. There are a variety of recommendations on how much water is needed per day, including water consumed through food, such as fruits, vegetables and soups:

• Many coaches recommend 80 ounces of water per day as a starting point.

• Baseline hydration needs are actually based on calories consumed, where 1 – 1.5 mL of water per calorie consumed is recommended (Montgomery, 2002). So a 2,000 calorie diet would be 2,000 – 3,000 mL of water, or 70 – 100 oz of water per day. If you increase calories by 300 while pregnant, that leads to an additional 300 mL, or about 10 oz.

• When breastfeeding increase to 100 – 128 ounces of water per day (National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine).

• When exercising, water consumption needs to increase, as well, by an additional 8 – 16 ounces per 30 minutes of exercise (Forsythe, Girls Gone Strong).

With all this information, it’s clear that hydration is extremely important while pregnant and breastfeeding. However, hydration needs vary significantly per woman (Johnson, et al.), and how much water you’re consuming from you diet vs fluids is also extremely hard to measure.

All this combined, leads to a much simpler guideline:

Drink half you body weight in water, then adjust based on feedback, thirst and activity, starting at 8 – 16 ounces per 30 minutes of exercise.

Monitor the following types of feedback and adjust as needed:

• Drink until you’re satisfied + maybe a little more

• Look at your pee – is it pale yellow or lighter? If not, drink more.

• How do you feel – tired, antsy, hard to focus and headaches could all be signs to increase your water intake.

Why so much water…

THAT’S A LOT! Yes, it is a lot, and for good reason. Outside of pregnancy and breastfeeding, as we learn in elementary school, water makes up 2/3rds of our body and is lost throughout the day through a variety of ways – urine, sweat, respiration. The benefits of hydration include basic bodily function, such as digestion, skin health and body temperature regulation, as well as fitness performance and cognition. Can anyone else relate to that inability to focus when you’ve skimped on your water…?

That’s all in everyday life – while you’re pregnant, you blood volume increases by 40 – 50% , which is rich in water. Breastmilk is made up of 90% water. Constipation and hemorrhoids are unfortunately all too common during both pregnancy and postpartum — and water is a key player in helping prevent constipation, which can reduce the likelihood of developing hemorrhoids.

At the end of the day, your body works hard for you when you’re not pregnant, or breastfeeding, but now, your body is working overtime to support baby, all of which requires more water to function.

How do you manage to get that much water?!

Many women struggle to drink that much water, so we’ll look at different ways you can increase and maintain your water intake.

Water before coffee – common advice…how do you turn that into action?

• Keep a bottle of water on your bedside table and drink it when you wake up. You could have some before bed, too, but keep fluid intake low before bed for those pregnant women who are already peeing at night.

• Coffee doesn’t brew instantly – drink your water while your coffee brews.

• For every cup of coffee, make sure you bring a glass of water with you, and drink them together.

Make your water more fun

• Add some flavor to your water – this may be fruit, cucumber, or mint.

• Mix in unsweetened sparking water throughout the day.

• Get a fun, big water bottle with a straw – you’ll drink more than you think through the straw.

Increasing water throughout the day

• Similar to water before coffee – drink a glass of water first thing in the morning, you can even make it warm, with lemon.

• Every time you refill your water, drink half before waking away, then fill it up again.

• Every meal – start with a glass of water before you sit down, then refill for your meal.

Time based reminders and alerts

If you need the time based reminders, these tips could work for you. They are less behavior or habit based and technology driven, even if old school technology, instead.

• Literally set a timer on a watch or phone for every hour – this will be good practice for potty training…

• Purchase a water bottle reminder that flashes every hour if the bottle hasn’t been moved (Ex: Ulla hydration reminder).

• Use an app to track your water and set notifications (Best hydration apps of 2020).

Drink up!