One of the most common problems during pregnancy is dehydration. Persistent thirst, dry skin, weight loss, and dry lips are the dehydration during pregnancy symptoms. Dehydration during pregnancy directly affects your health; as a result, you need to fix this problem as soon as possible so that your health and your baby are not in danger.

 

What Causes Dehydration in Pregnancy?

Morning sickness

Some women may experience nausea even after the second trimester. Nausea and vomiting deprive you of some water in your body, resulting in dehydration during pregnancy. In addition, many pregnant women cannot drink much water due to nausea, and that's why their bodies cannot make up for the lost water.

Severe morning sickness 

This problem usually occurs in twin pregnancies. Its symptoms are similar to the symptoms of occasional morning sickness and may be present throughout your pregnancy. Sometimes it even causes severe loss of water and salts in your body. As a result, it leads to fever, excessive sweating, nausea, vomiting, and finally, dehydration in pregnancy.

Diarrhea

Hormonal changes, some bad eating habits, and incompatibility of the body in digesting certain foods lead to diarrhea in pregnancy. This problem is more common in the third trimester of pregnancy. It causes a significant loss of water and salts in the body.

Avoiding drinking enough water

The amount of water pregnant women drink depends on factors such as activity level, age, weight, weather, season, and months of pregnancy. For example, in hot seasons, the amount of water in the body decreases sharply, and pregnant women need to drink more water.

Air travel

Humidity inside the cabin is low, which leads to dehydration. As a result, it is better to drink water regularly when traveling by plane during pregnancy to prevent dehydration. Of course, you may not be able to take the water bottle with you on the plane, but you can use the water bottles provided on board.

Humidity

Hot and sultry weather causes excessive sweating and dehydration in pregnant women.

Intense exercise in hot weather

Excessive exercise causes sweating and dehydration, but when you exercise in hot weather, the effects are more severe, and your body becomes dehydrated quickly.

Fever

High fever causes vomiting and sweating, resulting in dehydration.

 

Dehydration in Pregnancy Symptoms

Signs of dehydration in pregnancy appear when the body is dehydrated. Recognizing these symptoms is very important for pregnant women because they need to compensate for the lost water as soon as possible.

Feeling thirsty: Thirst is the first and most vital symptom of this complication. If you feel too thirsty, your body has lost a lot of water. So you should drink more water. (At least one glass per hour)

Dizziness: Dehydration during pregnancy causes a drop in blood pressure. As a result, you may feel dizzy when standing, kneeling, or bending.

Headaches: Another important and common sign of dehydration in pregnancy is headache or migraine.

Dark yellow urine: Excessive urination causes loss of water, fluids, and salts. Of course, yellow urine with a pungent odor is a sign of dehydration.

Dry mouth: Dry mouth, nose, and skin are other symptoms of dehydration during pregnancy. (Due to dehydration, the skin loses elasticity and becomes dry). Swelling of the tongue and cracking of the skin of the lips are also among dehydration in pregnancy symptoms.

Nausea: Sometimes, if you are dehydrated, it may cause nausea and vomiting, along with abdominal pain and cramping.

This problem may have more severe symptoms, like:

• Weakness;
• Declining focus;
• Constipation;
• Urinary tract infection.

 

What are the Effects of Dehydration during Pregnancy?

Dehydration during the first trimester of pregnancy can have the following side effects:

• If dehydration is due to morning sickness, it can cause nausea and vomiting and become a problem because you cannot drink water when you are nauseous. As a result, your body remains dehydrated, and you will have more nausea.
• If pregnant women do not drink enough fluids to prevent dehydration, they may be hospitalized to make up for the lost water by various medications.
• During the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, dehydration may lead to premature labor because dehydration causes the uterus to contract prematurely.

 

How to treat dehydration in Pregnancy

If your body is dehydrated, you can make up for it by drinking more water or other healthy drinks, such as water, herbal tea or decaffeinated coffee, and many other good options to make up for the lost water. Soft drinks, juices, and soups are also useful, but it is better to consume less of these ingredients. There is no need to say avoid drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

 

How much water should you drink during Pregnancy?

During pregnancy, the body needs more water to perform more movements, so drinking eight to ten glasses of water daily is better.

Of course, all the drinks you consume during the day may be as large as eight glasses. Still, water is the number one drink for preventing dehydration in pregnancy. Try to drink eight to ten glasses of water and other beverages.

Liquids such as fruit juices, milk, tea, and coffee also contain water. Their consumption causes more water absorption in your body. However, it must be noted that they are high in calories and may increase your body's extra calories.

 

When to See a Doctor?

If you are mildly dehydrated, you can treat it at home. Still, if none of these methods solve your problem and your signs of dehydration in pregnancy become more severe, you should see a doctor as soon as possible so that he can prescribe the appropriate treatment for you.

Your doctor may hospitalize you to find the root cause or take a complete test and eventually prescribe you a serum to replenish your body's water, salts and nutrients.

 

How to prevent Dehydration during Pregnancy?

This complication causes fatigue, boredom, and a feeling of lethargy. So it is better to drink enough water and follow these hints to prevent these problems:

• It is best to drink at least one glass of water every hour (150 to 180 ml). This is an excellent way to prevent dehydration in pregnancy and to make up for the lost water to a great extent.
• If drinking water is difficult for you, you can add a few slices of lemon, orange, or blueberry to the water. Of course, eating watermelon during the day can also be very effective.
• Consumption of smoothies, fruit juices, and soups also provides part of the body's water needs during the day.
• Avoid caffeinated beverages and processed juices (containing sodium) because their consumption increases the rate of urination and, as a result, leads to dehydration.
• Doing an intense exercise or staying in hot and humid weather leads to sweating and dehydration. If you have to do these things, drink water regularly and keep your body hydrated.
• If you do not know how to get enough water in your body or if you cannot do the mentioned advices properly, be sure to see a specialist.

 

Conclusion 

Luckily, it is easy to stay hydrated during pregnancy and avoid its complications. Dehydration in pregnancy can lead to unpleasant results in severe cases, so always use preventative measures to prevent dehydration. However, if, for any reason, you are severely dehydrated, you can try the home remedies mentioned in this article. Of course, it is better to see a doctor in more severe cases.