staying hydrated is critically important in pregnancy labor
and all the way through breastfeeding and failing to keep yourself hydrated
allowing dehydration to happen can actually lead to some serious health concerns
hey everybody it's Alice here bringing you what you need to know
for childbirth and hydration is such an important topic and it was inspired
by the record-setting heatwave that we have going on here in the pacific northwest
in Seattle today i think it's supposed to be right about 100 right now so this time when we
see temperatures get high really hot very fast is when dehydration can kind of sneak up on you so
in today's video we're talking all about hydration in pregnancy and in labor and stay till the end
because i want to share a story about when i didn't take my own advice about hydration
during pregnancy the American college of ob gyns recommend to have 8 to 12 cups
or 64 to 68 ounces of water a day now this really goes up when we are experiencing hot weather
so dehydration can lead to preterm labor so it can actually lead to the uterus to start contracting
when it's really not supposed to also hydration is so important for the amniotic fluid and if we
allow ourselves to become dehydrated our amniotic fluid can lower which is such an important part of
the baby's ecosystem so we know that we need to stay hydrated
we've got to get in these 96 ounces a day on a hot day and you might be wondering
is it only water that we have to drink and the good news is that no there are other alternatives
so things like sparkling water actually will hydrate we've got coconut water sports drinks
vitamin water some fancy water i found a target that says it has electrolytes all of these
can be hydrating as well you can also take regular water tap water and infuse it with melon or lemon
or lime or even a vegetable like cucumber can change the taste a little bit and maybe make it a
little more appealing so all of these options you can play around with to get your 96 ounces or more
in just skip things like sodas because those are not very hydrating and you want to make water the
larger percentage of what you're drinking and make this a smaller percentage of what you're drinking
when you are in labor it's good to switch off between the electrolyte drinks and water if you
can try to mix those up when you're in labor how do you know if you are doing a good job hydrating
there are a couple tells and they have to do with what you see when you're going to the bathroom
so the color of your urine can be a giveaway if it is darker you probably aren't hydrating as much
and also the number of times in the regularity the frequency that you're using the bathroom
can let you know if you're hydrating so if you are visiting the bathroom a lot you're probably
hydrating if it's been hours and hours since you've been probably not hydrating enough in labor
you should be hydrating so much that you are emptying your bladder about every hour
or so so that's a lot of fluids quite a lot of intake now a question that i get a lot about
drinking and labor is whether or not it's allowed is it encouraged how much should you drink and i
want to break that into two different answers first the answer if you don't have an epidural
so if you don't have an epidural or before you get an epidural drinking in labor is definitely
encouraged and i like to suggest taking a little sip between every few contractions now partners
you play a huge role in this hydration situation i would love for you to
offer that sip between every contraction and it looks a lot like just putting a
straw up to her mouth and not asking the question do you want a sip of water much more effective
now with an epidural the policy at the hospital can really vary from hospital to hospital it goes
from restricting fluid intake and just being given the ability to eat ice chips to being allowed to
drink any clear fluid so it really depends on where you are birthing it's a great question to
ask your provider or ask during hospital tour if you're able to go to one of those check that out
now i promise to share a time where i failed at hydration and so i need to turn back the
clock where this daughter right here was in my belly here and it was memorial day weekend and
i was doing the normal memorial day weekend things like chasing a toddler around outside in the sun
grilling probably swimming and not drinking enough water and not hydrating and as timing
would have it i had my anatomy ultrasound that 20-week ultrasound the day after memorial day and
my amniotic fluid came back very low critically low actually and so that one bad weekend of not
hydrating actually sent my pregnancy on a different trajectory and i was now having to
be seen by a maternal fetal specialist they had to check my amniotic fluid every week until a
few weeks i was cleared and brought the amniotic fluid up because i just started drinking again
moral of the story is don't do what i did and make sure that you are staying hydrated and really work
on that 64 ounces to 96 ounces a day now if this video has made you thirsty i recommend
that you grab your favorite hydrating beverage and check out this video here where i go through
my favorite snacks in labor and show you my snack haul thanks for joining me today bye guys drink up