Dehydration during Pregnancy

If you happen to have dehydration during pregnancy, should you worry about it and consult the doctor for the same? Yes. You should take this seriously and should also consult the doctor if needed.

Dehydration happens when the water in the body gets lost faster in any of the ways, than the rate at which you are in taking the fluids in your body.

The water content in the body should be well balanced and that keeps us healthy and gives the energy required for the day.

Dehydration in pregnant women should be considered seriously as there is also another life inside the womb that is surviving and water is very important for the growth of the baby.

The amniotic sac also uses water and the placenta also uses water for its development. Therefore, the water content in the body should be normal and if there is dehydration during pregnancy, one should immediately talk to the caregiver and get consulted with the doctors.      

Signs and symptoms of dehydration during pregnancy:

• The urine color should be clear and the urine should not be dark yellow or something of its kind. If you find that your urine is dark yellow in color or if you find it is not clear, then you are facing dehydration during pregnancy. Drink lots of water and increase the fluid intake.
• If you have a strong odor in your urine, that is also a sign for the dehydration during pregnancy.
• If you are feeling thirsty more often, then it is also one of the signs of dehydration. If you are feeling thirsty, you got to increase the fluid intake.
• If you feel like fainting or if you feel dizziness or vertigo, then you are having dehydration. This is caused due to the low blood pressure and the low blood pressure is caused due to dehydration.
• Headaches are something that is very common if you have dehydration. This happens mostly in pregnant moms.
• If you have chapped lips, dry mouth and nose, drink lots of water. It might also be due to dehydration.
• Nausea, weakness, and vomiting are also various other symptoms of dehydration.
• Dryness in the skin is also another sign and you will have to increase the water intake.

Effects of dehydration during pregnancy:

There could be various complications that may arise due to dehydration faced during pregnancy. The complications could be serious and one has to take it seriously.

Some of the complications that might arise due to dehydration include premature labor, low amniotic fluid, inadequate breast milk production, neural tube defects, etc.

The risks that arise due to dehydration may lead to other complications and can lead to birth defects due to malnutrition for the baby.

 { Also Read: Get answers for all frequently asked questions about pregnancy }

Risks due to dehydration during pregnancy:

• During the first trimester, pregnant women are more prone to nausea and vomiting. Vomiting leads to lots of fluid loss from the body. And the excess of fluid loss would leave the body fatigued and would lead to even more vomiting. The pregnant woman would be then hospitalized for getting the IV fluids.
• During the first trimester, the amniotic sac is not fully developed and therefore there is not much fluid in it. Dehydration of the body might lead to a misplaced baby in the uterus and this could lead to deformities of various organs and parts of the body. The baby is supposed to float in the amniotic fluid in the sac.
• Dehydration might lead to premature delivery too.
• Muscle cramps irritation and exhaustion and other ailments are all caused due to dehydration.
   

Preventing dehydration while pregnant:

Drinking lots of water and increasing fluid intake might help a lot. In an average one should drink at least 8-12 glasses of water each day. Avoiding caffeine and its product might help you to keep your body hydrated.

You also need to make sure that you avoid heavy activities that cause overheating of the body and lead to humidity. Sweating would also cause dehydration. Therefore, you should not do such activities.

In case you find nausea more often you can talk to your doctor and ask her to prescribe some medicines for the same.

If you have more vomiting during pregnancy, meet the doctor immediately. She might ask you to get IV fluids in order to rehydrate your body.

Conclusion:

Always remember that a healthy mother is a sole reason for a healthy baby and it is very important to stay healthy and fit while you are pregnant.

Do not take any of the sicknesses lightly when you are pregnant because it might affect your baby in the womb. Talk to your doctor and get advice whenever needed.

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