8 Ways to Stay Hydrated Through a Summer Pregnancy
Hydration is always welcome — especially in the summer — but that goes double when you’re pregnant. Without enough liquidy goodness (the non-alcoholic kind, of course) during pregnancy, you run the risk of dehydration, and when dehydration gets serious, it increases the chances of developing complications, including low amniotic fluid or premature labor. Plus, dehydration defeats that oh-so-healthy pregnant glow that you totally deserve right now. Forget about struggling with how to stay hydrated this summer and check out these refreshing ideas.
1. Mixing Mocktails: Yes, you need to drink plain ol’ water when you’re pregnant. But that doesn’t have to mean you nix the notion of drinking anything else. Mix yourself an alcohol-free mocktail to freshen up your summertime hydration routine. You can even pour your mama mocktail into a fancy glass and garnish it with fresh fruit!
2. Eating Water(melon): It’s all in the name of this fresh fruit. With its high water content, watermelon is a refreshing way to recharge on a summer day. In addition to your normal liquids, sneak a few snacks of melon during your regular daytime routine, add it into a green salad, or crush it into a summer smoothie.
3. Cooling Off With Cucumbers: Like watermelons, cucumbers are also high in water content. While you can’t replace your pregnancy beverage of choice with foods, you can supplement your healthy hydration routine with slices of water-rich green goodness.
4. Popping Popsicles: Your belly bump is bursting out, and you can’t take any more summer sweat. Why not cool off with a healthy frozen treat? Downing sugar-packed pops won’t do you any favors (the added sugar isn’t healthy for you or the baby), so instead, try a reduced-sugar version — or make your own by freezing a low- or no-cal fruit-infused sparkling water.
5. Kicking Caffeine: Maybe you’ve already knocked your morning cup of coffee off the pregnancy menu, but maybe you’re still sipping on the slightly caffeinated sweet tea you so enjoy during the summer months. Along with acting as a stimulant and increasing heart rate and blood pressure, caffeine is a diuretic, meaning that it works against your hydration goal. Swapping out coffee and caffeinated iced tea for herbal tea or another caffeine-free beverage will ensure you’re getting maximum liquids.
6. Going Grape: Even though you have to give up pinot for the next nine months, you can still hydrate with its base — grapes! These water-filled fruits make a hydrating summer snack, especially if you refrigerate or freeze the little delights. You can even use frozen grapes as ice cubes to cool a drink without watering it down, then chomp on the slushy treats once you finish the glass.
7. Summer Soup: Hot soup on a steamy summer day is just about the worst thing you can imagine. Add in sweaty summer morning sickness, and soup kind of sounds like the devil. But soup doesn’t have to mean a heavy “cream of something” stew. Swap out the mid-December fave for a cooling summer recipe. Chilled cucumber, melon, or other fruit and veggie soups provide added hydration while cooling you down. And, bonus, they’re healthy for you too!
8. Water Plus: Drinking bottle after bottle of plain water can get more than a little tedious. Before you tire of drinking the same old, same old, add a little extra to your water bottle. Squeeze lemons and limes into your water, add fresh fruit, infuse it with basil, or muddle some mint. Water plus flavors you enjoy will turn your boring beverage into something that you actually want to drink.
What’s your favorite pregnancy mocktail? Tweet us your mixology pick @BritandCo!
(Photos via Getty)
