Are you tired, fatigued, constipated, and swollen?  These are just a few signals that your body may want you to increase your water intake.

Drinking enough water can be a royal pain in the rear!  It’s bad enough having to pee every 10 minutes when you aren’t drinking enough, let alone every 5 minutes when you are.  But it does your body and your baby good.

Water flushes toxins and waste from your body, which you have more of due to the baby. It also combats dry itchy skin, constipation, fatigue, and swelling.  Not to mention, it prevents bladder infections, hemorrhoids, pre-term labor, preeclampsia, and miscarriage.

Staying hydrated aids with your increased blood supply and baby’s amniotic fluid.  Continuing to stay hydrated after baby comes will help increase breast milk production.

To stay plenty hydrated, try for 8 cups of water per day.  A good way that some of my clients stay hydrated is to drink one 12 ounce glass every hour throughout the day.  Also, you might try drinking alkaline water with a higher pH (such as Qure) for better absorption.  You can also add fresh citrus juice to your water to up the alkalinity.

Some tricks to make the water a bit more interesting:

• Add sliced lemon and a little lemon juice to your water.

• Use pomegranate juice to make ice cubes, and then add them to your water.

• This is my summer favorite: fresh lemon, fresh mint leaves, and cucumber slices.  So refreshing!

• Muddle some mint leaves in the bottom of a glass to release their oils before adding water.

• Add some yummy, fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice.

• Float some fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries…) in your water OR freeze them into your ice cubes!

The more fun and flavorful you make your water, the easier it will be to stay hydrated!