How Can You Prevent Muscle Cramps
These steps may help prevent cramps:
How Much Water Should I Drink During Pregnancy
During pregnancy you should drink 8 to 12 cups of water every day. Water has many benefits. It aids digestion and helps form the amniotic fluid around the fetus. Water also helps nutrients circulate in the body and helps waste leave the body.
See Nutrition During Pregnancy for more on what to eat and drink while pregnant.
Copyright 2021 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. All rights reserved. Read copyright and permissions information.
This information is designed as an educational aid for the public. It offers current information and opinions related to women’s health. It is not intended as a statement of the standard of care. It does not explain all of the proper treatments or methods of care. It is not a substitute for the advice of a physician. Read ACOGs complete disclaimer.
Dandelion Leaf Tea During Pregnancy
Dandelion leaf tea is a wonderful support in late pregnancy when fluid retention is an issue, Nicole says.
She explains that dandelion leaf tea is high in potassium and has a gentle but effective diuretic effect.
Its also considered to be a kidney tonic and gentle digestive and is alkalizing.
Nicole suggests adding a dandelion leaf to another tea such as spearmint or chamomile, as it has a slightly bitter, grassy taste.
Recommended Reading: How I Treat Thrombocytopenia In Pregnancy
What To Eat Or Drink
- Dairy foods like yogurt can make a healthy afternoon snack. However, look for their sugar content as some yogurt brands have high sugars, which could be a problem during pregnancy.
- For breakfast, combine milk with cereals such as oats, maize or cornflakes, and barley. This way, you will be able to balance your meal with a combination of carb and protein source. Adding a variety of fruits to this meal will have added benefits.
- At dinner, have a cup of skimmed milk.
- Include low-fat cheese in salads.
Are Herbal Teas Safe During Pregnancy
Herbal teas are delicious and add variety to everyday life. You can consume them on their own or as an herbal mixture and tea condiment. We drink herbal teas not just because they taste good but their healing properties make us feel good.
Several herbs are tried and tested remedies that ease ailments that are particularly prevalent during pregnancy and lactation. The same principle applies here as before: dosage is important, as an overdose of certain herbal ingredients may have detrimental effects on the health of mother and child.
Don’t drink these during pregnancy:
- Ginseng
Drink these safe teas during pregnancy and lactation:
- Fruit tea
Also Check: How To Get Your Abs Back After Pregnancy
Drinking Alcohol Before You Knew You Were Pregnant
The risk to your unborn baby from low-level drinking before you know youre pregnant is not fully understood but may affect the developing baby.
It is recommended that you stop drinking as soon as you know you are pregnant to help prevent any potential harm. You may want to talk to your healthcare professional for support to stop drinking, as this can be hard to do for some people. See Alcohol and pregnancy on The Royal Women’s Hospital website.
Red Raspberry Leaf Teas
Tea is a hugely beneficial way to enhance your water during pregnancy. With the exception of teas that contain fluoride like those explained in what not to drink during pregnancy!
One great tea for pregnancy that I highly recommend drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea, especially every day throughout the third trimester.
Be sure when shopping that you locate tea made from the leaves of the raspberry plant, as opposed to raspberry tea created from dried berries.
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea provides vitamin C, B vitamins, iron, zinc, phosphorus, and potassium and is packed with antioxidants.
But Red Raspberry Leaf Tea goes far beyond being full of vitamins and nutrients required for a healthy pregnancy. This tea actually tones the muscles in the pelvis and uterine wall. Essentially it tones the uterus and is said to improve labor, reduce bleeding after labor, and speed healing postpartum!
There is no defined amount of how much you should be drinking to get the best results for your pregnancy, but this tea should definitely be on your list of things to be drinking daily!
Also Check: How Many Days To Check Pregnancy
Can Cold Water Affect Baby In The Womb
This increase often makes the body temperature rise and make mommy easily feels hot. During this condition, Mommy usually likes to drink cold water. But apparently this does not affect the fetal development. There is no relationship between drinking cold water during pregnancy with the size of babies in the womb.
Can Pregnant People Drink Milk That Hasn’t Been Heat
During pregnancy, make sure to only drink milk thats been pasteurized or ultra-heat-treated . These preparations use heat to kill bacteria and prevent food poisoning, which can harm a pregnancy and the future baby’s health.
Cows’ milk that’s sold in shops is pasteurized, but you can still find unpasteurized or “raw” milk for sale from some farms and farmers’ markets. The label will state what kind of preparation youre purchasing.
Don’t Miss: What Should I Take If I M Trying To Get Pregnant
Drinks To Avoid During Pregnancy
There are a few types of drinks that you should consider avoiding during pregnancy. For more information on drinks to avoid, you should consult you care provider.
- Alcohol While in some cultures it is still considered acceptable to have a glass of wine during pregnancy, it is generally accepted that heavy drinking can be harmful to your developing baby.
- Soft Drinks Drinks like Sprite, Coke and Fanta are best to avoid during pregnancy mostly because of the high sugar content derived from high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners.
- Energy Drinks Many energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine and ginseng which can pose risks for your developing baby.
- Sports Drinks While marketed as ideal for re-hydration, drinks like Gatorade and Powerade are full of sugar and artificial ingredients.
With so many healthy options listed here it should be easy to find a drink that you can enjoy and that is good for you and baby!
Drinking While Pregnant: What We Know And What We Dont
Its our anniversary Saturday. Would it be OK to have a glass of wine? Can I have an occasional beer with dinner? I just found out Im pregnant but I had a couple drinks last weekend. Is my baby going to be OK?
Pregnant women often have questions like these. Unfortunately, the advice they get can be confusing. Almost all national health organizations recommend complete abstinence when it comes to drinking during pregnancy, while some obstetricians including myself say its OK to have a drink now and then.
Still, we cant ignore the potentially devastating effects of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders : low birthweight, developmental delays, behavioral problems, and health problems such as seizures and visual or hearing impairment. As many as one in 100 children born in Texas may have an FASD.
While weve long known that heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause these problems, the effects of an occasional glass of wine is less understood. Because were just not sure, there has been a push for women to refrain from consuming any alcohol while trying to get pregnant and during pregnancy.
Don’t Miss: How Common Is Getting Pregnant With An Iud
When Are You At Higher Risk Of Dehydration
If you are being active, or if the weather is hot, there is a greater risk that you will dehydrate. To stay hydrated, you should make sure you drink more fluids. Find out more about exercising safely during pregnancy. Making homemade icelollies from fresh juice can be a great way of keeping cool in hot weather.
If you have diabetes, dehydration can happen more easily and you should speak to your health care team about how to make sure you stay hydrated.
What You Drink During Pregnancy Can Benefit Baby
What you eat and drink during your pregnancy is directly linked to the health of your growing baby. By fulling your body and thus their tiny growing body with the right nutrients at the right times in pregnancy you can ward off diseases, disorders, increase their metabolism, alter their genetic expression, and overall just create a happier and healthier baby!
How is that possible? Through the study of epigenetics weve now learned how many foods and nutrients directly effect your babys cognitive and physical development while in utero. Scared of passing on bad genes? With proper pregnancy nutrition, you dont have to be.
What you drink is just as important as what you eat during pregnancy. Lots of what we drink on a daily basis is empty calories. Lacking in nutrition and exorbitant in sugar.
Read Also: How To Tell If I M Pregnant
Avoid: Wheatgrass Juice Or Shots
Wheatgrass is full of vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids, antioxidants the list goes on and on. It’s no wonder pregnant women would consider adding some wheatgrass juice or wheatgrass shots to their diet. However, this arguably healthy beverage can also present some dangers.
“Wheatgrass is usually grown in soil or water and consumed raw, which means it could be contaminated with bacteria or mold,” Brent A. Bauer, director of the Department of Internal Medicine’s Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program for Mayo Clinic, wrote for the organization. “If you’re pregnant or breast-feeding, don’t use wheatgrass.”
Research has also demonstrated a possible connection between consuming wheatgrass and miscarriages, sports nutritionist and dietitian Deepshikha Agarwal explained to The Health Site. Agarwal also noted the potential for causing “an impairment in the baby.” So, while the drink may have numerous benefits, it’s safest to wait to add it to your diet until after your baby is born.
Teas To Avoid During Pregnancy Include:
- Black, e.g. English breakfast, earl grey, Ceylon, etc.
- Green/matcha
Wondering why its probably not a good idea to drink green tea during pregnancy?
Green tea contains high amounts of caffeine and is said to reduce folate absorption.
If youre a green tea lover, consider limiting yourself to maximum one cup a day, or try sourcing a caffeine-free green tea.
There is still some discussion concerning how safe green tea is for pregnant women.
Recommended Reading: Can You Get Pregnant 8 Days After Your Period
Add Lemon To Your Water
I like adding lemon juice to my water, but I never seem to have fresh lemons on hand. I love True Lemon during pregnancy because its 100% natural crystalized lemon. It helps make your water much more palatable, as the flavor of lemon can calm nausea. Its also much more inexpensive than buying lemons each week.
Drink: Sports Drinks With Electrolytes
It might seem odd to see sports drinks appear on the “should drink” side of this list. Nevertheless, sports drinks with electrolytes can be safely consumed during pregnancy. “Some moms may experience leg cramps during pregnancy,” Natalie B. Allen, a registered dietitian and clinical instructor of dietetics at Missouri State University, told The List. “If this happens, try a sports drink, as the electrolytes and fluid will help alleviate the cramp.” Michigan Medicine explained that electrolytes are a combination of minerals that help “keep the body’s balance of fluids at the proper level.”
Even for pregnant women who do not experience leg cramps, sports drinks fortified with electrolytes are a good choice. Complete Women’s Care, a team comprised of board-certified OBGYNs and certified nurse practitioners, claims that sports drinks “such as Gatorade, Powerade” are one of the best choices for upping your fluid intake.
Don’t Miss: Can You Get Pregnant While On Nexplanon Birth Control
Is It Acceptable To Drink Freshly Squeezed Juices And Smoothies During Pregnancy
Freshly squeezed juices and smoothies are safe during pregnancy, but making these drinks at home is preferred instead of buying them at a restaurant or juice bar. That way, you can wash the fruits thoroughly.
Some 100-percent fruit juice is fine, but juices should be consumed in moderation when pregnant too much can exceed the calories or sugar needed for a healthy pregnancy.
Is It Safe For Pregnant Women To Drink Carbonated Beverages And Energy Drinks
Health care providers recommend that pregnant women exclude carbonated and energy drinks if possible, as they may contain large amounts of sugar, caffeine, colorants, and preservatives.
Some energy drinks are high in both sugar and caffeine. Checking the nutrition labels on soft drinks such as fruit juices and fizzy drinks can help you make healthier choices. Flavored waters can also contain a surprisingly large amount of sugar. Cutting down on these drinks will reduce the calories you consume without compromising on any nutrients.
Clean drinking water is considered the perfect beverage during pregnancy.
You May Like: Is It Normal To Cramp At 7 Weeks Pregnant
Is It Okay For Men To Drink Alcohol When Trying For A Baby
Studies suggest that the quality of sperm is significantly reduced if you drink alcohol regularly. This reduces the chances of a couple getting pregnant. It is also thought that a man’s alcohol consumption before conception could lead to developmental problems for the child in the future, both intellectual and physical. Reducing the amount of alcohol you drink or cutting it out altogether three months before trying to conceive is recommended.Studies have also suggested that women are less likely to drink during their pregnancies if their partners also abstain. When pregnant women have support from people around them, it can make saying no to alcohol a lot easier.
, where partners and friends can make an alcohol-free pledge in support of their pregnant partner or friend.
So What Should You Drink Besides Water In Pregnancy
First, know that if water fully satisfies you during your pregnancy, it is just fine to get all your hydration from water alone. Water is the ideal drink for your pregnancy.
But there are lots of ways to enhance your water to make it carry even more nutritional benefits for yourself and your baby! As well as a few other drinks that offer large benefits for you during your pregnancy.
Don’t Miss: How Soon Do You Start Having Pregnancy Symptoms
Drinking Alcohol Puts Your Unborn Baby At Risk
When you’re pregnant, the alcohol you drink passes from your blood to your baby’s blood through the placenta.When you drink, your unborn baby can get about the same concentration of alcohol in its blood as you do in yours. This can harm your baby’s developing brain and restrict its physical and cognitive growth and development.
Some of the most serious risks of exposing your unborn baby to alcohol are:
- slowed fetal growth
- miscarriage
- stillbirth
- a range of physical, mental, behavioural and learning disabilities that are collectively called fetal alcohol spectrum disorder .
Protein For Baby Development
During pregnancy, optimum intake of protein helps in supporting the babys growth and their cells to multiply rapidly . Protein could possibly help strengthen the uterus, improve blood supply, and nourish the baby .
If the protein intake is insufficient, it might increase the risk of low birth weight in babies . The daily requirement of protein for pregnant women is 1.1g/kg body weight/day . One glass of milk offers 8-9g of protein . Therefore, taking three glasses of low-fat milk can help you meet more than one-third of your protein requirement of the day .
You May Like: Can Folic Acid Help You Get Pregnant
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is a range of physical, mental, behavioural and learning disabilities that someone may experience due to fetal alcohol exposure. There is currently no information on the level of alcohol consumption that causes FASD, therefore avoiding alcohol during pregnancy is recommended as a preventative measure.
Its not known how many people have FASD in Australia. Experts suspect there are more cases than are reported. The 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found one quarter of women continued to drink after finding out they were pregnant.
Spearmint And Peppermint Tea During Pregnancy
Spearmint and peppermint tea during pregnancy is great for relaxing your stomach muscles.
Theyre great to help settle an upset stomach. These mint teas also help with nausea and vomiting, which is common in early pregnancy.
Spearmint is preferred to peppermint tea as it doesnt increase reflux .
Both are pregnancy safe teas and are fine alone or in blends.
Recommended Reading: What Foods Help With Constipation When Pregnant
The Potential Hazard Of Alcohol During Pregnancy
For the past few decades, women have been urged to avoid alcohol during pregnancy. Respected medical societies like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the United Kingdom’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Women both say women shouldn’t drink any alcohol during pregnancy. The main reason for this is that heavy use of alcohol during pregnancy has been linked to a long-term and irreversible condition known as fetal alcohol syndrome .
Babies with FAS may be born early. They are often underweight and don’t grow well. Some have characteristic facial features like a thin upper lip and small eye openings, or the small vertical groove between the upper lip and the nose may be flattened. Other physical signs that go along with fetal alcohol syndrome include a small head, short nose, and problems with the way the heart or the joints are formed.
Children with FAS are slower to learn language skills than other kids. When they reach school age they often have learning disabilities and difficulty with attention, memory and hyperactivity. They are more likely to have poor coordination and a hard time with problem-solving. And some have trouble making friends and relating to other kids. All of which can make school a really difficult time.
Despite this clear advice, up to half of women drink some alcohol during pregnancy.
