How much and what should a pregnant woman drink?

In summer it is easier for us to drink enough fluids, but in winter our bodies have often already adjusted to the fact that the temperature is colder and the air is drier and we “forget” to drink enough. However, dry skin often indicates that we should drink more in this drier environment than when the air around us transports more moisture. While dehydration should always be avoided, it can lead to unpleasant consequences such as headaches, fatigue, urinary infections and even premature contractions, especially during pregnancy. Staying hydrated during pregnancy is so easy!

If you make sure to drink regularly throughout your pregnancy to ensure that you are sufficiently hydrated, you will also ensure that the body's self-regulation functions and that the internal body temperature remains constant.

How much should a pregnant woman drink?
You should make sure to drink at least 2 liters of fluid every day. Even without pregnancy, this amount is our recommendation for a healthy body, so you shouldn't drink less. We have put together a few tips to help you drink enough and the right thing:

Bottle trick
Get yourself a nice drinking bottle and fill it with water in the morning. A pot of organic herbal tea prepared in the morning, such as the GuterHope organic variety from Neuner's, is a tasty addition to the daily water, which can also alleviate one or two pregnancy problems with the natural effects of the herbs. Both the drinking bottle and the pot of tea should be empty by the evening. This way you can keep an eye on how much you drink and if you drink more, even better!

Fruity liquid stars
While drinking water and herbal teas ensures a direct supply of liquid, we also consume a lot of liquid through our food. Pregnant women should particularly often choose fresh, seasonal and, ideally, organically grown fruits. Fruits provide us with lots of fluids and at the same time vitamins, trace elements, fiber and secondary plant ingredients. A fruit breakfast is ideal for mom and thus an extra portion of nutrients for the baby.

Think about salt
When we eat salt and salty foods, the head signals the kidneys to bind water in the body. This means that fluid is excreted to a lesser extent and is made available in the body to enter the bloodstream. A well-seasoned chicken soup or salty snacks in between help to retain water in the body instead of excreting it.

Of course, you shouldn't overdo it with salt during pregnancy and should still stick to the recommended daily amount of 2.3 mg for an adult. If in doubt, talk to your midwife about it.

Suppenkasper
soups are a wonderful and tasty way to enjoy an adequate supply of fluids. In addition to liquid, prepared with regional and seasonal vegetables from certified organic farming, they provide valuable nutrients, fiber, carbohydrates and protein. And all at the same time!

Coffee and
caffeine have a strong stimulating effect, which is naturally passed on to a large extent to the unborn child during pregnancy. However, it also has a diuretic - i.e. draining - effect. If you don't want to go without a cup of coffee every day during pregnancy, you should drink an additional half liter of fluid per cup to compensate for the fluid loss and stay balanced.

However, if you don't want to give up caffeine completely during pregnancy, you could   switch to caffeinated herbal teas such as green mate instead of coffee. Not only is the caffeine contained in only half as strong a dose, but with a steeping time of 5 minutes or more, it is also increasingly bound to tannins, which means that it is only released slowly into the body and puts less strain on the metabolism of mother and child. However, do not drink more than 1-2 cups a day of pure mate green tea during pregnancy.

Water is in the air
Living from air and love is a beautiful idea! In fact, it makes a big difference to the body how much moisture there is in the air we breathe. This is particularly true in winter, when the humidity in rooms can drop to around 10%. A humidity of 40-60% is ideal, which can be ensured by humidifiers or at least improved by steam lights and water bowls placed in the rooms. Not only, but especially for pregnant women, eye irritation and respiratory problems are significantly improved and it has been shown again and again that optimally humidified air can significantly reduce the risk of colds and coughs.