Floating Away
The expression that pregnant women are ?eating for two? is a myth. Pregnant women need about 300 calories over their usual, per day, to provide for the nutrition of the baby, as well. This is higher, of course for twins. But water intake is a different story? drinking for two won?t hurt!
I had a lengthy conversation about nutrition with my midwife the other day. I was surprised when she said I should be drinking twelve 8-ounce glasses of water a day! If 8 glasses (that?s a gallon of water!) is the recommended amount for non-pregnant women, I guess I?m not exactly drinking for two?more like one and a half. But it certainly feels like it. (And some days it feels like I?m peeing for three!)
There?s only so much plain water a woman can drink in one day, so I?ve come up with some ideas to make it tolerable.
- Decaf beverages count, too!
Decaffeinated tea (iced or hot) sweetened with a bit of all-natural honey is a great way to meet some of your water quota.
- Vitamin Water
Glaceau?s VitaminWater is one of the few sweetened beverages on the market that uses cane sugar in lieu of high-fructose corn syrup. Infused with vitamins, it?s a healthier choice than, say, Diet Coke, but each serving contains 50 calories, so drink sparingly.
- Homemade Flavored Water
Companies who make water filters offer options to put flavorings in your filtered tap water. But I make my own by adding a small handful of frozen strawberries, blueberries or raspberries to filtered tap water. Not only does it get your drink nice and cold, but as the fruit melts, your water has a very strong fruit flavor. And you get to eat the fruit when you?re done, so it?s kind of like the cherry at the bottom of a Cosmopolitan. Sort of.
- Add lemon, lime or orange to your water. A quick squeeze of fresh lemon, lime or orange juice adds flavor to your water without adding any calories.
- 50/50 Split When you want something a bit ?stronger? than just flavor-infused tap water, create a beverage that is half cranberry, grape, apple or orange juice and half water. Again, these drinks are high in calories and sugar, but you?re also benefiting from the vitamins. Cranberry juice is especially good as cranberries help protect urinary tract infections and also tone the uterus to prepare for childbirth.
- Sodium-free seltzer water. Sometimes, you just want a bit of bubbly. Try any of the mixes above with seltzer water for a treat. Too much seltzer might make you gassy, so limit quantities. On the other hand, if you?re already having gas pains, a bit of seltzer might be just the trick to help the gas come out.
Staying hydrated helps prevent pre-term contractions, can help minimize swelling in your feet and hands, staves off headaches, and, although I?m not sure how, it can even give you more energy. As my midwife said, ?We?d all be healthier, pregnant or not, if we drank the quantities of water we?re supposed to.?
I hope these tips help you meet your daily quota.
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Melissa H says...
Don’t forget the Crystal light packets. They saved my life when I was pregnant. As a diabetic I couldn’t drink away too many of my calories… or my sugars went bonkers. I really loved those little packages. They kept me sane when the taste( or lack there of) of plain ole water got old.
Dawn says...
Good suggestion, Melissa! Personally, I’m trying to stay away from artificial sweeteners, which really means I need to think outside the box to flavor my water.
Before I gave up Splenda, however, I also enjoyed the 4C iced tea packets–they come in great flavors like Green Tea (which also includes antioxidants and many of the health benefits of green tea), peach, raspberry and regular iced tea.
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