hydrating with infused waters

Hydrating with infused waters and electrolytes!

Hydrating with infused waters and electrolytes. A huge part of a healthy pregnancy and lifestyle is about adopting habits that promote ongoing wellness. For some of us, this is simple and for others, it takes a lot more effort! 

Drinking Enough Water to Hydrate

Drinking enough water is one simple way to promote health in pregnancy and birth.  This can be challenging throughout the pregnancy due to nausea, alteration in taste, bloating, indigestion, feeling full, and needing to spend a lot of time in the bathroom! But dehydration can affect pregnancy.

Here in Colorado we are also constantly combating our dry climate and the altitude so even more water is needed!  How much should you drink?  Well, that can vary from person to person but a general rule of thumb is to drink at least ½ your body weight in ounces of water per day and adding additional water during and right after exercise. This is something we advocate at our birth center.

So for most of us, this means 80-120 ounces of water!  For many of us, this means a lot of vigilance to ensure all this intake!  Making water more palatable is one way to improve intake!  Herb and fruit-infused waters are one way to help gulp it all down!  Here are some great suggestions! 

hydrating with infused waters

Hydration Station

At home set up a “hydration station” – a designated spot in the kitchen where you set up an herb or fruit infused water for the day.  A pitcher works great for this and can sit out on the counter for the day or be refrigerated for 2-3 days.

Try some of these delicious infused water combinations for hydrating!

  • Cucumber and lemon
  • Lemon balm and peach
  • Elderflower and lime
  • Grapefruit and ginger
  • Rosemary and lemon

Recipes for Hydrating with infused waters

One of my absolute favorite things to do is make a pitcher of electrolyte and or detox water- here is a great recipe you can try for the summer months!

2 cups of cubed watermelon

1 cup of fresh strawberries

2 sprigs of rosemary

1 gram of vitamin B complex powder (available at most health food stores)

A pinch of Himalayan crystal salt

1 tsp of fresh lemon juice

750 ml of filtered water

 

If you are wanting more of a cleansing water here is another great recipe!

1 cup coconut water

½ cup of fresh coconut

1/3 cup sliced cucumber

½ cup of raspberries

½ cup of blueberries

A pinch of Himalayan crystal salt

750 ml of filtered water

(muddle the blueberries and raspberries, add to a large glass liter or mason jar, refrigerate 4-6 hours or up to overnight and enjoy)

Hydrating with Electrolyte powders 

If reading all of this just makes you yawn and sounds like too much effort, then I have another option for you!  Electrolyte powders are great for hydrating. Make sure that you are not too “waterlogged” drinking all that plain water!  Electrolyte powder is easy to obtain and transport to add to your water bottle at any time!  Be careful of some brands that contain a lot of added sugar though!  Here are a couple of great options!

NUUN Electrolytes- contains only 1 gram of sugar, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium- clean ingredients with a choice of flavors- simply add a tablet to 16 oz of water!  Some NUUN products contain caffeine which I would recommend skipping if you are pregnant!  Available at some health food stores and through Amazon!

Liquid IV hydration multiplier (https://www.liquid-iv.com/)- a super powerful way to hydrate rapidly is with liquid IV hydration infused water!  Contains clean ingredients including mined salt, cane sugar, stevia,Vitamin C, and B complex.  When mixed with water this combination rapidly hydrates your bloodstream through osmosis!  Pretty amazing!  Also comes in several different flavors and blends!  Available at some health food stores and through Amazon!

If you are experiencing symptoms during pregnancy such as dry mouth, dizziness, increased heart rate, headaches, fatigue, brain fog, muscle cramps, dark urine or dry skin dehydration may be part of the problem!   Always contact your health care provider if you have concerning symptoms but ruling out dehydration and making sure you are getting 80-120 oz of water per day is a great way to take control of your health and wellness during pregnancy! 

I hope you enjoyed this blog!  Make sure you are hydrating my friends!!!

Amy Burgess CNM